Personal Narrative: My Journey To America

In the rural valley of Panguerstee, nestled in the mountains of Bulgaria, education was not emphasized. From generation to generation, a woman’s success was measured by how many children she bore, and a man achieved manhood only after joining the military. The slow process of modernization in the village helped preserve these alarming beliefs. I was raised by a father who had an 8th grade education, and a mother who struggled to bring-up three girls. Needless to say, my life completely changed when my family won the green card lottery and immigrated to the United States. Without this catalyst, I would not have become the first generation in my family to graduate college. Our family's opportunity to journey to America was truly a fortuitous …show more content…
Assimilating into American culture was initially challenging because of the debilitating sense of isolation. We had no family, no friends, and no home. We moved from place to place because my parents lacked the funds to pay for a permanent home. Most nights I did not even bother unpacking, albeit, I could count my personal belongings on ten fingers. Yet this routine became normal for our family. My only comfort at the time was my twin sister. We had each other, could talk to each other, and comfort each other in these difficult times. That consolation was short-lived, though. To add insult to injury, our school administrators decided to separate my twin sister and me, so that we did not develop a dependency problem. I remember these early days vividly. I had no control of my life and lacked the ability to voice my opinions. It was through these early life struggles that I realized the importance advocacy. Thus, I made language my life and learned to converse in many languages including Spanish, Arabic, and many of the Slavic languages. As a result, I have made it a point to continue learning different languages throughout my lifetime, with the hope that I can provide assistance to others yearning to voice their opinions, as I once …show more content…
At the time, I only had a vague understanding of the disease; however, my encounter with this incurable disease served as my introduction into the world of science. Together, we spent long hours in the hospital listening to my older sister translate what the doctors and nurses were saying. I recall witnessing my mom desperately pleading with the doctors to transplant her own pancreas into Silvia, in order to cure her. Countless times, I would watch my twin sister courageously prick her finger and let the test strip draw up the blood. Each time we waited for the readout, it felt as though all of the oxygen had been vacuumed from the room. For a couple of years after her diagnosis, I would quietly wake up in the middle of the night to prick her finger in order make sure her blood sugar was not low. These experiences would later trigger my interest in medical research, and inspire me to seek research