Unlike many teenagers I didn’t, have a transition period from childhood to teenage years to adulthood, like so many others here in America might have. My life went from a carefree child to being a mature and responsible adult within a matter of months, and here is how it all started. The fact or the matter is that I was born in a refugee camp in Nepal and life wasn’t easy with death and disease looming everywhere. I roamed the streets as carefree as young kid could. Life was normal as I went to school every day, my dad worked countless hours,and my mother stayed home like so many other women in the community.…
They say the goal in life is to live the “American Dream” and I would say I am living it head first. It all started when the time in my life came to pick an Univeristy to attend, and boy am I ecstatic with my decision to attend West Virginia University. WVU opened so many doors for me; however, if it was not for my family, I would not be where I am today. I was very content with going to my local University and living at home because that was comfortable to me, but my family encourged me to find a new start.…
When I knew that I was gonna come to the United States for the very first time, I had a mishmash of emotions. Excitement was of course present, since I've fancied myself living the American dream. You know, the kind of life you see on TV. So, whenever I come back fresh from the States, wind blows like there's no tomorrow. All I say is how great life is in America.…
“Welcome to America” the judge said. (1 Hour Earlier) In the heat of DC we all got inside of the car, I sat in the back with my brother. We then drove and arrived to park 10 before 12:00. I ran a head to the glass door and opened it and saw a white colored room where all of my father's friends were.…
I looked back to my father, who could see that this was the first time I had really seen horror of this kind. My father looked at me and asked, “Can you even imagine?” I shook my head, and told him, “No.” It wasn’t immediate, but the courage and selflessness that I had saw displayed by my fellow Americans on that day changed me. I began to look at the world in a new way, but more importantly I started to understand exactly why I should have pride in the fact that I am an American.…
Finding my way as an American It was during the Iran revolution, when my dad sent me and my brothers to America for education opportunity and to escape all the religious uprisings. The government and people in Iran were overthrowing the shah at the time and were trying to replace the dynasty with an Islamic Republic. My dad wanted me out of there as soon as possible, In order to stay safe and receive a good education. It was so sad to see my home country die out and put so many innocents that supported the shah, in danger.…
“The America I Believe in” The day March 8, 2004, I was put into this world. At the time, I did not realize all the freedoms I have. My mother and my father are both faithful members of the Church of Christ and we go to church every time the doors are open, but I never realized that people around the world do not have those freedoms. Our military works hard all of the time. We do not need to be unaware of our freedoms.…
My expectations before participating in this activity was for it to not be as authentic as it was. I did not realize that there was a place downtown that had such real and good food and wondered why I haven’t heard of this place before. Also, I was surprised with the poverty I saw around the area. I have always grown up in areas that have a decent amount of money and have never been to a spanish speaking country or area before. This experience really opened my eyes to the fact that there are places out there that still have authenticity and still try to resist becoming “Americanized” in society.…
Not everyone can say they carry a map of where they live wherever they go. This is one of the few perks that come with residing in the Mitten State: I can whip out my hand anytime and point to exactly where I’m from. For the past eighteen years, I’ve built a life in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a conservative, affluent community where everything seems perfect. For eighteen years, I’ve covered imperfections, censored thoughts, and allowed my light to be dulled. I may not have lived anywhere else yet, but the real-world is out there waiting -- and I’m ready for it.…
The All-American Girl When I was little, I was a bit of a weird child. I didn’t like typical girly things, like Barbies or Polly Pockets. I didn’t really play with toys at all. I prefered to boss people into playing pretend with me, where I’d always be the teacher or the surgeon or the lead actress in a play I wrote. For Christmas and birthdays, I typically asked for the usual; clothes, a pony, toys I had seen on TV.…
I was in fourth grade, and I was already grown up. We lived in Arkansas for about 6 years until my parents divorced. I have three brothers, two older, one younger, and then my parents. My parents divorced when I was at a young age, it was hard but I wasn’t quite old enough to understand what was going on.…
The average American female is just below 5’4”, there are just over a million women in America who are over 5’10” and there are just below one hundred and fifty million women in America. After you do the math, only seventy-eight out of ten thousand American women are over 5’10” and I just happen to be one of them. I find joy, awkwardness, beauty, and self doubt all in my height. It’s often the first thing people notice about me, and is often followed by a “you should play basketball” type remark. My height is something I find unique and defining about myself.…
Identity Crisis As a scientist, I am aware that life is full of an endless list of unknowns: Are we alone in the universe? How did life begin? How does gravity work? These are the BIG unknowns.…
I was born in the second biggest continent. Africa, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya, and was raised in the United States since the age of seven. My family is unbelievably big. I live with both my parents, my four brothers and my four sisters. Since elementary school to my sophomore year in high school.…
The life in America caught me by surprised and I have learned to understand that; life isn 't always what others portrait it to be. Never thought my entire life would have appeared to be like a roller-coaster; ironically things didn 't work out the way I planned and expected. One moment I was filled with laughter and happiness; then disheartened and feeling traumatized by my father know that h we wasn 't being realistic, creating a dull and lifeless picture in my mine. Later on , throughout my journey, fortunately, I met my adorable, kindhearted, positive, loving and caring best friend and mentor, kelsey Dickson. On a hot summer day, sunny and humid.…