Personal Narrative: My American Dream

J. R. R. Tolkien wrote, “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” Living in the moment and pursuing your dreams are undoubtedly essential parts of enjoying life; however, it is equally as important to stick to your roots and appreciate where you came from, where you obtained your intellectual curiosities, and where you predestined your goals and aspirations. I grew up in a very close-knit family surrounded by the hills of suburban Fullerton in Southern California. By no means was this a harsh environment to live in mentally or physically, in fact, I loved almost everything about my city; the cool weather, the delicious restaurants, and the alluring people had always made me feel blessed. My father worked hard to settle his painting business and my mother had just started her job as a bank accountant; and as far as I could tell, my family was very close to achieving— to some degree— the fabled ‘American Dream’. Sadly, we must often let go of the life we have planned in order to live the life awaiting us …show more content…
I had trouble making friends as many students on campus wanted to avoid the strange korean kid at school and my step cousin despised me for having to share his room. During the third month of living with our Aunt, a burglar had broken into our home and traumatized me with fear; I only found myself catching a break in my distressed life at 10 PM every night when my parents would come home from work and comfort me, but even that eventually came to an end. They explained to me that living in California was at the forefront of their plans for the future and to do so, I would have to live with my Aunt while they gathered enough money in California to send me back. At the time, I had no idea of how long they would be gone. Weeks? Months? Years? I was distraught and