It was the year 1997 when my family
decided to emigrate from Mexico
to the United States of
America. When I first got here I lived in Virginia, then I moved to Washington D.C.
Many things were different in D.C like the schools and culture. It was also my
first time seeing an African American person, but I was not racist. America at
first seemed like paradise but then I started to realize it really was not. America seemed like Mexico in many ways: the drugs, the gangs, the
violence and most of all the religion. Immigrating to America was
huge turning point in my life.
When my family got to Washington D.C.,
we had nothing just my mom, dad, and my other two siblings. All our family was
in California.
A year later I stopped seeing my dad because all he ever do was work. I started to go
to school without knowing English, and I felt useless. I did not make friends for a
while until a boy named Henry and a girl named Stephanie came and talked to me.
To this day Henry is still my best friend. Every week we would call my family.
Every week the police came to my apartment arresting criminals. Every week I
got more used to my environment.
It was the year 2000 was when I
faced one of the most difficult things in my life. My mom and dad got
separated. My dad left us. He left us with no money, in a bad environment, and
without someone for me to look up to. My mom began to work, and she helped bring
food to the table and other things. After a while, my dad agreed to pay the rent
while he was in New York.
We learned how to live with out him, even if it meant having to live with a
broken heart because the only one that could fit in that broken piece was my
dad. We learned from my mom never to give up and to always face your
challenges. We learned that in this world we have to do what is in our hands to
survive. I learned to never regret to just take and learn from what is left. America made a
great change in my life.
