Personal Narrative: My American

Growing up I always considered myself American. I never saw my family as foreigners or ever heard them with accents. I felt as though I grew up like every other American kid and lived a normal American life. Never in my youth had I understood what those around me perceived as foreign. Never in my youth had I thought outsiders may look at me and my family as foreign. Never in my thoughts did I perceive my life as different or bicultural. It was not until the second decade of my life that I had realized what it meant to be a first generation American and how that has influenced the person I am today. Growing up I excelled in many sports, joined every spelling bee, and took every opportunity I could find. I was even an all American Girl Scout for 7 years. I excelled in school and always found myself to be abnormally over ambitious. I started making my own money at the age of 13 and have only grown in my career since then. Upon entering high school I had developed strong interests in culture and fine arts. I prepared an musical audition for acceptance into the prestigious fine arts program at the fourth highest ranked

My parents had deep accents that I had never noticed and cooked food my friends had never seen. Instead of barbeques I had churrascos and instead of waltzing I danced samba. I never noticed these things because, to me, they were just normal. Today I think about what it meant for my parent to leave their home country, their language, and their family to live the American Dream. I think about the knowledge, the courage, and the strength it took my parents to take on this journey at around the same age I am now. I finally understood that from the day I was born they have set an example for me that has led me to, not just believe, but to know that anything is possible. My Multi cultural background has taught me to view the world as my oyster and to never give