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Reflective Essay: An Immigration To The US

559 Words3 Pages

“Do you even speak English,” a gringo asked me. “No, yo no hablo ingles”, 13-year old me responded. I am from the Dominican Republic and I have been living in the United States for four years. When I came to the States, I was only 13 years old. My journey was definitely not an easy one. Learning another language was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

Being an immigrant is not easy because I am in a foreign country that is not mine. I came to the States with my younger brother and had to start from the beginning. When I imagined coming to the States, I pictured Hollywood, famous actors, the best fast food, and of course- the “American Dream”. I soon realized that this was only glamorized in movies and far from the truth. I know I had goals for myself and that helped me stay positive. Although I believed that every goal I have in my life can be attained through hard work- that was always not the case.

My experience learning English was one other hardest thing I have ever done in my life. When I started high school, I had very little …show more content…

Now, I know more English and can understand around 80% of what people are saying. I feel amazed at my accomplishments, but still, strive to be better. By taking ownership of my own education, I now know how to defend myself. This challenge helped me realize that there are people who are in the same situation as I am and I want to help those people who do not understand English. Currently, I am an ESL mentor for freshman students at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School. My goal is to help people who are in a similar situation as mine. I recognize that I always had teachers, friends, and mentors who pushed me to be my best. This was the main reason that helped me believe in myself and never allowed me to give up on my dreams. Yes- the “American Dream” is difficult to achieve, but it is not

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