All New World
Bountiful amounts of air filled my lungs as I stepped through the doors to this new land. Everybody seemed alike yet different from me, speaking an unfamiliar language. Exhausted from the hours of flying, but I could feel the excitement with a sense of fear, as a young me stepped in a whole new place. After my family and I got in the car with my new dad, Joseph, and we drove off to my new life. I knew the next day when I would wake up, that I would not be back home in Bolivia; instead, I would be in this new land, “the land of the free” which is called America, a world I did not fit in. Moving to America was a difficult transition with my language and social barriers, and the gain and loss of friendships; however, I learned to overcome these challenges and be content with my new life.
I was seven years old when I moved from La Paz, Bolivia, to the United States after my mom remarried. My mom, brother, sister and I came here through three long flights from La Paz to Miami, Miami to Houston, and, finally, Houston to Kansas City, Missouri. Soon after, my family and I stayed at Blue Springs, Missouri in a rented condo, during the summer of 2005, until the end of July when we moved to Chillicothe, Missouri. However, not being fluent in English became a barrier to me.
The Midwest was completely different from the high mountains of La Paz with the culture and all the different people, and yet, the transition from speaking Spanish to English seemed the most different and difficult. I had enough of an English background to understand basic words, so these next years were going to be rough. For instance, during school I would have special English class just so I would not fall too far back. I had to work hard if I wanted to get caught up. Netherless, with starting school, my awkwardness soon had me dreading going.
I was a shy kid and never was too keen on talking to other people. So, when the first day of second grade started, I was a nervous wreck. My heart was pounding as I reached my new school. As I enter the school I walked all the way to the other end of the hall to my class through a sea of kids. My heart raced even more until I reached my classroom door. As class finally started, my classmates realized I was new and that I came from another country. I learned that news traveled fast in a small-town school. As a result, everyday as I walked past the halls, almost all the student would say hi as if they knew me. I never wanted to stick out so boldly since I was extremely shy, but during school I was always noticed. Of that was not enough, having an accent did not help my goal of not sticking out like a sore thumb. Likewise, I was put in the advance group in my class since I was one of the first ones done on our math timed tests, and one of the top students on our spelling group which lead to our group having our own advance spelling words. Being shy, or afraid of others, was dreadful and hinder me from making friends and when I did make some, I learned friendships do not always last.
Later on, fifth grade came around and that started my path of gaining and losing friends. Fifth grade was also when I met what would become my first best friend, Brandon. We became extremely close like brothers as months went by. However, he was popular so even though I was with him, I felt he was always a step above me. We became best friends until eighth grade where a new kid moved schools here. He was the complete opposite of me and everybody liked him, his name was Jacob. He was an outgoing and funny guy, but he and I did end up becoming great friends. Brandon, Jacob and I were a close trio and were together a lot. Yet, I felt like the third wheel sometimes since I was not as outgoing as they were, and I felt left out. We would all hang out until high school came around, when Brandon and Jacob would start to hang out without me, so for the first part of my freshman year I felt alone. For a moment I thought I would never find my group of friends until I met a sophomore later that year, and soon after I finally could leave those barriers behind me.
In time, by working hard my English became much better to the point I was getting A’s in all my English classes. Still, with my accent, my speech was not perfect and people could tell; however, I started to be content with my accent since it was part of me. Likewise, the years following my freshman year opened doors to a new me. Soon after, at the end of my sophomore and junior year I stepped out of my comfort zone and eventually I was not shy anymore. I became outgoing and was able to talk in front of groups and I even did school plays. Furthermore, at the end of freshman year is when I would met Brad, who would become a close friend of mine. Brad showed me to his own friend group and I became one of them. As the years went by and my friends graduated, I still found friends the following years. Even to this day, I am still friends with a good portion of last year’s seniors including Brad. Looking back at when I first moved here, I feel I have grown into a whole new person.
In conclusion, I would like to think that in time, the experience of moving to North America taught me a lot about myself. I learned there will always be struggles that look to big to overcome, but as I work at surpassing that point in life that I will get through just like the language barrier I had. Similarly, I also learned I became my own worst judge as I was always afraid of talking to other people. Also, I would think too much about my friends and I did let that get to me. Even though I still overthink, I learned not to focus and just go with what is going on. In short, my experience moving away from Bolivia and the challenges that came with it, taught me a lot and forced me to grow; however, I can say I am content with my new life here in the states.
I was seven years old when I moved from La Paz, Bolivia, to the United States after my mom remarried. My mom, brother, sister and I came here through three long flights from La Paz to Miami, Miami to Houston, and, finally, Houston to Kansas City, Missouri. Soon after, my family and I stayed at Blue Springs, Missouri in a rented condo, during the summer of 2005, until the end of July when we moved to Chillicothe, Missouri. However, not being fluent in English became a barrier to me.
The Midwest was completely different from the high mountains of La Paz with the culture and all the different people, and yet, the transition from speaking Spanish to English seemed the most different and difficult. I had enough of an English background to understand basic words, so these next years were going to be rough. For instance, during school I would have special English class just so I would not fall too far back. I had to work hard if I wanted to get caught up. Netherless, with starting school, my awkwardness soon had me dreading going.
I was a shy kid and never was too keen on talking to other people. So, when the first day of second grade started, I was a nervous wreck. My heart was pounding as I reached my new school. As I enter the school I walked all the way to the other end of the hall to my class through a sea of kids. My heart raced even more until I reached my classroom door. As class finally started, my classmates realized I was new and that I came from another country. I learned that news traveled fast in a small-town school. As a result, everyday as I walked past the halls, almost all the student would say hi as if they knew me. I never wanted to stick out so boldly since I was extremely shy, but during school I was always noticed. Of that was not enough, having an accent did not help my goal of not sticking out like a sore thumb. Likewise, I was put in the advance group in my class since I was one of the first ones done on our math timed tests, and one of the top students on our spelling group which lead to our group having our own advance spelling words. Being shy, or afraid of others, was dreadful and hinder me from making friends and when I did make some, I learned friendships do not always last.
Later on, fifth grade came around and that started my path of gaining and losing friends. Fifth grade was also when I met what would become my first best friend, Brandon. We became extremely close like brothers as months went by. However, he was popular so even though I was with him, I felt he was always a step above me. We became best friends until eighth grade where a new kid moved schools here. He was the complete opposite of me and everybody liked him, his name was Jacob. He was an outgoing and funny guy, but he and I did end up becoming great friends. Brandon, Jacob and I were a close trio and were together a lot. Yet, I felt like the third wheel sometimes since I was not as outgoing as they were, and I felt left out. We would all hang out until high school came around, when Brandon and Jacob would start to hang out without me, so for the first part of my freshman year I felt alone. For a moment I thought I would never find my group of friends until I met a sophomore later that year, and soon after I finally could leave those barriers behind me.
In time, by working hard my English became much better to the point I was getting A’s in all my English classes. Still, with my accent, my speech was not perfect and people could tell; however, I started to be content with my accent since it was part of me. Likewise, the years following my freshman year opened doors to a new me. Soon after, at the end of my sophomore and junior year I stepped out of my comfort zone and eventually I was not shy anymore. I became outgoing and was able to talk in front of groups and I even did school plays. Furthermore, at the end of freshman year is when I would met Brad, who would become a close friend of mine. Brad showed me to his own friend group and I became one of them. As the years went by and my friends graduated, I still found friends the following years. Even to this day, I am still friends with a good portion of last year’s seniors including Brad. Looking back at when I first moved here, I feel I have grown into a whole new person.
In conclusion, I would like to think that in time, the experience of moving to North America taught me a lot about myself. I learned there will always be struggles that look to big to overcome, but as I work at surpassing that point in life that I will get through just like the language barrier I had. Similarly, I also learned I became my own worst judge as I was always afraid of talking to other people. Also, I would think too much about my friends and I did let that get to me. Even though I still overthink, I learned not to focus and just go with what is going on. In short, my experience moving away from Bolivia and the challenges that came with it, taught me a lot and forced me to grow; however, I can say I am content with my new life here in the states.