Through my Lenses : Moving to the USA.

My professor asked me to talk a little bit about how it was to come to the USA, as it makes me an insider of the immigrants and refugees' subculture, or should I say our subculture.
When I first learned that I was moving from Bolivia to the USA I was 10 about to turn 11 years old, my first though was "where can I hide myself until we miss the plane." Knowing that I would have to leave behind my relatives, my favorite cousin, my best friend ,my 42 classmates who were like my siblings to me,  knowing I would not graduate with them, was like someone had ripped my hearth and tried to put it back in ,but just didn't know how to, so it was left skew. Then the thought of a different language, had me chewing on my nails. I couldn't help thinking that I will never learn English. I had the most negative thought for a 10 year old, but wouldn't you too, if you were being stripped away of everything and everyone you care and love?
Once I arrived the USA, I hated everything. A month after my arrival, I started school. The first day my mom dropped me at Perry Middle School, which was the only middle school that offered ESL classes at that time, I had to swallow hard not to cry, and cross my arms so they wouldn't see how bad my hands were shaking. Once I was taken to the classroom , everything change because all the students in the class spoke Spanish. It was a relieve to know I wouldn't be by myself. It was a bad thing too because I only hang out with Spanish people, so it took me a entire year to start talking in English. Nonetheless, it was good having people to whom I could relate. I became so shy, the total opposite to when I was in Bolivia. Outside of the ESL classroom everything was scary as I couldn't understand what people would say to me. I exited out of ESL the second semester of my freshman year in high school.  At that point I was more use to everything , I was starting to like English, and I became an avid reader. The shyness was starting to disappear too. I also started helping out my friends who were in ESL class. I would help them with their homework, explaining or translating the teachers directions, and motivate them when they felt like giving up. I knew what it felt like to come to a new country, its a tough adjustment. It took me 3 years to adjust. The worst part was that my parents didn't spoke English either so they rely on me to do the talking, when I was barely starting to feel incident about this language. even though I hated it translating , it help me learn to quickly translate from English to Spanish. I still have a rough time translating from Spanish to English. 7 years later, I can now say I love the USA, its a country that has given me so many opportunities. I feel at home now.

After re-reading this myself I know I identify with the immigrants and refugees because they have to go through a similar adjustment processes. No wonder I didn't hesitate when deciding I wanted to do my fieldwork research at the International Institute of RI. No wonder I felt an especial connection to the people of the IIRI the first time I went there.