There are certain events you go
through in life that have a significant impact on you. Life is full of twists
and turns, full of experiences and events that shaped you in a particular way.
Many people can recall a specific event in their life that forever changed
them. These events become unforgettable
memories, from which you are taught a lesson that lives in you forever. It was
a cold morning, we were waiting in the terminal for the bus that was going to
take to Tijuana. I could feel a sense of sadness in the air but it must have
been my own sadness and fear of living everything behind. I was about to merge
into an adventure that was going to change me and mark me from that moment on.
My dad had decided that it was time for us to come to the United States, a
decision which I had no control over, an event that was going to have a big
impact on my personality and the way I was. I remember I would always be the
first to raise my hand at school, really outgoing always trying to make my
friends laugh. I was not afraid of talking in front of people nor embarrass of
talking to anyone, a person that would stay behind after this drastic change. It
would take me a while to finally accept that I was not going to go back to my
country and that this was in fact going to be my new home, new friends and new
things to learn awaiting ahead.
A huge problem I came across when I
moved to this country was the language; it would have been totally different if
I was younger when I first moved. A 15 year old teenager, with a set
personality that felt he did not fit in. There were certain experiences
throughout this event of moving places that molded me into a different person.
Moving to another country was and it still is an event that has had a major
impact in my life. Part of my personality of being embarrass or an extremely
shy person at times is due to certain things that happen during this transition
of adapting to new people, new culture and a new way of living. I can recall
those times when people would make fun of me for not speaking the language or
for pronouncing a word wrong.
My first day at school, how could I
forget that day. It was around 8 am when we got there, my dad signed some
papers and boom I was ready to go. I was waiting at the principal office and
there were a group of kids standing next to me. One of them asked something,
but of course I could not understand a word. My mind went blank, I paused for a minute and all I could think
of was “no hablo ingles”, I don’t know what was so funny about it but they all
started laughing; I got all red and just got out of there. I stood outside
until my teacher came to take me to class. A big classroom with posters all
over the walls, she introduced me to class and the “American dream” had begun for
me. At first, I was kind of nervous, did not know what to expect. This was an
ESL class, so we were all in the same page trying to learn a new language. But,
everything changed when I had to enroll in normal classes for my sophomore
year. No more ESL classes for me, even though I knew I was not ready there I
was.
Monday morning, a test coming up, a
presentation was due. I would hate when I had to talk in front of the class.
There were many times where I felt really bad because some of my classmates
would make fun of me, time went by and my attitude towards started to change. Without
noticing my personality and my way acting with others started to change. I had being molded into a person I was not
before, a lack of confidence existed within me. What I would do most of the
time I would just go to class, do my work and not talk to anyone. From being
that outgoing kid who would always wanted to stand up in class, this shy and timid
guy had evolved. Sometimes is hard to believe how a single event can have a
major impact in you, with time I have learned to careless about what people
say. As time has gone by, I have tried to better myself for my own good, a
reason why I am back here trying to pass this class. This is my second time I enrolled in this
class; the first time was a few years ago. Why did I drop it the first time?
Because I was afraid, did not want to take the challenge. But, in order for me
to get better I have to face my fears, face and defeat those little things that
exist within myself that make me act certain way.
Today I can say that I have two sides to my
personality, I could be that same person that I used to be whenever I am
surrounded by people I know I can trust. But in the other hand I learned to be
certain way throughout my experience of adapting to a new culture that is hard
to leave behind. I am still in the process of learning the language, sometimes
it gets tough but I need to keep trying. When I was growing up I never picture
myself living anywhere else, nor having to learn a new language. All this event
of moving to a new place did indeed had a major impact in me, maybe I got
molded into someone I never thought I would be. But, before I would only see
the negative things about it, I became this or I became that due to this
change. Now I see it from a different perspective, I would be this or I would
be that thanks to this change. Sometimes I would question myself and wonder
where would I be if I had never come here? Who knows, I know I did changed due
to this experience, but that is what life is about. Adapt to changes, learn
from bad experience and try to be better every day.
