Sometimes, something happens in our life that changes our whole perspective on living. Most of us have experienced such an event. When I reflect back to my past, the most significant event is coming to this country. On June 19, 2012 I came to this country. I was inundated with dreams but after arriving here, all of my expectations were shattered in a moment. Nothing was what I had expected. The problems appeared like high dark mountains in front of me and my family. But one thing that kept my broken spirit alive was the quote from Benjamin Disraeli, “Circumstances are beyond the control of men; but his conduct is in his own power.
The first problem I faced here was the language barrier. I came to this country with very little knowledge of English. I couldn’t understand what others were saying to me and neither could my family. With this poor knowledge of the English language, my family and I struggled to communicate with other people and were lagging behind. I took learning the English language as my challenge. My enthusiasm to learn English forced me to take extra classes in my school until 6 o’clock. I read many articles in newspapers and watched many movies to improve my English.
My teachers also helped me very much. With my strong determination, now I can speak and write English quite better than before. Even though I am not an expert, I am satisfied with my progress. At first my grades were lower than I was accustomed. But now I have improved my grades and got many awards for my educational achievement including “Arista. ” The next barrier was the economy. Here in the United States life is so hard and now-a-days jobs are becoming scarce. As my parents weren’t good in English, they were unable to get good jobs.
I found it my responsibility as the eldest son to help support my parents. As I had after school classes, I was unable to get a part time job. However, this summer, I managed to get a job. I started to earn an income for the first time in my life. I gave all of my money to my parents. I also taught my parents English. Now their English has gotten better than before! I have a younger brother who fell in an ocean of problems. After coming here, he didn’t understand even a single word in school and there was no one to look after him when my mom was at work.
After coming back from school, I helped him to finish his homework and did all of the things he needed after doing my own homework. It was a joy to see my brother doing excellent in his school. As a brother and also as his tutor, I felt proud of him and of myself. America has taught me the definition of life. In Bangladesh I went to school, came home and hung out with my friends. My dinner was ready, my room was clean, and I didn’t need to care about my younger brother or anyone else. But now, I have to join forces with my parents to survive in this extreme situation.
I have to accept whatever comes and fight with my own arsenals to keep myself from capsizing. Darwin’s theory of evolution may be applicable for me- survival of the fittest. If I can fight against this harsh situation, I can survive. I am satisfied with this extreme situation. These road-blocks have given me the opportunity to learn about myself and instilled confidence in me. With hard work, determination, and responsibility, I am capable of accomplishing anything that comes before me. This situation is preparing me well for my future, when I will be the head of a household or perhaps my own business
