It was one scalding July afternoon in Mexico; everything was as settled and quiet as always, and as I enjoyed a glass of cold lemonade, I began think about what I was going to do next since I had just graduated from middle school in Mexico. I thought to myself “this next year is going to be great, with all my friends, nothing can possibly go wrong. ” As those thoughts crossed my mind, an unexpected visit came, it was my uncle; who would know that my life was about to change in just a couple seconds. They say to always be prepared for the unexpected, but no one said to be ready so quick!
My uncle walked into the house, and as he walked, I noticed a slim grin hidden behind the reason to his visit. When he finally sat down at the table, he said, -“Mija, we found a house,” I didn’t really understand the reason of those words spoken, but I found out later that they would change my life. My uncle began to explain how he had found a house in Donna, and him and his family was going to move there. My dad decided that I would leave my home in Mexico and join my uncle and his family to their new home.
At first I was excited to try something new, but one I got to Donna, reality started to kick in. When I arrived to the new home, I immediately began to cry for my parents. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was no longer going to have my family, friends or acquaintances close anymore. The hardest part of this experience had to be going to a different school, full of strangers talking in a language I hardly understood. It was already difficult for me leaving my parents in order to peruse a better education, now I was facing a cultural challenge, the language.
Even though I knew some English, my pronunciation and my writing was very rusty. Besides being the new kid at school, it was very difficult for me to make any friends. During the first semester, I struggled much in my classes because I couldn’t understand the method of instruction that is implemented here in the U. S. It took me some time to start to get the hang of how the classes worked, but I tried my best to keep up. I recall staying every day late in school with the teachers, to get tutoring. Eventually I was able to shine in class I had. I became an A student in almost every single class.
Slowly I started to make friends and getting involved in extracurricular activities. Now, I was getting to see my parents for a day every three months, and that was very hard, but that whole year without them, I learned how to appreciate my family much more. It came to my mid that if God had permitted me to live in Donna, was because there was a purpose behind it. I became a youth group leader and the pianist for the church. Being involved in my church was also so beneficial because it helped be grow as a moral person and I was able to help others who were in my situation.
I finally began to feel like I was in a home away from home. In conclusion, we all pass through a phase that shifts us from being a child, to becoming an adult. For me, it was the separation from my family, the cultural struggle, and finding a new church. I know have a sense of pride because with God’s help, I was able to survive the difficult time I faced. No matter what life throws at us, there is always a way to overcome. Like an old quote say, “there can’t be a rainbow, without a little rain. ”
