A New Beginning
I moved to the United States shortly before turning 15. I still remember the day my dad sat my brother and me down and asked, “Do you guys wanna move to America?” It was something my parents had been planning for years, but it was the first time we were hearing about it. I had mixed emotions; I was sad to leave my family and childhood friends, but the excitement of starting a new life took over. I started packing and getting ready to begin this next chapter.
A Reality Check
Ten days after I moved, I started school as a freshman in high school. It was during COVID, and everything just felt surreal. Everyone wore masks, I didn’t speak the language, and I felt completely out of place. I couldn’t understand the teachers or the lessons, and when I got my first exam grade back, I was shocked. I told myself that was not truly my performance and I will change that. I did not want the obstacles of a new language and environment to stop me from achieving my goals. I started working on myself and took this process step by step. My first goal was to learn English. Every day, I learned about ten new words and practiced them in sentences. I repeated them out loud until I got the pronunciation right. I watched movies, listened to music, and read books daily just to improve. At first, I was embarrassed to talk to people, but slowly I built confidence and started conversations anyway. After using this mindset, I started making my first few friends in school and began to feel connected to this new community.
The Power of Patience
Patience was the key. We often expect results right after putting in effort, but that’s just not how it works. Growth takes time, especially when what you’re working on is bigger than you imagine. So just trust the process and keep going. Another key is staying curious. I was curious about the people around me, about this new culture, holidays, and about how I could keep learning and growing in it. I worked hard on myself, and through it all, I learned that I am capable of more things I could’ve ever imagined. If I didn’t believe in myself, and if I wasn’t a little “delusional” about what I could achieve, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Sometimes you just have to dream big and imagine your future, even when it feels far away. If you work just a little extra hard, it’s amazing to see how those dreams start turning into reality and continue to make your goals bigger and bigger.
A Student of Life
I once heard someone say, “Be a student of life.” Always stay curious. Be brave enough to fail, because if you do not fail, you’re not even trying. Looking back at where I started and where I am now, I feel nothing but gratitude. This journey wasn’t easy, but it was worth all the hard work and time, and it taught me so much. I’m grateful I went through this experience because I’m living with it now; everything I learned, I use in my life today. Being “delusional,” believing in myself even when things didn’t make sense, was the best thing I ever did.
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