Coming to America: Personal Experience of Living at New Place
To start with, this is coming to America essay example paper where I will show personal experience. My first steps on American soil wasn’t really on American soil, it was on the tarmac of the airport, the people around me where speaking and at the time it was a weird language, but it was just English. A month and a half later, it was a sunny day in mid-September, but my mood was the opposite of the beautiful day. It was my first day of school and I had been dreading it since I heard about it. I was going into the first grade and I had only been in the U.S.A for a month and a half. I could not even speak nor write English. Transitioning from Africa to America was a huge culture shock to me. Everyone dressed and spoke differently than I did. Despite my different background, I was excited to start this new chapter in my life. As I walked into the school’s hallways, I recall thinking everything was large, because in Africa the schools were not very spacious. They were small, old and had little resources to give out to the students. A couple of hours had passed, and it was finally lunchtime. As I strolled in, all heads turned to me. I think it was because I was wasn’t wearing traditional American clothes, I instead decided to wear my traditional African clothes. I sat at the farthest table I could find, away from all the students and their curious stares. It was the worst feeling ever. Not being able to make friends because I couldn’t speak English. Fast forward to today, I’m glad I went through all those difficult times because I had amazing English teachers who supported and helped me get to where I am today, as a first-generation student.
Believe it or not, the two topics that were difficult for me in English class back then, have now become my favorite things to do, which is, reading and writing. My ESL teacher certainly played a big role in helping me read and write English. There was never a day, where she did not tell me it was going to take excessive amounts of effort and time to get it right. Every day she would start off by asking me how my day was going and if I had learned anything new. She gave me challenging worksheets, books, and writing activities to do. She would reward me with Tinkerbell stickers and pens if I completed my work. One day, I was having a hard time writing a paragraph about how the government has changed over time in social studies class. I was getting frustrated and my teacher took notice. She asked me if I wanted something easier and I said no. I did not want to let all my hard work with Mrs. Fulton go out the window. I asked the teacher if I could go get help. I slowly walked into Mrs. Fulton’s room with disappointment. She broke down the question and step by step, walked me through the paragraph. Her confidence in my learning made me reach new levels of writing I did not know I had in me.
Learning how to write paragraphs was just the beginning. Soon, the sound of clapping and congratulations would fill the room as I walked across the stage to retrieve my award for second best written poem. I was in my last days of fifth grade and also the school that had walked me through my first challenges and successes. I was honored to be a part of a school that valued the student’s education so much. Leaving that all behind was going to be hard, but I was ready for what was to come in the near future. In the morning, Mrs. Fulton had called me down to her office. It was going to be my last day seeing her. As I walked down the narrow hallway, nostalgia hit me hard. The smell of the cafeteria food reminded me how much I used to dislike American food. There she was, sitting at her desk with something in her hands. I approached her leisurely, ready to say my overly rehearsed speech to her. “Here”, she said before I could say anything. I took the package and carefully opened it and there it was, right before my eyes. It was the rainbow loom I was talking about for months on end. She saw that I was ready to break down, so she gave me the biggest hug. One thing she told me before we parted was “never forget where you come from because that’s what’s going to push you and motivate you to do your absolute most in life”. This is an important quote that I live by every day, because my parents brought me here so I could live and experience life differently from them. My parents' goal was to allow me an education and a promising career to guide me and many other first-generation African students, in order to help our continent, thrive and prosper like it should be.
Over the years my writing skills have improved tremendously. I went from writing one paragraph to nearly five-page essays, from a rushed essay to a well thought out one. When I started off my education, I never thought I would make it this far with amazing people by my side. I am now attending a nursing school that will guide and help me get a head start on my career pathway. To be able to do what you love, while still being a student at the same time is a great way to learn. I am thankful to all my English teachers and ESL teacher, who aided and gave me the shove I needed to push me past my limits. Their help is the reason why I am able to express how I’m feeling in detailed writing, like this one.
