My Turning Point

Immigrating to US

After graduating from high school, I immigrate to US. When I got the news that I could immigrate to US, I felt so excited because going to America is my dream since childhood, but I felt scared at the same time. I am not good at English, and I have little chance to practice speaking English. I even cannot understand what people say.

At the beginning, I lived with my uncle. He liked eating pizza and hamburgers so much. He ate hamburgers three or more times in a week, but I didn’t like the hamburgers, so I just ate a little bit every time. I felt hungry at night, but I didn’t know cooking. I lost 10 pounds at that time, and my body was getting worse. I cried at night for many times, I felt disappointed to myself because I even didn’t know how to cook, and I couldn’t solve the problem in eating. Three months later, I decided to move out and live alone. That was a big challenge for me. I felt horrible to live by myself, and I felt so scared at night. But I had no friends here, so I knew I must be strong and powerful. I wrote down the things that I should learn, and then I followed the list to study every day. It was very useful for me. First, I searched from Google to learn how to cook an easy meal, and then I went to the market to buy some vegetable and meat. I followed the steps online and tried my best to do well. Once my finger was broken when I was cutting meat, but I didn’t feel scared. I made myself be calm and then I used bandage to wrap the wound. After that, I felt proud of myself and became more confident in cooking. After several times to cook, I could make some delicious dishes. Secondly, I learned how to manage my money in the bank. Because I was not good at English, so when I was in the bank, I felt nervous. I tried to understand what the staff says to me, and I learned to open an account in the bank. After opening an account, I asked my uncle to learn how to write a check. Now I know how to pay the payment online and know how to manage my account in the bank. Only in three months, I feel I changed a lot. I became independent and strong.

Even though I became more independent and confident, difficulty in school was still a big problem for me. Because English was not my first language, I was afraid to talk to other people at the beginning, so it made me hard to make friends. I felt bored in school, and I even didn’t want to go to school. I really wanted to come back to China at that time. Every time I made a phone call to my mother, I asked my mother to let me leave US. My mother told me it was the beginning, and I should learn how to overcome the problem that I face to. She also told me to be brave to talk to other people, and then I could improve my English quickly. I had difficulty in communicating with my classmates, and sometimes I had to ask them to repeat so many times that I could understand what they say. I felt helpless and disappointed. I knew English was important in the life, so I made a schedule to study English every day. After finishing the homework, I saw an English movie and followed the record to practice speaking English. Now I become more confident to talk with other people, and become outgoing than before. I make many friends in school, and they help me a lot in the life. I feel comfortable to live in US because people are very nice, and they are willing to help you.