Coming to a new country can be frightening, but being with family makes this transition easier to get through. When my mom, dad and I won green cards, we were very excited to move to the United States.

Saying goodbye to our family back home was hard. We were sad to be moving to a new continent far away. My grandparents and family friends wished us  luck and sent us off,  on the journey of a lifetime.

Chicago was our first stop and our first view of the US. In the beginning we had to live with this family that helped us settle in, and my parents were able to get jobs and eventually an apartment.

I don’t remember that much because I was only ten years old at the time, but there are a few memories that I will never forget.Some of these memories include the family friends we made in the windy city, going to see our first Thanksgiving parade, and experiencing Chicago’s extreme weather.

After a while, friends of ours convinced us to move to California where it’s sunny all the time. We have lived here ever since. Moving to the golden state was a great choice, and being close to the ocean is amazing. I am glad that we stayed and didn’t make another major move.

I still don’t know how to surf, but I am determined to learn someday, eventually. Since moving to the US, my family and I have been able to accomplish so much, and are able to dream of a better future. Just like my mom achieved her dream of working in the medical field after a getting the chance to go to school here, I know accomplishing my dreams after graduating CSUSM is possible as well.