The world I grew up in was small, a close-knit rural area without street lights or sidewalks. Doors were left unlocked and everyone knew each other and, more likely than not, was kin to each other. Men gathered at the store every morning for coffee and news, families went to church picnics and family reunions. Everyone was Catholic and (almost) everyone went to church on Sunday. When the neighbor’s son was arrested and when the school bus driver was diagnosed with cancer, everyone knew. When a family was faced with medical bills they couldn’t afford, there would be a benefit at the church gym; everyone would donate what they could and enjoy dancing, eating, and drinking into the night. Every Saturday my mom and grandma and I would ride 20 minutes into town; groceries from Kroger, a quick stop at the post office and the library, then to Wendy’s for fries and hamburgers. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this quiet little town and the people that lived there would forever influence me, and the person I would become.
The term “Diaspora” is used to refer either to singular person or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture. In the beginning, the term was used by the Ancient Greeks to refer to citizens of a grand city who migrated to a conquered land with the purpose of colonization to assimilate the territory into the empire. A large number of Indians migrated to Far East and South East Asia to spread Buddhism during the ancient times. The migration was a history of misery, deprivation and sorrow during the colonial period. In this century the migration was mainly due to the industrialized and
I was raised in an encouraging household where both of my parents greatly valued education. Although they were high school graduates, neither could afford to attend college; a combination of family and financial woes ultimately halted their path. As a result, my parents frequently reminded me that getting a good education meant better opportunities for my future. To my parents, that seemed to be the overarching goal: a better life for me than the one they had. My parents wanted me to excel and supported me financially and emotionally of which the former was something their parents were not able to provide. Their desire to facilitate a change in my destiny is one of many essential events that contributed to my world view.
High School was a new phase in my life that I had no one to relate to in my family. My parents, being immigrants from Central America never experienced high school in the United States. I entered as a freshman, not knowing what to expect, less not knowing how to create a successful road to the eminent idea of college that all my teachers encouraged. I wanted to attend college, I just did not understand how to make my high school career the most, so I can be prepared for the next step of my life. I became focused on making the varsity soccer team and getting the best grades I could to be eligible to
Suddenly, I was put out of my “comfort” zone. Because my dad got a new job, I moved from a small city called Eugene to a big city called Portland. Me, along with my four other siblings, were put into a tiny private school with
For seven months my siblings and I were separated, when we all relocated to a tenement in Newark New Jersey. Seven children and two adults moved from a four bedroom, two bathrooms, and huge backyard; to a three bedroom, one bathroom, and no yard. The building was called Christopher Columbus homes, better known as Seventh Avenue projects. I went to McKinley elementary and Webster junior high school where I then had a daughter at fourteen. For a few years I struggled raising a child and attending school. I was forced...
Growing up I never had time for anything. A normal teenage boy would’ve gone out almost everyday or just partied , what I basically , mean is that they would’ve been very outgoing and social. I on the other side I was a boy who didn’t had time to hangout friends , had to handle with work , school and sports. Waking up at 6 in the morning take a shower , change and by 7 had to get out from my house or I would’ve been late to school. Always had to walk , in the rain or snow it didn’t matter I had to walk because my older sister needs the car for her to go to college. After I get to school I had to do my do now for physiology and always trying to understand the class because I really don’t like science , but I had to try my best to get a good
“I still remember the day we left like it was yesterday I will never forget pulling away and looking back at my childhood home. I will also never forget that my best childhood friend was not home the day we left so I never got to say goodbye. I remember thinking I was kind of glad that we didn't say goodbye because I didn't want our friendship to end.” This was the experience Carmie Trayer, now forty-one living in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania felt when she moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania.
Growing up I was always the go-to guy when it was out of both my parents reach. Reading and trying to translate government letters my parents would get in the mail, selling and trading trucks on craigslist, ordering phone cases, etc. I was about 13 and did my all to satisfy everyone's favor. A lot of the ti
It was one of the most exciting and nerve racking days of our lives. Although we were finally leaving high school, the feeling of being unsure didn’t go away. The whole day was full of practicing for the big moment when the entire class graduated on to a new beginning. All the girls wore shiny bright red robes and the guys were dressed in a shiny navy blue. Standing there, I had no idea what to expect. Some things I were aware of, my friends were leaving and we wouldn’t be the same friends anymore. My role was that of being so aware of the future that I was too shocked to soak in the present; being a pessimist was my main goal and everything I was sure of became true.