Personal Essay: Who I Changed My Life

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The more time passes by in my life, the more aware I am of the person I have become and the choices made on behalf of my family and I, which have shaped my life. I was born in small town of Sylhet in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a third world country where dreams of having a better future are nothing more than a hope especially living in a rural area. It is like wishing for a miracle to happen. After a few years, a miracle took place that changed my life. My uncle from my mother’s side applied for us to migrate to America. Three years after a long journey and critical paperwork, we migrated to America in search of the American dream in 2011. My parent’s decision to be immigrants affected most aspects of my life, especially my education. After …show more content…

Here in America, I had to switch classes for different lessons. In Bangladesh I did not have to switch classes, instead, different teachers had to come to the class for different lessons, while I stayed in the same class. In high school, I experienced various challenging tasks but the most prevalent was my language barrier. My poor understanding of English hindered my level of communication with the teachers and other students. Making friends was another challenge that forced me to take lunch all by myself for a few days during the beginning of high school. Soon, I made some friends who spoke the same language as me and they were trying to help me get accustomed to this new culture and lifestyle. According to Mills, people who migrated to a new culture often faced cultural shocks based on language barriers, culture, and lifestyle. They would go through four stages of cultural shock before completely assimilating to the new country (2000). Similarly, I was going through one of the four stage of cultural shock. I experienced the phase of negotiation as the differences between my old culture and the new culture became apparent. Therefore, causing anxiety and poor adjustment to the new culture. Moreover, I always felt left out,

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