As I stepped out of the airport, I could feel a sense of relief lifting away from my father 's face. Finally, my family and I were officially free from the constraints of a country that limited our sense of freedom. Now we were entering a new country where religious liberty was greatly encouraged. Despite all the new found freedom, life proved to be difficult for both my family and me. I now had to adjust to this new world, which was filled with various English dialects and new cultures. Making friends was especially hard, for now, I was the strange kid at school with parents who had funny accents and weird clothes. As my homesickness grew, I was reminded about the last moments I spent in my home country of Yemen. Yemen was filled with religious …show more content…
I had spent a year of my life waiting to celebrate my first Christmas in America. Christmas Eve was near, before me bright neon lights and catchy holiday tunes filled the entire school. It was a week before Christmas, and the last day of school before the holiday break would start. Yet my mind could not grasp, let alone contain, the excitement coursing through my veins as my parents picked me up from school that evening. I was only eight, about to encounter my first Christmas as a free citizen. I had high hopes for the upcoming week dreaming about what Christmas Day had in …show more content…
This room was filled with Christmas decorations that excited all my senses. The store was huge, filled with an assortment of trees ranging from small to large, pink to blue, and wide to thin. The store smelled like crisp cut wood with a hint of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafting throughout the air. As “Jingle Bell Rock” played in the background, my eyes fell upon a tree that was small in size, but large in personality. I quickly showed my parents the tree I found, and they seemed quite pleased with my discovery when we loaded it onto our car. As we headed home, I caught a glimpse of our small tree rustling while tied to the top of our car. I was afraid it might fly off, and I would never see it again. But the tie held tight as we made a swift turn into our garage, I knew then that my first Christmas in America was heading off to a good start. Later that afternoon, I felt accomplished and full of energy, ready to begin decorating my home in bold festive trimmings and ornaments that would overwhelm anyone who came to visit over the holidays. I began to tape, move, furnish, and plug the entire weekend to make sure everything was in its rightful place. Although I was tired, I still felt a sense of achievement, and over the next week, I was finally able to sit down and enjoy my hard work. Before I knew it, the week was over, and Christmas Eve had
... Holidays come along Deborah never misses the opportunity to celebrate the event and show enthusiasm. When she interacts with the community during this time she invites her friends to cherish the festivities with her. Through that day she will get together with her friends and enjoy the company of one another. When she is not interacting with her friends Deborah shows her gratitude of the United States at home with her family.
I walked around unsteadily all day like a lost baby, far away from its pack. Surrounded by unfamiliar territory and uncomfortable weather, I tried to search for any signs of similarities with my previous country. I roamed around from place to place and moved along with the day, wanting to just get away and go back home. This was my first day in the United States of America.
Christmas is a season for all ages young or old, but for this eleven year old east coast boy, from Cape Breton, it is a source of conflict and a coming of age. In the short story “To Every Thing There is a Season”, Alistair MacLeod makes three arguments that captures the main themes and conflicts within the story, ignorance to knowledge, innocence to reality, and idealization to realism. MacLeod short story is a metaphor for growing up and a rite of passage.
Once they were back home, they sat at the dining table and started to eat the food. After 30 minutes her Aunt called and asked her to bring over some food. When she walked over to her Aunt’s place the air was colder, but still fresh and crispy. Once she was inside her Aunt’s place she sat down at the kitchen table and said hello to her cousins and Aunt. After grabbing a glass of water from her Aunt’s refrigerator her Aunt asked her to take care of her cousins while they went out to pick up food. She gladly said yes, even though she didn’t want to, but she knew she couldn’t complain and say no. After 10 minutes her Aunt and Uncle left to pick up the food from Boston Market and she was left alone with her cousins. When her Aunt and Uncle came back they started to cook and the house was filled with the smell of turkey, ham, pumpkin and apple pie and mash potatoes with gravy. At 4:00 pm her family came over to her Aunt's place and said hello and sat down at the dining table and waited for the food to be finished cooking. Once the food was ready they all sat down and said thank you to her Aunt and Uncle for cooking the food and talked with each other while they all ate the creamy warm mash potatoes with gravy and the warm and juicy ham and turkey. After everyone finished the food they all enjoyed the sweet and creamy pumpkin and apple pie. After finishing the dinner, everyone said goodbye
As I boarded the plane to move to the United States, the beginning of September 2005, I couldn’t help but think about all that I left behind; My family, my friends, my school, my clothes, and all of the awesome cultural food. Then again, I looked forward to this new life, a new beginning. I imagined it being like life in the movies, where everything seemed easy and life was just beautiful. After all, I was going to the States; the place where most people only dreamt of. I felt very blessed to have this opportunity because I knew that it wasn’t given to everyone. Coming to America marked my coming of age because I left behind my old life, I started life afresh, and I became a much grateful person.
I stepped out of the chilly November air and into the warmth of my home. The first snowfall of the year had hit early in the morning, and the soft, powdery snow provided entertainment for hours. As I laid my furry mittens and warm hat on the bench to dry, I was immediately greeted with the rich scent of sweet apple pie, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and the twenty-pound turkey my mother was preparing for our Thanksgiving feast.
I was born in Sri Lanka, a small island torn by a civil war. As the violence grew, my parents decided to move us to the United States so we can have a better life. In 2001 my parents left everything they had to start a new life the United States. . I came from nothing. All Throughout my life, my parents worked hard to provide for my family so my brother and I can have a better future. Their sacrifice is what drives me every day. Their Sacrifice and hard work motivates me to work harder.
Ah, to be a kid again. How wonderful it would be to relive the magic of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a kid at heart and a true lover of Christmas. But as we get older and we realize that Santa Claus and the North Pole were just stories our parents told us so we’d behave, Christmas starts to lose that magical feeling. No matter how much we might still love it, Christmastime just isn’t the same as when we were young. And at a time of all the aggravating shopping hustle and bustle, dents in the pockets, headaches, traffic jams and long lines, I begin to realize that God has sent me the most magical Christmas gift of all, a beautiful three year old whom I can relive Christmas in all over. Through my child’s eyes, I see myself each time his face lights up at the sight of Santa, and I feel his anticipation each morning as he faithfully opens up one more window on the Christmas calendar. Tonight, as we decorate the tree, I admiringly watched his tiny fingers delicately place each of the ornaments on all the same branches until they drooped to the floor. So proud of his work, I secretly placed some elsewhere, as to not hurt his feelings, and wondered how many times my own mother had done the same thing. And after a long day of shopping and excitement, I watched his eyelids begin to droop while lying underneath the warm glow of the Christmas tree lights.
America, Almost every single person on earth has a dream of living in a country full of freedom, liberty, and opportunity. The United States has been providing these benefits ever since it was founded a few hundred years ago. So when I found out that my family would be coming to America, I had already started planning my future of growing up here. Just like any other person, I was feeling enthusiastic and a little nervous of leaving my native country and coming to America to start a better life. I was completely lost in my thoughts of happiness, that I became unaware of all the difficulties that my family and I would face once we step into our new lives. Among these difficulties were the change of language, change of system, and the variety of different cultures.
The well known holiday of Christmas today is far from what it was in it’s former being. Many aspects led to the change in Christmas, however Charles Dickens, a Victorian era author was arguably the most influential in the change. There was a time when christmas was not much more important than your average holiday. Without the work of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Regency Christmas would not have changed to be the way it is today. As we examine the Regency Christmas, the Christmas events in A Christmas Carol, new Christmas ideas, and today’s new christmas we will form the true Christmas.
October 20, 2007, the day that I’m going to say goodbye to my hometown. I was born and raised in Philippines by my grandparents for sixteen years. It is heart-breaking to think that I will not see them anymore like how I used to. I was 16 years old, and it will be my first time to travel with my big brother in the airplane. Our trip from Philippines to Virginia is approximately about 18-20 hours. It is not a direct flight, so we have to change plane three times, and it is a long trip for us. I was crying the whole time when we were in the airplane. As soon as we reach our last destination which is the Washington D.C., we have no way of communicating with my mom and auntie because we have no cellphones. I was hesitant to
The holiday season are often thought of as happy and joyous moments, which are intended to spend with close family and friends. People all over the world spend this time to think about all the things that are most important to a person’s life. Movies help portray the holiday season as a time to spend with loved ones, and a time where the greatest blessings are the things that are near and dear to one’s heart. Literature helps to provide a different perspective as to how one can look at a situation during the holidays. Charles Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South are both examples as to how a person can gain another perspective from the main objective of the story. Both Dickens and Gaskell used certain situations
It was about two years ago when I arrived in United States of America, and I still remember the day when I left my native country, Honduras. As I recall, one day previous to my departure, I visited my relatives who live in San Pedro Sula. They were all very happy for me to see me except my grandmother Isabel. She looked sad; even though she tried to smile at all times when I was talking to her, I knew that deep inside of her, her heart was broken because of my departure the next morning. I remember that I even told her, “Grandma, do not worry about me, I’ll be fine. I promise that I will write you letters and send you pictures as much as possible.” Here reply was, “I know sweetie I know you will.” Suddenly after she said that I started to cry. For som...
Frosty the Snowman waves hello alongside Santa 's reindeer that are ready to take off. Candy canes line the sidewalk and the ginger bread dolls dance in a merry circle. The trees all sparkle with thousands of red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange lights. Out back, Mary and Joseph stand over baby Jesus, Choo-Choo train’s chug in spot, stars twinkle with bright yellow bulbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause wave in the distance. Kerkhoven, MN, the location of the happiest house on the block. Every year my breath is always taken away as my eyes struggle to soak in the utter abundance of Christmas spirit. I 'm smiling and we 're not even inside yet.
Finally, we arrived at our destination. I left the car leaving my parents and little brother behind and ran up the steps to my grandma’s house. I just had to be the first one to knock on her door, so I did. She opened the door for me, and I went inside parting with the bitter cold and darkness surrounding me. Inside the house I was immediately encircled with the aromas of her Christmas cooking and baking. A real fresh Christmas tree which was already beautifully adorned with old family ornaments perforated the air with more holiday aromas. I went into the kitchen with my mom, and together we helped my grandma finish preparing the Christmas Eve dinner.