Moving to the United States from Israel: Personal Essay

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My most memorable trip of my life was when I first moved to the United States in 2008. I was eight years old when I moved from the small city of HaIfa in Israel to the big bay area. Israel can fit into just California about 20 times! I moved here wIth my mom ,dad ,older brother ,and younger sIster. There were many big obstacles and trips my famIly knew we had to take in order to feel more comfortable and at home here In the United States. My first and biggest obstacle was learnIng EnglIsh. I came here not knowIng any EnglIsh only Hebrew and Spanish. I was afraId that when I started school,no one would understand me not adults or kids. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make any frIends, because of the language barrier, which made me really nervous about moving here. I was also afraid that I wouldn't know any of the AmerIcan manners, like saying "please", "thank you", "sorry" and especially "excuse me". In Israel you would rarely hear these words. I was also scared to speak the words I did know because I was afraId I would say them wrong or In the wrong context. I remember my first english word was "cool". Since everyone around me used the word cool I started using it too, without even knowing what it meant I would say it no matter what the context of the conversation was. After a few week I learned more and more words which helped me make friends and understand my surrounding. I was able to do my homework by myself and even read book series like the pat books. Achieving these obstacles made me feel like I could do anything. Making friends was a big obstacle to face. I needed to act lIke the others to fInd frIends. I met my fIrst when my fIrst grade teacher assIgned us as bathroom buddIes, hIs name was Brandon LIvIngston. We beca... ... middle of paper ... ...have developed frIends that are now famIly and IsraelI frIends that are now famIly too. I have anythIng I can ask for whIch Is frIendshIp and happIness. I am very happy that I moved here In the fIrst place. I stIll love my frIends and famIly In Israel, but I also mIss them. When I fIrst got here I had no frIends. You have no Idea how happy I was when I got my fIrst frIends. MovIng here was an experIence. I had so many obstacles that had to face, and glad that I accomplished them with the support of my family and friends. Moving was a struggle but i got over it. My friends and family from Israel all miss me and I miss them back. I still got every summer to visit them. Moving also helped me overcome my fears of changing and learning new languages. Overall this trip was the biggest trip i ever taken because it has changed me to becoming the person I am.

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