Six years ago my life changed. It changed when I moved to the United States I was feeling nervous and excited but mostly sad. I left behind loved ones, my home where I grew and was raised, where all my good memories happened. However I couldn’t hide my smile that was like a mile wide because I was going to see my parents after 7 years of not seing each other.  My parents came to the United States when I was 4 years old. I stayed with my sister and a lot of family members took care of us. My sister and I left Guatemala the only home we knew.
 

When I got to O’Hare airport I realized it was big as a life. People at the airport were different. There were many people from many countries, some were dressed differently and spoke differently. I was feeling surprised but nervous because It was a new life for me. In the crowd I saw my parents with brother and ran and hugged us really tight and they were emotional. Tears were coming down from my mom’s face cheeks as quickly as a river. Life was nice because I was with my family but at the same time it was difficult for me because I didn’t know how to speak English. I started elementary school I was feeling really nervous. The only time I felt comfortable was with my teacher because he was Colombian and knew Spanish.
 

I learned a lot from this experience. I learned how to be strong, confident, independent, social and hard working. When I was in Guatemala by myself, I learned how to be strong without my parents. For example, for school events they were not there with me, seing other kids with their parents made me feel lonely. I learned to be independent by learning how to do things on my own and dealing with certain problems. I had no choice to be really close to my sister and help each other. Mostly of the time I imagined how it was going to be I come here and be with them. America was going to be a happy place and big cities, buildings and crowded. After I came here I learned that I needed to be social and confident. When I started school I was by myself again. I didn’t have friends and didn’t know how to communicate with people. I used to feel left out during recess time. One time during group discussions, I didn’t know what we had to do and they were saying. My mother always told me “Keep trying, don’t give up, that’s how life is.” I learned how to work hard on learning the language and making friends.
 

This experience was very important to my life because I learned a lot of things. My life changed since I was a kid in Guatemala. It was what I expected, but if I had the chance I would go back. However I belive there’s future here in America. Here in America there are a lot opportunities for young people to accomplish their dreams. I can teach people who are going through the same thing to not give up and keep trying.  I can still smell my grandma’s tamales, but I know my life in the United States is good for my future.