I remember when I came to this country, and everything was very different for me, since I didn't know English and my first language was Spanish. I couldn't communicate with people, but my mother enrolled me in this school and I felt scared and a little excited. I felt scared and a little excited. I did not know anyone, and everything looked different. On my first day, some kids laughed at how I talked. They whispered about my accent, and it made me feel bad. In the past some boys did not want to work with me on a project, 

-“I don't understand when you talk.” They said

After that I went home feeling sad, and confused. When I got home, I told my mom what was happening, 

-“Not paying attention to what they were saying.” She said

I hugged her,

-“Thank you for listening to me and for being there for me when I needed you.” I said

          The next day I went back to school, and these kids continued to make fun of me because of how I spoke and because they couldn't understand what I was trying to say…. But every time I got home, I would tell my mom, and she would encourage me to keep going despite what they were saying. The bullying I received for not knowing English ended up affecting my self-esteem, making me feel inferior to people who did know English…. All that time I was going to school, I felt that all I wanted was to go back to my country because I was happy there. But I knew that wasn't going to happen, since they were just children who probably simply needed attention, even though all their words affected my self-esteem a lot.

          Something very important I want you to know is that my mother is a very important person in my life, because when I came to this country, she was the only one who was always there for me and always supported me in everything. When I felt bad, she helped me feel better. She is someone I love because, besides all that, when my parents separated, I got sick to the point of having to go to the hospital, and my mother was the one who was there for me the most, and she helped me get better with her love and care.

          In the past of the time a girl named Daniela asked me to be in her friends group. She was nice and helped me a lot with my English. Little by little my English improved and I started making more friends, even though I was a little shy. After each day that passed, I returned home. I would tell my mom how things are going, and she would be happy for me, 

-“I knew you would improve your English and that you would be a happy girl.” She said  

But one day everything changed because my friend left school, and I was left feeling a bit lonely again, even though I had other friends. But she was the one I trusted the most, and I felt better when she was with me. 

          I continued to communicate with her, but it wasn't the same anymore because before I could see her every day, and she always made me smile. Even when I was feeling down, she always tried to cheer me up. Although we continued to communicate through calls and messages, I felt that the same trust and friendship we once shared were gone. As time passed, I felt her drifting away from me, and I understood why, since we both had lives outside of social media…. But even so, I still cared for her very much.

          After a while, I made many more friends at my school, and I was gradually able to get over the friendship I had with Daniela. The kids who used to bully me started to see that I could speak English and began to want to hang out with me, but I really didn't care about having any kind of friendship with them since they had made me feel bad with their hurtful words in the past. However, I never treated them badly because I knew that in time, life would take care of everything they had done to me.

About a week passed, and one Friday night I received a call from an unknown number. 

-"Hello, who is this?" I said

-"Hello Karen, this is Daniela's mother. Daniela is very ill in the hospital right now, and I'm calling to tell you because Daniela has told me so much about you, saying that she is very fond of you, and I know that you feel the same way about her." She said

I was in shock 

-"Good evening, ma'am, thank you very much for letting me know. You don't know how I feel now that I know this, but thank you very much." I said

Then she hung up, and I started crying uncontrollably. I told my mother, but Daniela lived very far away, and I couldn't go to see her…. All I could think was, why does something bad always have to happen when things are finally going well?

          The next day, I wasn't feeling well because of the news I had received. All I wanted was to see Daniela and tell her that I would always be there for her, just as she had been there for me during my worst moment. I tried to contact Daniela's mother constantly to find out how she was doing, and her mother told me that Daniela was very ill, and that the doctors were keeping a close eye on her.  Her mother was also very worried about Daniela because she was in such a bad state. Every time her mother told me that Daniela was very ill, I felt like I was falling apart, and all I could do was pray to God that Daniela would get better and that I could see her again. 

          But one Saturday, after begging my mom so much to let us go see Daniela, we finally went to see her, even though she lived three hours away from where I lived. When I saw her, I simply wanted to see her happy, and when I saw her in the state she was in, I felt so bad that I couldn't do anything to make her feel better. My mom kept telling me that everything was going to be okay and that Daniela would recover, so I calmed down and felt better. The next day, my mom and I went back home, but I felt bad again because I couldn't see Daniela anymore or be with her during those difficult times…. But my mom was always there, reassuring me and making sure I was okay.

          Several days passed when I called Daniela's mother, as I usually did, to find out how Daniela was doing, and that's when I received the best news. 

-"Daniela is already home and she's doing very well. She's much better, and we're going back to where we used to live, and you'll be able to study together again." She said me

Very excited, I hung up the phone and told my mother, 

-"You see? I told you that everything would work out and that things would soon get better." My mother said

I simply hugged her and thanked my mother for everything.

          A week passed and Daniela returned to my school, and everything went back to how it was before. Now I know that all the bad things will eventually pass, because despite everything that happened and everything I suffered, it's over now and I'm happy. And I know that I should never have given up and I must always keep moving forward despite all the bad things.