It’s always been a dream
It has always been a dream of mine to live in the United States. And by “dream,” I mean it was something I never thought would come true.
Pretty pessimistic, right? But my pessimism was grounded in reality: it was nearly impossible to (legally) leave my home country and immigrate to the U.S. There are many reasons for that, and I won’t go into the specifics here. But what’s important is I knew the life I wanted to have was very difficult to achieve by living in my home country.
So I kept dreaming, writing it all down, and grabbing every opportunity that would help me reach my dream. One of those opportunities was an exchange program that let high school students spend an entire year in the U.S. at basically no cost (thanks, Uncle Sam). As you can imagine, it was a highly competitive program, too. But somehow I got in, and in August 2009 I landed in Albuquerque, NM – my first time in the U.S. (and my first time flying on an airplane, for that matter).
That exchange year gave me a sense of the American life, a sense that was more of a validation for my desire to live in the States. But I had to go back after that year, and God knows I promised to myself that I’d return.
So I did!
This time it was for college. I worked my butt off each and every day after my return from New Mexico in hopes to get a scholarship that would allow me to study in the U.S.A. Again, I don’t know how I did it. But I got into a school that offered me just that – a full-ride with a job on campus.
Then, by a twist of fate, my parents got a chance to move to the U.S. permanently. So here I am – May 2013, landing in the JKF airport with my family. I am beyond excited and I’m having a hard time comprehending what’s happening. I now get to call the U.S. my home. Am I dreaming?
It has always been a dream of mine to live in the United States. I am living my dream now. Each and every day. And God knows I’m not taking any of this for granted.
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