My First Day In America

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I can still remember the first day of school. Not the normal first day of school when your mom guides you to your kindergarten classroom, but the first day of school in America. A wave of terror overcame every nerve in my body and my face tensed up as I strutted across the front of my English class. At the time, I was at El Paso Community College and more nervous and anxious now than I was a few months ago when my family first made the move from Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso. I wasn’t completely new to the area or the American way of living since I was born in El Paso, but moved to Mexico shortly after birth. Yet, the past 17 years I’ve been in Mexico, where I spoke primarily Spanish and got accustomed to their way of living. Despite all the …show more content…
I was surprised to learn that the price of everything in America is much more expensive than items in Mexico. In addition, the people in Mexico are more friendlier and open-minded than the people in the United States. My neighbors in El Paso do not even know my name or bother to want to get to know me or my family. The quote-unquote Mexican food in America did not meet my spicy and juicy taste buds like they did in Mexico. I went to Taco Bell just weeks after coming to the U.S. and was baffled to discover that this is what Americans call Mexican food. My mother can make something 10x better in her own kitchen. After that experience, I never stepped foot into another Taco Bell and if I ever wanted to go out to eat, I just crossed the border over to …show more content…
After I get my degree, I anticipate to financially support my family and save up money for my sister to continue her education in America. As of now, my sister still continues her schooling in Juarez even though we live in El Paso and my parents still desire to move back to Mexico where everything seemed accustomed and normal. Despite my family’s doubts, I still wish to stay in the U.S. and continue my life here. Over the past two years, I have grown a lot as a person and my English continues to improve. When I hold a conversation with someone, I do not get blank stares and puzzled faces as I did when I first moved. The culture shocks and language barriers definitely overwhelmed me at first, but without these experiences I would not be who I am today. I encourage all of you to travel outside your native country and experience the things I once did. It is important to learn about the different customs and cultures that countries can offer and limit worldwide

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