My Life As An Immigrant

Food. Food. Food.
The aroma fills the empty spaces and permeates the walls. I can smell from miles away. My stomach turns and rumbles. My mom and dad are amazing cooks. I have many favorite dishes, and my parents are always trying out new recipes. Every day, I come home from school and expect to see dinner laid out on the table. I feel very fortunate and grateful to have a loving family, a warm home, and delicious food waiting for me. I can’t help but think how that’s not the case for my parents growing up.
My grandparents and their children, including my mom, immigrated here in the 1990s from Vietnam in search of freedom and a better future for themselves and their children. I don’t know much about the history of the Vietnam War, but
Jobs are hard to find since many jobs require high school and college diplomas which many immigrants do not have. My grandparents, my uncles and my mom did not know any English, so getting a job was difficult. Who would want to hire non-English speaking immigrants? They had very few options. The only option that they had was housekeeping at motels and hotels which required no or very little English. They spent their days cleaning bathrooms and making beds. They were making minimum wage, but it was better than nothing. They told me how excited they were to see a couple of dollars left by the guests when they went to clean the rooms. Despite the financial circumstances, they always felt grateful and never discouraged. They knew that they had to start somewhere, even if that meant, the very bottom. They felt lucky that, at least, they were free and had jobs. They knew that if they worked hard and saved up, they would eventually have enough money to buy a house and start a better life. My grandparents knew that their children, my uncles and my mom, would have a better future if they studied hard and worked
Employment and education were probably one of the biggest challenges my parents faced. They both could not speak English, so attending school was difficult. The high-paying jobs were usually hard to get, so many immigrants headed towards easier jobs like, production, accounting, beauty, etc. For most of them, the career choices were limited. My mom told me that it was tough working and going to school at the same time. She carried around a dictionary to learn new English words. One of the major obstacles for immigrants is the language barrier. Helping them learn English will help break down that barrier and help more immigrants be successful in school and work.
If my grandparents did not immigrate, life would have been completely different for me. I am thankful every day that they did make the decision. Compared to the past, my parents are living a much more comfortable life now, and I am grateful that everything worked out for the best. My parents taught me many valuable lessons growing up. They taught me that I could achieve anything if I was determined and willing to work hard for it. When I get older, I intend to help more people with their challenges in life. I’d like to help those like my grandparents and parents who once