moving to a new country

Ha Young Choi
Professor Elizabeth Hornung
English 101
11 September 2013
Moving to a New Country I have lived in America for ten years. The beginning of my life here in America was very tough, but I managed it through. On July 3, 2003, at the age of 8, I first set my foot on the grounds of Dulles International Airport in Virginia. When I first arrived, my head was so confused with the foreign languages spoken all around me. The foreign language was English, because I did not know how to say any other words in English except the word “hi”. From the airport, my family and I were carried in a vehicle that I had never seen in my home country, South Korea. From there, we were driven to Salisbury, Maryland. I remember my second day being unpleasant and too strange for me. Everywhere there were grass, trees, insects, and animals; I hated it because I had never actually lived in this type of environment. I was born and raised in a city, where I only saw tall buildings, heavy traffic, and loud noises. I only saw this green environment when I took trips to parks. It felt like living in a zoo/park. My first summer in the U.S. flew by and the first day of school came. Despite my efforts to trying to learn English over the short summer break, I barely could speak anything. By the first day of school, I only knew how to introduce myself with verses I had memorized. I was very anxious because I was so new. I felt as if everyone were staring at me because of my complexion and more stressed by the fact that I didn’t understand anything people were saying. And the food; it was so different. I was like a newborn baby, learning everything over again.
It took about five to six years for me to speak English quite fluently. As time passed, I started to fit in and adapt to the new country. My friends played a big role for me to settle in. If it weren’t for them, I would have struggled so much more.
My immigration to America is the most life changing experience for me because it gave me a new life. It gave me a chance to be a part of a whole new country and opportunities that come with it. I am already 18. It is so surprising how time flies and I’m proud of myself for making it to where I am today. Now having lived in America longer than I have lived in South Korea, the U.S. feels like my home, because this is where I developed everything from my education, social life, and much more. I really thank my parents for making the tough decision to move here, even if it meant they had to resign their current jobs and come to America with no future guaranteed. With their help, I was able to find a bigger world than where I was before.