By Brian Rios
Driving for many hours and with a lot of different feelings like confusion, excitement, joy and sadness, I remember seeing a lot of signs on my way to United States. I had just left everything behind.
When I was entering the United States, I was thinking about my Dad and how I would be living without a father figure for a while. There were a lot of road signs, a lot of stops, and a lot of emotions as I was moving from one country to another.
Arriving to the United States, it was extremely different from Mexico. Back home, some places looked dirty, even unsanitary at times. In the U.S., things looked nice and well organized, as if things were where they should be.
When arriving to the US, it was a difficult transition because I was used to always speaking Spanish. Even though I knew English, I wasn’t confident speaking it with other people.
A challenge I faced when arriving to the US was that I had to pass the holidays without my father being there. That got me really upset. I would be emotionally distressed, and at some points I would be depressed.
Having to grow up without one of your parents can cause you to go through many emotions like sadness and confusion. It's a need to have that person there with you. They don’t get to see how much you have accomplished and grown since they last saw you. I had always wanted my father to see how much I admire him, want to be like him, perhaps even better, but he hasn't been there with me to watch me grow.
One particular moment where I felt the absence of my father was when I graduated from middle school. I want to make everyone in my family proud, especially my dad since none of my siblings had taken school seriously. But I plan on taking it serious to show my Dad that I am not going to end up like my siblings who did not graduate.
Not having my father there with me when I have accomplished something important would sometimes break me down due to the fact that he wasn’t there and wouldn't see how much I had accomplished.
Driving for many hours and with a lot of different feelings like confusion, excitement, joy and sadness, I remember seeing a lot of signs on my way to United States. I had just left everything behind.
When I was entering the United States, I was thinking about my Dad and how I would be living without a father figure for a while. There were a lot of road signs, a lot of stops, and a lot of emotions as I was moving from one country to another.
Arriving to the United States, it was extremely different from Mexico. Back home, some places looked dirty, even unsanitary at times. In the U.S., things looked nice and well organized, as if things were where they should be.
When arriving to the US, it was a difficult transition because I was used to always speaking Spanish. Even though I knew English, I wasn’t confident speaking it with other people.
A challenge I faced when arriving to the US was that I had to pass the holidays without my father being there. That got me really upset. I would be emotionally distressed, and at some points I would be depressed.
Having to grow up without one of your parents can cause you to go through many emotions like sadness and confusion. It's a need to have that person there with you. They don’t get to see how much you have accomplished and grown since they last saw you. I had always wanted my father to see how much I admire him, want to be like him, perhaps even better, but he hasn't been there with me to watch me grow.
One particular moment where I felt the absence of my father was when I graduated from middle school. I want to make everyone in my family proud, especially my dad since none of my siblings had taken school seriously. But I plan on taking it serious to show my Dad that I am not going to end up like my siblings who did not graduate.
Not having my father there with me when I have accomplished something important would sometimes break me down due to the fact that he wasn’t there and wouldn't see how much I had accomplished.
Even though me and my family didn’t have my father there for us, we all have managed to maintain ourselves. Such as giving each other the love and connection we desire to keep us together and to not lose our family. For instance, we usually go out to eat and sometimes head to the mall to walk around.
A good memory that me and my family had together was when we all went out to go eat. Afterwards, we went to the movies and watched Frozen. We had a great time together and it brought me so much enjoyment and satisfaction because it had been a while since I’ve had a good time with them.
Now me and my family are close and even though we don’t spend as much time together like we used to, we still have that connection that keeps us strong.
A good memory that me and my family had together was when we all went out to go eat. Afterwards, we went to the movies and watched Frozen. We had a great time together and it brought me so much enjoyment and satisfaction because it had been a while since I’ve had a good time with them.
Now me and my family are close and even though we don’t spend as much time together like we used to, we still have that connection that keeps us strong.