My story of America

I came to this country 10 years ago as a student to pursue my own version of the American dream.

I read Thomas Alva Edison when I was a young kid and I was really impressed by his ideas and inventions. Ideas that changed the world and the way we lived forever.

One of my most favorite childhood TV shows was “Little House on the Prairie” which taught me about the values of family, compassion and kindness.

My mom told me America is a free land. Growing up, I had a burning desire to go to America. I believed this country had room for me to be the best version of me.

The past 10 years have been quite a journey and like any other journeys, it had many ups and downs and moments when I felt so disappointed about this country. It was hard, so so hard for an immigrant like myself and millions of immigrants out there.

I felt like an outsider. I didn’t feel like I belonged. I always felt in-between places and cultures, and between the knowns and unknowns. I was so confused about my path. Which direction should I go? These were many painful moments that would linger in my memory for the rest of my life.

But there is one thing I feel particularly indebted to this country is its kindness. My first landlord, a strong-spirited American lady who taught me to “pay it forward”. My second landlord, a gentleman of German descent who always listened to my stories with great patience and cheered me up during tough times. The people who volunteered at the church where I had free lunches every week.

A retired professor who picked me up every Saturday to clean his house. His wife always cooked delicious meals and insisted I stayed for lunch. A native of Athens who let homeless people stay in his own home and later built the whole community of hope for the homeless. Behind all the rules and regulations was always someone who would tell me “I will see what I can do about it”. A police officer who didn’t give me a ticket because he wanted to keep my clean license the way it was. My neighbors who opened the door wide to welcome us into their homes. My boss who always shoos me away at the end of the work day “Go home. Have a life”.

There were so many stories about the kindness of American people. Stories that touched my heart and changed the way I see the world and the way I treat people. Trust people and treat them with kindness, if there is something I had learned during my past 10 years. This is it.

I do believe in what Charlie Samuels has written: “…whatever values you come to hold, this country has room for them. As long as you respect others and do them no harm, you can believe in whatever you want, worship any god or none, follow any political party…These are rights we must always remember to cherish and uphold as they are the foundation upon which our country was founded.”

This country has given me so much, above all is the love of my life and the home of my heart. Now it is my turn to pay it forward.

God, please bless America.

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