David (Venezuela and China, Age 15): English 181

When I was 13 years old, I was living in Venezuela. Everyday I went to school, I saw a lot of gangs member gathering in the neighborhood. They always abuse each others, saying bad words and if I want to go to school, I have to across them. Everyday, when I across them, I felt very worried, worried about what if they want to beat me up but everyday I safely across them. One day, I saw a gang member sitting nearing the stairs, he  take out a packet of white stuff and having it. I didn’t know what it is when I was in there, but now I know that it was a dangerous stuff that call drug. At the corner in the neighborhood, there’s a person who is selling a popcorn, the popcorn was delicious. There’s a salty and sweet popcorn. My favorite flavor of popcorn was the salty one. I live in an apartment with my parents and my sister. The apartment is called 666 and it has 14 floors. In the apartment, there’s a lot of chinese that live in there, almost every floor has a chinese that live in that floor and I have uncle and aunt lives in the apartment that I live.
I was already forgot how to speak Spanish. When I just born in Venezuela, I went to China to learn languages of China. I stay in China for 3 years to learn how to speak Mandarin. In China, I have a lot of fun with my friend and family, but in China elementary school , school hour is 8 hours and you have to stay at night to practice what you’ve learn today in the school. When I was in third grade, my parent came to China to take me to Venezuela, because of I stay in China for 3 years, I already forgot how to speak Spanish, because in China I don’t have chance to practice speaking Spanish. So my parent decide to bring me to the Spanish school. When I first day went to school, I don’t know how to communicate with my teachers, classmates. It was a hard time when I just came to the Venezuela to go to school and I don’t know Spanish but finally it passed, now I know how to speak Spanish and use Spanish to communicate with others people. I always go to the park to play with my friend but there’s always a problem when I go to the park or somewhere. The problem is that when we are walking in the street, some people will call us Chino (Chinese) I don’t like them to call us like that and I don’t know why they call us like that, like they don’t like people call them Venezolano. My mother always say that that was a friendly call but I don’t think so. I think that they was discriminated against us. She said that we should be polite and respect people so we don’t be like some people who don’t know what is respect. When she came back for job, she always looks tired. She always tell me if you want to be a good man, you have to know how to cook and do chores and after that I started to do chores and learn how to cook. I don’t want to make her tire anymore.

Before I came to NY, I’ve a lot of friend in my country. Derek was one of them. He was my best friend in Venezuela. We always go outside together, I know him is because of the school that teach Mandarin. When I first day went to the school, I just know one person in our class, that is Rac. Rac present to me his friend in school so in there i meet Rac and know each others. After that I know that he was living in the same neighborhood as me. We go to school together, we play the same video, we have the same favor actor and singer. That was fun when we go to school together, there’s a lot of Chinese teenagers that live in the neighborhood that I live go to the same school that we go. So, we decide to go to school together. That  funny, because we have almost like 20 person. We have to take a train to go to school, when we get in the train, everyone was looking at us because we has to much person and we are all Chinese. It  was hard time, in Monday to Friday I have to go to Spanish school, in Tuesday and Thursday afternoon I’ve to go to Chinese school but it also is happy time because my friend also went to these school with me. When I just stay home and doing nothing, my mother always said to me that I have to work hard so you can go to college and if you go to college, you can have a better chance to have a good job that has more salary and hard work make you a man. I know that I have to work hard, so that’s why I went to English school to learn more language and knowledge and do chores at home.

In Venezuela, the life is being difficult, after the ex-president death, his followers began to march. The price increase and some people began to rob, kill and steal. You have to be careful if you want to go somewhere. Just we want to move to another country, my uncle sent an Email to us and it said that we can come to the USA. In the email he talk about how good is United State and how people was nice to others people. After that, we decide to come to the United State. We have to prepare if we come to the USA. We went to the airport like 12:00 pm and we have to stay in the airport for 6 hours, because the airplane was late.When I first came here to the New York, my first feeling is clean, the street was so clean that I never see in my country. Second is that everyone in here was respectful. In the USA, there’s a lot of Chinese that live in here, if you go to somewhere you can see like 30 % of people was Chinese. That’s a lot because America was a country that build by the immigrants, that mean people from different country. It was little busy when you just came here to the NY. We have to look for our house, after this, you have to buy furniture for our house and i have to go to look for my school. My uncle introduced me a high school. After that I went to registered to the school. I know a little bit of English, so English was not that hard for me to learn and study in the High School using English.

This is the second time that I enter this school. First time I came here with my friend for registration. This time I came here for class. It was fun where I first time came in the school and not using the main entrance. I thought that I have to use the main entrance to enter the school, but the guardian say no, he said that i have to use the door that was in the right side corner and after I enter the school they said that in their school database doesn’t has my information even it doesn’t has my name in it. I don’t know what i gonna do but soon a man take me to the office to check why it doesn’t has my information. They check it again and again but still doesn’t has my name on it. They said that they are waiting for my data. The man said that you can go to normal class, just the computer doesn’t has your name. After some day I know that the man was the principal of this school. After that I go to the class. In class I meet my classmate and when I sitting in the class I feel confused because I don’t know what I gonna do in the class and I don’t speak English. The time is end, is time to go to other classroom but I don’t know where should I go because no one tell me where should I go so I decide to follow one of my classmate. It was hard time when I just came to the school and the school doesn’t has my information on it. When is time to eat lunch, I go to cafeteria to get my lunch. I don’t know that I have to had a school I.D number to eat lunch. It was very embarrassed to sit in the cafeteria and doing nothing. I feel like Outsider in that time. Everyday I have to go to school office to check if my name is on it. After one month, finally the person in the office said that the school database already have your name and information on it. You can not immaginate that I was so happy because finally i can eat lunch and everyday I don’t have to go to the office to check.

Now, the life became easier, in U.S you don’t have to worried about security. In school, I have a lots of friend now and I learn a lot of knowledge and English skill in school. My English speaking, writing and listening became better the before. When I just came to the U.S, I don’t speak that much English but now I can communicate using English with my friend. My parent said “ You must have to work hard because you came from another country and have another culture.” My parent work hard to let me have a good life so I don’t want to disappoint them.

I’m telling my story because everyone has a family, your parent they work hard to let you have a good life, they teach us how to do things and how to behave, they work hard to let you live in a big house, everything you have is because your parent gave to you, so don’t forget them.