Franklin (Uzbekistan, Age 15): English 141

Hello, my name is Franklin. I’m from Uzbekistan. I lived in a small town called Bukhara. It was old city but it wasn’t that big as Brooklyn or the whole NYC its much smaller than NYC. We lived in apartment, which had four rooms, including kitchen, bedroom, living room, balcony and bathroom. Our house or Apartment was bigger compared to NYC houses. We lived with our family. We are small family of four people which is my dad , mom , sister and I. I was kid which liked to go out since morning till night time. My mom used to think where I am but I was like the kid who like to be outside. I used to go to school in my hometown. I transfered my school 6 times because I didn't like none of them. My school used to start at 8AM and finished at 12:30PM. We had school on Saturdays too. Every Saturday we used to do general cleaning with whole school after classes but at the same time we had fun. Girls used to sweep and boys used to bring a bucket of water to them to wipe. My teacher were strict and they got angry very fast. If you don't do your work like you didn’t do your homework, the next day you get punished because of not doing it. Their punishment was like to stay after school and sweep, put all chairs up then closed the classroom after all you able to go home.

Once in the Winter season. It was a week after of a New Years that my mom told us something excited. It was cold and freezing. It was in the year 2011. My mom told us that our dad send us a letter so that we can go to see him and live with him in the USA. By the way my father left Uzbekistan in 2007 or 2008 we didn't see my father for years but we talked on the phone with him. it was still hard to take it because we missed him a lot. When we heard that we going to the U.S. I was so excited I thought I will be the only one that the one who left Uzbekistan for the first time. My dad and my grandmother they left to the U.S together because we had big family and it was hard to feed all of them. Then they decided to leave and find a job in the U.S. My dad had some struggles to find a job. He didn’t knew how to communicate with others because of the language.

So after few months passed. We get done with our documents. It wasn't t that easy to deal with documents because we had to fly to the Moscow because some parts of the paper work was there. So it was winter time my dad sent us money to buy plane tickets for Moscow. I didn't went to the school for whole month. It was the first time that i took a plane ride to the Moscow and first time I was out of town. I felt happy because I saw a new cool places. I met new people and it was fun out there. My A`untie moved to Moscow since 2010, and I went to visit her. It was the first time when I ate a burger because we didn't had any of the food like that. We had but the taste and look wasn't same as an burger in Moscow. I sat on train first time in Moscow it was scary though. We stayed 2 weeks in Moscow right after two week we took a plain it was morning 3AM I think and we took a flight to U.S. When we arrived to the US it was night time and it was shining it was bright and very beautiful from the air. Firstable I felt  dizzy when I get off the plane it was strange and unique everybody was speaking different languages. They were looking very different.

   

My days were boring in the beginning. I couldn't communicate with people even though I was scared to go outside. The time changed for me it was like I use to go sleep in the morning and wake up night time now its opposite. I get used to this new country. By the time I start to go out and I start to look for Friends but I couldn't find one. Later on I saw two boys like my age and I was with my mom she told me to go and hang out with them but I was scared to death. I was shy. My mom walked up to them and I had no choice then I started to talk to them. How I talked to them?. So I found out that they were from the same country as I am from I was excited but they were from different State. They spoke a little bit different but it was similar. They were my buddies that I could go out with. We still friends for 3 years already. Time flies we grew up. Wherever we go we always together. Im glad that i met them. 2 months passed by. There was a Middle School 2 blocks from my house. I went there and i studied there 7th grade and 8th grade. I graduated Middle School. My teachers were nice and they taught me English. I learned english very fast its was like nothing for me. I start to meet new people and new places. My friends from Middle School now they go to same High School as me. So I see them everyday and they like my best friends too. I know them well.

I feel proud of myself because i continued to go the Gym here. My father brought me to Boxing I went to competitions. I have a small trophy. I feel blessed because I have all I want. So before I didn't had any Smartphones. I never used them before we had some for sale but my parents never bought it for me. I had a small Cellphone. But when i came to the U.S i had everything I wanted. I didn’t had Iphone in Uzbekistan,but now I have it . Before in Uzbekistan I used to spent my time playing outside with friends we used to play hide and seek because I didn’t had any cell phone to play with and spent my time there. But in the U.S i don't have time playing hide and seek my day just flies like fast. And everytime I get bored I check my phone and Social Medias. I go to school after school I go home and change my clothes then I pack up my stuff and I go to the Gym. Thats how my passes. Mostly I feel free here. So mostly I miss my friends and my hometown. I had 2 best friends we grew up in the same hood same building. We used to live across each other. We used to be together at all since morning till night time. They are professional  wrestlers. I talk to them sometimes.  However i'm grown up teenager I learned some new rules in America. I go to High School which makes me clever and my teacher push me to get a higher scores on my report cards I feel safe in school. My teachers are nice they support me at any time. When i need help they always there. My english teacher taught a lot of new word my english get improved everytime that i have her class. Every year it gets much easier for me with educations and with speaking.

So for me new thing is that I found a best friend which she is a girl. Its sounds kind of creepy but I never had a girl best friend and i’m excited. People say that there isn't any friendship between girl and boy but there could be. I’m very glad that I met her. She is cute and funny to talk to about something. Every guy has bros. But not every guy has a girl best friend. If you’re one of the lucky to have one. And if you still don’t have one, then go out there and make one because, you can tell her everything it is awesome. Like you can’t tell “emotions”  with guys you can’t share all of your secrets. But with a girl best friend, you can share everything. It feels amazing sometimes to have a girl like her that who is always there at any moment of your time. I just can’t explain with words. We fight and we play. We get done our homework together I think thats what best friends do!. We always sit next to each other in the School. Sometimes we hang out after school with her and her sister. Its awesome fun to prank her to joke with her.  Her sister is like my sister. I get used to the its like I can’t live without them. I think they feel the same way as I do. Don’t get it wrong people.

    I want to thank my parents because they work so hard to feed us and our parents brought us to the United States because to make us become something in the FUTURE and to see the world.