Karolina (Italy, Age 17): English 704

Audio recording software >>

Karolina, age 17, Italy

Calabria, Italy, beautiful country with a lot of different smell. My favourite smell is when  I am sitting next to the beach and I can smell saltiness, it makes relax myself. Another thing that I love is when is winter and I go out with my friends after the rain because I can smell the wet terrain. But the most beautiful part of the year in Italy is Summer when is too hot and you don’t want to stay at home but you love to go out, to go to the beach and come back home late in the night because you like to stay with your friends or relatives in Bar or Disco to dance. When is summer people like to stay all day at the beach to hear and to see a lot of teenegers play volleyball and taking sun. Summer in Italy is the best the smells in the air change, your skin change color, your hair become blond and the days become longer.

Anyway, I still didn't present myself. My name is Karolina, I am 17 years old and now I live in New York. I was about 5 years old the first time that I came to New York for vacation with my mom and my father to visit my relatives. When I came it was Christmas time and it was beautiful, I saw for the first time the snow, and the best place that I saw it was Manhattan and for me was amazing I couldn't believe. I stayed in New York 2 months and for me wasn't enough I loved stay here and I wouldn't go back to Italy. After we go back to Italy my parents decided that it was better the life in New York that in my country, so in May 2003 they went to get the tickets for all family to go to live for ever in America. But something happened before to leave. It was June 16,2003 we were getting ready to go, but five days before to leave Italy I was playing with my bike and I broke my left leg, so for my fault my family's dream was disappointed, and they decided to stay in Italy. Years were going on and in Italy there was less job day for day so me and my family was passing a bad period. My father started to don't work and the only person who was working was my mom, but her job was so small, she used to clean the houses of other people for only €5,00 for hour. My father didn't like this kind of life so in January 27,2011 he finally decided to go to buy a ticket to come back to New York because he wanted that his family's life was better. I stayed in Italy for 4 years without my father, and I used to miss him so much because when I was with my friends they used to be with their father and going out with him. But for me this was impossible I just could see my father inside a screen's computer. But I remember one thing, even if my father wasn't there with me and my sister I never went down and I always tried to do the best for me and especially for my mom and for my grandparents that helped us so much. For four years my mom continued to do the same work but it wasn't enough to be happy, even if my father sent money to us, because my mom used that money to buy food and to make me and my sister happy. I four years I saw my father just 2 times and the period that I stayed with him was short. For my mom, after four years, the work was going down so she decided to go to America and me and my sister stayed three months with my grandparents and my aunt. It was so hard live without my parents and was hard also focus in school for me because my school was too hard, so I started to don't eat too much and in three months I lost almost 15 pounds, so my doctor started to give to me vitamins for my body. But this wasn't enough because I used to eat little bit so my aunt needed to bring me to the hospital. Finally in May 13,2014 my mom came back to Italy and I was so happy to see her again. I passed three months of summer in Italy with my mom and all my friends. With my friends started to create a group of people from 3 years to 36 years old. We started to create a small dance to have fun all together, but from this small dance we created a big performance, a big FLASH MOB and we started to dance in every part of my country. To create the music we used to listen the Musics of the moment, like Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, Pitbull, or Shakira. Me, my sister my mom and friends used to become crazy because we needed to find the piece that we liked and build the steps on the music and this was so hard because then we put all the pieces of song together and the sound should looked good and nice to listen. But sometimes was so hard also understand each other because most of the time we didn’t  agree about steps or music or place where we needed to dance or where every person needed to stand. Most of the time we used to yell to each other and also arrive to cry. But after there was always someone that tried to talk to us and make everything good again. It was so amazing see a lot of people around us. Before to start every time everyone was so scared to make mistakes and me too, my heart was beating so fast and I was so excited, my eyes were full of small heart and I was so proud of that.  But one day my mom and my father started to talk about the fact that we can not live separate and together we decided to leave for ever Italy and everything and go to New York. I love too much my Country and my friends and the last thing that I wanted to do it was leave my country where I grew up. This broke my heart at the beginning. Days was going on and September 19,2014 was coming and I was always more nervous because I didn't want to think that I was leaving everything I couldn't believe. When my mom started to fix the bags to go I started to cry and to yell to my mom that I didn't want to go. September 19, 2014 came, and was time to go for ever in America and start a new life. That night my friends made me so happy, they did a big surprise for me and my sister. First they came to my house and then they brought one big album with all our pictures to remember our Best Summer Ever. That night I can't forget we cried all the night until morning, until I didn't go to take the airplane. Now my life was changing. New friends, new school, new house, new language and I was so scared to change everything in my life. I used to think too much. I thought a lot of stupid stuff like that I will be alone, no one will talk to me, that I will be new and everyone will be disgusted of me. I really wasn't ready.

After 13 hours finally I put my feet in a strong floor and the first thing that I thought it was that after 4 years now I could see my father again and pass the rest of my life with him. When I arrived in New York was afternoon and everything was different in front of my eyes.

The first thing that I noticed was the smell of the air, it was so different from Italy. In Italy I used to smell the wet terrain after the rain. Even the house were different. I was surprised I saw buildings, big buildings that I never saw in my life but just in TV. I saw a lot of people around me and I was so scared to lose myself. I saw people that if you see one time you will not see the second or third time. I saw also a lot of yellow taxi and with my sister started to laugh because if in my country you see a yellow car you need to punch your friend's arm, is like a play. I heard too many people talk in English but I didn't even understand what they were talking about because for me English was a new language that I needed to learn. I heard a lot of cars that maybe were going home because their family was waiting for them. The first thing that I tried or is better say that I tasted when I arrived here it was chinese food. For me was something new, I never eat Chinese in my life and I have to say that the taste was delicious. Another thing that I tried was the cheesecake but the taste wasn't good for me because actually I don't like cheese. When I went out I smell also different kind of food in the air, like when I was next to McDonald's I smell the fries oil and it was disgusting. After I walked little bit more I smell the Takos, spanish food and It wasn't bad. But one thing that was really disgusting it was the smoke of the cars and I didn't really like that.

After I started to go out from my house I started to cry in the night for 14 days below and I was already about to fall down. My friends called me everyday and they wanted to convince me to come back to them and we used to cry together all the time two hours for day. I was losing courage and I started getting sick with high temperature. But my mom did understand how I felt and she told me to don't worry, don't be scared and that everything will be good, that I will find new friends after I will start the new School. So I take the courage that I lost, I became strong and I told to myself that I could become someone working hard and don't be weak and scared, because if I will be scared from life other people will put their feet on the top of your head and I will not go anywhere. After one week I started to go to school, but I was still a little scared, I didn't know English and every place and people were new for me. When I saw my new school looked like a big jail and I didn't want to go inside. After I went inside I saw police everywhere, they took my phone and I didn't want to go in class. I didn't know my classmates and I was alone no one was with me. When I went In class the first teacher that I saw was my English teacher, she was so nice and friendly and she I had a good impression on her. When I seat on the table with my new classmates I was sitting with spanish teenegers  because it was the only language that I could understand after italian.

My school was too big and it was so easy to lose yourself. The first day of school me and my sister lost ourselves in school. People were different I never talk with people that speak Uzbek. Actually I didn't even know about Uzbekistan it was new country for me and I was surprised. For the first 3 months of school I didn't talk with no one but just with my sister and another girl, named Angelina, that is from Italy too. My character before was different , I didn't want to have friends, first because English was a problem for me, and second I was scared of people. They didn't want to talk to me and I didn't want to talk to them. Just boys came to me because I was new I came from Italy and they used to tell me that I was cute and they liked me. At the beginning when boys used to come I didn't want that they touch or talk to me. But one day one boy, his name is Joseph, came to me he was so nice and so cute, and he was so respectful to me. He was so tall, more than me, and he looks like a big stick because he is so skinny. He started to come to me everyday, even when I was in class just to see and to ask me how I was, and if everything was good. He used to call me Carina all the time and I used to get crazy. My face was always red and my stomach was close. Day after day I started to understand how he was, and I was like this is the guy that I want. He used to smile always to me with a big smile, with perfect teeth, in other words he have everything perfect but we know no one in the world is perfect. He has glasses and when he wear I liked to tell him "you look like a doctor" and he used to smile. He was the only person that I was talking for the first three months. Day after day we started to practice English and in three months finally I learned. I was surprised and excited because I thought I never will learn English like other people. I started to be strong with everything. I started to talk and to understand my teachers and how I have to write a complete sentence. I started to see the world with different eyes in a different way and I felt like that I was the most lucky person in the world. I thought "Oh my god I am in New York I can't believe". I tried to take off from my body the person that I really am. That person that like to move on. The organized person that I am, and the most important thing I showed to everyone that I am that person that like to improve herself and to have challenge in my life.

Six months passed and my life changed a lot. Now I have a lot of friends that like and love me for the person that I really am. But one thing I miss in this new life. Joseph is not talking to me anymore and I miss so much talk to him because he was the only person that could make me so happy every day. I loved how he used to talk to me and his smile, I loved how he used to explain to me everything even if I was doing something wrong, he used to come to me and yell and get angry because he didn’t like what I was doing. Another thing that I liked it was how he was helping me every day , but the most important thing that I like is his character.  I'm still trying to change something in my life to improve more and more, doing better for me, my family and my teachers that are bringing me in a good and right way. Sometimes I use to think a lot and I still think about my classmates in Italy, how they are, how they feel, and if they miss me as much I miss them. But especially I think about my grandparents that I miss so much and they miss me too. Most of the time I try to don't think about my country because I miss everything, I miss my house, my bed, my beautiful beach that every day filled my heart and just to think it make me cry. I miss my friends too much even if I have new friends here. I miss when we used to dance together making flash mobs and other stuff to fill our days. About my new friends here, I can say that I have splendid friends especially one, his name is Michael. He became my best friend since when I started to speak English. He Is so funny and nice with me. Even if we fight for a stupid things and we don't talk for 5 minutes he knows how how to make me happy and laugh again in one second. The thing that I really like is that he is respectful and too nice with me. Anyway even if I have a lot of friends I'm trying to do always the best and to don't distract myself from study. If I want become someone I need to study seriously and do always my work, in a few words I need to work hard. Even if I am in New York, new State with a new life I always will remember my country and the city where I born 17 years ago. I will bring always my country in my head, in front of my eyes, but especially I will keep it in my heart and I never will forget how is, because I know and I'm sure that one day I will come back in Italy and I will not go anywhere, I will not move from there, because I really miss everything, especially the smell of the sea, and the grandparents affection that I really love so much. But the more important thing is keep my head up and my heart strong.