Kissed by Poverty :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

In 1990 my family and I left Kuwait on our vacation to the United States. This vacation was anything but normal. On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and consequently we were not able to return. We soon found out that our home was in ruins, and everything was lost. I was seven years old when my family and I realized that the United States was to be our new home. The start of our new lives began in St. Louis, Missouri. At this time all I could think about was how my once prominently wealthy family was no more. My father and mother were out of work, my sisters and I couldn't go back to our friends and schools, and our lives had taken a complete twist. I thought about how I would never see my friends again, how I couldn't play soccer after school anymore, and realizing just how the childhood I had was lost. When I started school the next in America, I was shocked. My father advised me that this would be a big challenge, and that only the fit would survive in this volatile wo rld. So I understood what was to come, and would most definitely try my hardest to make my father proud. I took the challenge head on, but honestly I was afraid. Thoughts of failure lurked in the back of my mind. Will the kids accept me? Where will I sit at lunch? What will the teachers think of a kid who does not speak English well? These thoughts made me want to turn around and go back to where I came from. Instead I was amazed by the atmosphere in the American schools, as well as the kindness and understanding of my teachers and peers. They encouraged me to go forward and meet the challenge. Fortunately I came from a family which values education. My father told my sisters and me that "success in America is a choice and it will be achieved only through education." In the following years I watched my two sisters graduate with honors as chemical engineers from two prominent colleges. Seeing their success made me eager to follow in their footsteps. For the most part the nine years I spent in Missouri were happy and joyful. I was molded to be a successful student and friend. I gained the friendship of my peers and the admiration of my teachers, many to whom I still keep a close contact with. Kissed by Poverty :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay In 1990 my family and I left Kuwait on our vacation to the United States. This vacation was anything but normal. On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and consequently we were not able to return. We soon found out that our home was in ruins, and everything was lost. I was seven years old when my family and I realized that the United States was to be our new home. The start of our new lives began in St. Louis, Missouri. At this time all I could think about was how my once prominently wealthy family was no more. My father and mother were out of work, my sisters and I couldn't go back to our friends and schools, and our lives had taken a complete twist. I thought about how I would never see my friends again, how I couldn't play soccer after school anymore, and realizing just how the childhood I had was lost. When I started school the next in America, I was shocked. My father advised me that this would be a big challenge, and that only the fit would survive in this volatile wo rld. So I understood what was to come, and would most definitely try my hardest to make my father proud. I took the challenge head on, but honestly I was afraid. Thoughts of failure lurked in the back of my mind. Will the kids accept me? Where will I sit at lunch? What will the teachers think of a kid who does not speak English well? These thoughts made me want to turn around and go back to where I came from. Instead I was amazed by the atmosphere in the American schools, as well as the kindness and understanding of my teachers and peers. They encouraged me to go forward and meet the challenge. Fortunately I came from a family which values education. My father told my sisters and me that "success in America is a choice and it will be achieved only through education." In the following years I watched my two sisters graduate with honors as chemical engineers from two prominent colleges. Seeing their success made me eager to follow in their footsteps. For the most part the nine years I spent in Missouri were happy and joyful. I was molded to be a successful student and friend. I gained the friendship of my peers and the admiration of my teachers, many to whom I still keep a close contact with.