Narrative Essay 1 - My Life Changing Experience PDF

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This assignment is about my life-changing experience...

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Mai 1

Quynh Mai Ayesha Zia English G103 – Freshman Composition Intensive 12 February 2020 My Life Changing Experience On a particularly cold and windy Tuesday morning, I was introduced to an interview video of Flea by my professor. The interview was normal at first, but it soon spices my interest up as Flea deftly open memorable experiences that forged him into Flea, bassist of the iconic band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Watching through the interview, I felt so close with Flea as I also had to go through my own life changing experience not long ago. At that time, I always think no one likes to change, especially when the change is forced upon them, as has been in my case. I was living comfortably in my country and then one day, out of nowhere, my family had to immigrate to the US. As far as I remember, I did not want to move to America, but this experience ended up changing my view of the world and dragging me out of my comfort zone. It is important to make the best out of the way things turn out and adapt to it. I had always thought that my calm life in a mid-size city of Vietnam was perfect, everything was going well so far and nothing needed to be changed. I had lived there my whole life and had created patterns around which I had grown accustomed. Therefore, I was not looking forward to any significant changes. Although my mom had told me our family might have to move to the USA to settle with grandma a long time ago, I was not listening at that time. Until the day this became a harsh reality, my mother had casually approached me and then said "we are going to the USA in August”. At first, my reaction was somewhat neutral, not even panic or freak

Mai 2 out. It was so sudden and out of nowhere, so I didn’t know how to react to that dread news. I thought she was just joking or this is some kind of pranks my brother came up with. After I took hold of reality, news began to sink in and I realized my mother was serious. My world seemed like it was coming to a blazing end. This was frightening because I was always afraid of leaving my peaceful country to go to a total foreign territory. I was too scared to think about the difficulty to fit with all the new things around. I tried to think of what to say, but words feel like it stuck in my throat. I can only act angry and stomp away to vent out my frustration, but it did nothing to change the fact that my family had to move. That Monday my mother woke me up around midnight to head to the airport for that exhausting twelve hours trip. We took off in the middle of the night with a heavy heart and a stomach full of butterflies. I remembered I had asked my mother with an uncertain fear “How am I supposed to start my new life in that new country, not even knowing their language and customs?” She replied to me even though it looked more like she is encouraging herself “It will be fine, everything going to be fine”. After arriving at LA airport at 7 in the evening, my father decided to catch a cab to my uncle's house in the downtown of LA. Watching the city through the cab’s window, my eyes were blinded by lights blazing from those advertising boards, neon signs, and office blocks. All the skyscrapers look like they were some giants towered over tiny humans near their feet. The city seems so alive with so many people coming from all directions at once like they were all in a haste to get somewhere, yet still, manage to dodge each other with unflappable agility. All these strange scenes make me realize there was no way for me to deny the fact that I had immigrant to the US. Once I got to my uncle's house and settle here, life started quickly. The following week, I already have to go to school. When I saw my new school, I personally thought it looked like a

Mai 3 jail with metal fences surround, keeping unruly children inside against their will. My first week of school felt like an eternity and I would say I hated it. I feel like being judged and gossiped by everyone because I was the new kid. The language as the massive barrier prevented me from communicating appropriately, also, being in a completely new environment created a feeling of exasperation I had never experienced before. I felt like a fish out of water, lonely, depressed and homesick. It wasn’t until I met some students from my home country. One of them helped me out by introducing me to her friend circle and interpreting the American school system for me. I started learning about American culture and came out of my comfortable shell to experience new things. I was so grateful when my teachers tried to instruct at a slower pace so I easily understand the lecture and listened to my weak English. As time passed on, these negative emotions assuaged and everything became normal. My homesickness was alleviated, and I started to enjoy living here more as I make new friends. After one year, my family decided to move to Orange County and settle here. This time was a lot less stressful than before, albeit I did have to struggle a little. Living here now has made me understand that the world out of my shell is not that scary, and one can learn to adapt to every situation by going out to try and explore new things. This experience is one of the best things that had happened to me. It has had a profound effect on my lifestyle and my view of the world. I used to be scared of unfamiliar things, like a turtle always hides in his shell, too afraid to come to the outside world. My little world is the surroundings and people I had grown up with, and I only wish for everything to stay like that. Thanks to this experience, I become a better version of myself and can live bolder like a lion. I now can rove foreign lands and still not feeling lost or lonely. If I had not moved here, I would have missed out on the chance to break my shell and valuable experiences that I have acquired....