As a New American, I know that I can become just about anything that I aspire to be.  The opportunities and values that are present in the United States enable me to be educated, be cared for, and live a life that should be endowed to all individuals. I still remember that all of this would not have been made possible if it hadn’t been for the struggles of my mother.

New Americans have two cultures, one being their original culture and one being the American lifestyle. Children won’t know who they are or where they come from without their parents telling them. At times, I too have to struggle to hold on to my Vietnamese/Chinese heritage. If I were to give up my Vietnamese/Chinese heritage, I would be living a lie; I could not be the person that I am today.

I now understand the importance of being a new American. My parent’s generation worked hard to provide us with the best environment. It’s not enough to just live in this superior environment, but we also need to try hard and do our best to achieve our dreams. We need to show persistence and determination to succeed. We need to learn to hold the values and to never give up. Only this way can we guarantee our generation’s success and be able to maintain this superior environment for everybody who dreams of coming to America. That is what I learned from my mother about being a new American.

For me, being a new American means to stand up and tell people that racial prejudice and discrimination are not the only issues concerning New Americans, but all Americans, and that they should be dealt with in a manner that reflects our unity in diversity, our resilience, and our clear sense of direction.  As a New American, I want to spread the message that New Americans can work together to preserve their cultural heritage and values while becoming like crayons that introduce vivid colors and add shapes and dimensions to the portrait of America modern society.

I sometimes still regret that it is impossible to be in two places at once, I also understand just how important it is to simultaneously be a part of not only two cultures, but infinitely many. Like any other American, I am only one small piece of an enormous puzzle, a piece newly added, but that had always belonged to its eventual destination.

They made a desert in my city. The same desert came into our souls. We became refugees in our own country. My mother, who always dreamed of dying in her home, died in Moscow. My sister died a few months later. After the funeral, I was told that the military wanted me. I realized that I had to make a choice: to be arrested or killed, or to attempt to escape. We decided to leave the country…in April, 2004, we left Russia and arrived in San Diego.

We came to America on a cold night in April, 2003 and on that day, our life was changed profoundly. While my parents struggled to stabilize our life with energy, my sister and I also faced a totally strange and new condition. My classmates were not as friendly as I imagined. No one spoke my native language. Like the first steps of climbing, starting to speak English was very hard. With my parent’s encouragement, I persisted. Now, although I still have not yet reached the top of the mountain yet, I am proud that I can speak English to satisfy my needs.

I still do not have any idea whether my parents are alive with my brothers and sisters or if they are all dead. We got separated by accident. There was a surprise attack on our village…. I was only five years old. I thought I would meet my parents on the way, but I never did. Coming here gave me a second chance and the beginning of a new life. Before, I was like someone affected by any kind of disease, and then when I set foot on American soil, I felt like somebody recovering from a sickness.

When I was eleven years old, my whole life changed. I gave up my education. All my dreams stopped… I cannot forget that day. My dream was, and still is to continue my education. I have never given up thinking about this.