To be an Immigrant

As the plane took off, she knew nothing was ever going to be the same again. The cold mornings, the traffic noises, the way her grandma woke her up, were all soon to become memories. Knowing she was moving to a new place and was forced to call it “home”, brought the greatest of fears to a 7 year old girl. Even though she had her mom, dad, and younger brother by her side, she felt so empty inside.

                At the age of 23, Blanca knew she had to move to the United States to one day giver her first born a better life, so she left her daughter with her mom. The grandma raised the granddaughter from the age of one to seven. Esther devoted all her time to her granddaughter. Dealing with all her antics like riding a bike around without a helmet on and hurting herself so bad that she had to get stitches, was one of the few worries Esther’s daily headaches. The school responsibilities, the well being, the safety of her granddaughter, were Esther’s biggest priorities. Adriana became so attached to her grandmother. They went everywhere together, and whenever she spoke about her, she referred to her as her mom.

                Then one day in 1999, Adriana’s life changed forever. Her real mom had made the decision to start a life with the daughter she once had to leave behind. By starting a life, meant moving from Ecuador to the United States. The goodbye’s brought many heartbreaks and rivers of tears, but in spite of this, everyone involved knew it was only for the best.

                Adriana had to learn a new lifestyle, make new friends, learn a new language; things that some days made her feel like she couldn’t get out of bed. After months and months of cries at night, she finally understood the reason for the move. Been given many opportunities to succeed and to attend college and have a rewarding full time job, made Adriana realize every day that this was the best decision her parents had ever made for her.

Living in the country of endless opportunities is the dream of many people. Providing job security and good education are only some of the rights citizens of the United States are born with. Currently there are millions of immigrants inhabiting this country. Some are able to live like a citizen, and the majority is struggling to achieve the same opportunities. I am one of the lucky immigrants that have been given the rights of a US born. I, Adriana, am an educated bilingual student because I migrated here. I am not judged by race or religion; I am given freedom and equality and I believe every immigrant deserves these rights. Now, does the United States agree with this?