Fighting On My Own To The End

I was born in Bosnia. My family roots originate in Bosnia. In my childhood I spent a lot of time outside in the wild on the green fields playing with my friends.

Life was not about playing once I was old enough to go to school. I grew up in a strict family who had high expectations for my education.

When I was six years old the war in Bosnia broke out and we were forced to emigrate our homeland and move elsewhere, because if we stayed we could get killed, or even worse, die of hunger and poverty. I had two uncles who lived in Croatia and we went to live with them.

Life was tough in this new environment, where we are unfamiliar with people and their custom, but we had to move on with our lives. As an immigrant in Croatia they did not treat us differently, we had the same rights as citizens of Croatia.

I started my elementary school in Croatia. I adapted to the Croatian customs and language easily, because their language was similar to Bosnian. I loved going to school. I was always excited to learn new ideas.

Math was the one of my favorite classes. I joined the math club when I was in elementary school and my love for math kept me busy day and night. I also played tennis every day after school.

I was not that talented in tennis, but it was challenging and fun. After 7 years in Croatia, my parents announced we were going back to Bosnia. The war was ending and immigrants were going back to their homeland.

I returned home and started school in Bosnia, where I did not know anyone again, but at least I did not have any problems with language. (Except I had a Croatian accent that made it a little difficult because Bosnia people did not want to hear Croatian expressions, since they were in war with them).

Once when I was writing an essay for my Bosnian class I wrote some expressions in Croatian because I did not know how to say them in Bosnian, and my teacher told me that I should never mention those expressions again in my writings. I was forced to learn some Bosnia expressions.

Trying to be like others and not be outsider was hard because it takes time to adjust to being in an environment where you have not been for a long time. I survived all the difficulties and struggles going from one country to another and it taught me to be strong.

There was hatred going on between Serbs and Bosnian people. People were not like they used to be. The relationships between friends and neighbors were broken and trust and freedom were paralyzed from people.

Going through my city, seeing all those demolished homes and poverty made me think about the type of people who did this and how they did not have any feelings for human beings. You could not afford to live in this unstable country, unless you had somebody in United States who could help you financially.

We lived with my grandfather at that time. The living standards were really difficult. The economy was collapsing and unemployment was increasing. I was eleven years old when my father decided to move to America to seek a better opportunity for his family. My father left Bosnia for America.

He lived with my uncle. The reason my father emigrated from Bosnia was because of the economic situation. There was a lot of unemployment so it was difficult to survive and the only solution was to move to America. My father used to be a professor in Bosnia, but when he came here he worked as a painter.

After four years without seeing my father, he came to visit us. Although we were in touch with him, it was an incredible feeling when I saw him again. That same year he sent papers for us and we were on our way to America. I thought of America as an enormous, rich, powerful, well stable economic country, after everything my father had told me. I was very excited to come here.

It was really hard to say good-bye to my mother country and my friends, but I thought of my father from whom I did not want to be separated from and of better opportunity for my education and life here in America. I was fifteen years old when I came to America in April 9, 2001.

I went through a lot of tough though situations and experiences, but my parents supported me, which gave me a lot of confidence to move on and to overcome every obstacle. The first day of school in my freshman year, at Morton East High School in Cicero was indescribable.

When I entered to my first period class, all those strange faces were staring at me as if I came from another planet, I felt uncomfortable. I did not know anyone in school. I did not go to lunch on the first day. I sat on the stairs and I cried until the bell rang and I went to my next class in tears. I was experiencing the same horrible feelings that I once felt upon my return to Bosnia.

It was the worst experience I ever had. As a teenager it is hard to start a new life in different part of the world. When you are younger it is easier to learn English and easier to get involved with other kids. As a teenager, you want to try to explore what is outside of the world, new experiences, meeting and spending time with friends and having fun.

I felt like I did not belong here, because I did not know anyone. I wanted to go back to Bosnia where I left my friends and my family. Another issue that I had to struggle with was English. When I came here I knew a little English but that still that was not enough.

Whatever I said others had a hard time understanding me and I did not understand them either. When I was in Bosnia I was an excellent student and coming here and having difficulty learning tore me apart. Since I did not understand students I thought they were making fun of me.

I would come home every day after school and cry but I knew that crying would not help me. I survived war in Bosnia, English can not be that difficult. The only class that was easy for me was math class, because the operations and numbers are the same as in Bosnia and I could understood it with little English I knew. What surprised me was that students here are allowed to use calculators for their math class, while in Bosnia we could not, which made it easier for me.

My English teacher told me that the more I speak English the more I will learn it, so I did not care if students understood me or if they would make fun of my accent I just wanted to learn English quickly as possible. I had confidence in myself and I knew I could do it. I would study for long hours at night and wrote of English as much as I could in my notebook.

I would fall asleep with my English dictionary in my hands. I was tired but I did not give up. Now that I communicate with others and learn more about American culture I see a better future for me here. As time passes I meet new friends that have something in common with me. Remembering everything I went through when I came here made me more determined and aware of life and my future.

I am happy that people can understand who I am and I can understand them too. I have to take advantage of all opportunities available to me. My birthplace is still in my heart and will always be. Finally after sixteen years of my life, emigrating from one country to another, I made it to America, the land of opportunity.

My parents left their parents and their land, to come here for a better future and to have our dreams come true. I am fortunate to have opportunities that many people around the world do not have.

I am so grateful to my parents who gave me a chance to come here and so that I can achieve my goals.

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