Ring ring. I heard my alarm, I ignored it, wishing it was a dream, so I had more time to sleep.

Ring ring. It rang again even louder. I groaned and pressed the snooze button. I lay flat on my back in bed, looking at the ceiling and re-evaluating my life decision.

I moved to America to see my daughter achieve her dreams. In the process, I had to leave my family and other relatives back home. I thought it would all happen so fast that I was going to come help her settle down. I did not know that coming here was the beginning of a long story. I caught myself having to wake up at

My baby girl was growing up but I couldn’t accept that. She is the only one I have here, but every day I feel like I am losing her to American culture. So I would think, “Was it a good idea to bring her to this country where everyone is free?” This, added to other issues in my life, caused me stress. But I had to be strong, keep my head up and face every day, one day at a time.

My daughter is not perfect but I know she tries her best to make me happy and proud. It’s hard to accept changes, but maybe one day I will accept her as she is and let her fly with her own wings, while I still encourage and support her. Moving to America has taught me a lot of lessons, I just wish I had come more prepared to face all the challenges. I sometimes wonder, would my life be better if I had stayed back home with my family and all the privileges I had? But then I realize to gain something, you have to sacrifice another thing. 

Ring, ring. My alarm rings again, making me jump out of bed. I turn my alarm off, sigh, look at the ceiling and yell “Welcome to America”.