Selmandelil
Coming To America On Thursday morning my friend Mary came to my…
Coming To America
On Thursday morning my friend Mary came to my house and dragged me to go fill out the visa lottery with her. The visa lottery is open every year from early October through early November. The winners are selected at random by a computer and given the chance to live in the United States. I personally don’t expect anything to happen because there is a low chance of me winning the lottery. After about 7 months passed, my brother came to my room and gave me a big hug while saying “incon das alash” which means congratulation in Amharic. I was confused and lost because my brother was smiling and giving me hug after hug. I came to find out that I won the visa lottery that I applied for 7 months ago.
When I found out that I had won the visa lottery and would be moving to the US from Ethiopia, I couldn’t control my emotions. Throughout time the news passed around the town and all my neighbors and loved ones started showing up to my house in order to congratulate me. Even though it was sad that I was leaving them, they knew that I was leaving them for a better opportunity. The congratulatory hugs were turning into last hugs, leaving my friends, family and country turning awful.
I remember being eager to get to the United States and discover what the potential future held for me and my family. It was a dream coming true, to start a new life in a new place. I finished all my processes and arrived in the USA; The flight was so long; it took more than 16 hours. I didn’t have a smartphone or enough English to interact with people or to entertain myself so I slept in order to kill time. When I stepped outside of the airport I was welcomed in freezing cold weather. This cold weather was completely different from what I was used to. The weather in my country is mild and doesn’t get too hot or too cold, and I wasn’t wearing clothing suitable for the weather. I was picked up from the airport and welcomed by my friend who lives in the U.S. She welcomed me to her house and gave me food and puffy clothes that will go with the weather.
When I was trying to fit into the American lifestyle, adjusting to the culture and language was challenging. In the beginning It was very hard to navigate my ways around and understand how things work. I was staying with a friend who was a close friend of my best friend back home, so I don’t know much about her personality and who she was. Staying with someone you don’t know is always a bit scary and hard to handle. After spending a month at my friend’s house, I finally received my green card and was happy again. However, I couldn’t help but notice that my friend was not the same person she was before. She started ignoring me around the house and treating me as if I was her housekeeper. I told myself to go out and find any job I could afford to rent a house, but in 2010, the economy was down, and it was a tough time for me to find work. With all the challenges and frustration (not having a job), I did all my best to find a job so that I can take care of myself and move out, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any luck. It was very tough not having an income and living with someone you meet through mutual. The only thing I can do to help my friend is to take care of household tasks like laundry, dishes, cleaning, and cooking.
One night, around 10:30 pm, my friend came home from work. She woke me up and told me that her boyfriend was moving to live with her, so I had to leave in a couple of weeks and find my own place to stay. When I heard this, I felt lost and unloved. I didn’t have anyone who I could call for help or a place I could stay. I started to explain to her that I didn’t know anybody and didn’t have a place to go while tearing up. I told her to send me back to Ethiopia or else I would be homeless. I didn’t sleep enough that night, debating whether to return to my country or to stay. The next morning, I went to the mosque. I remember it was Friday when (Muslim people gathered every Friday) I was sitting alone, and this person caught my attention from a distance as she approached me. I couldn’t help but get emotional, she walked up to me and asked if I was okay. I opened it to her, and sharing my situation was a relief. She kindly promised to help me find a place to stay and assist me in my job search, and she also took my address and the phone number in order to stay in contact with me. Talking to this lady and opening made me feel a little stressed and lifted some weight off my shoulder. I went back to my friend’s house hoping that she wasn’t lying. I kept on looking up to the sky and saying, “God please help me, please make this person your angel”.
The following day, I received a call from the person I met at the mosque yesterday. As soon as I finished the conversation on the phone, I thanked my friend for everything she did for me and told her that I found a place to stay with a cheerful voice. The person I met yesterday at the mosque told me to pack up my stuff and wait for her so that she could pick me up. I was excited and nervous as I wondered where she was taking me and what adventure was ahead of me. Nevertheless, I trusted her and quickly packed my belongings, eagerly anticipating the next chapter of my journey. As we rode to her house, I couldn’t help but think about what she had told me. “Everything happens for a reason,” she had said. It stuck in my mind as we arrived at her home and settled in. She explained that she had been looking for a babysitter and couldn’t find one, and I didn’t have a place to stay. It seemed fate that we had met at the mosque the day before, and I was happy to help care for her child in exchange for a place to stay. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, and I felt grateful for the opportunity.
As time went by, I also found a job that allowed me to provide rent for a house and cover some additional expenses. It felt good to be able to contribute and not just rely on the kindness of others. I continued to help care for her child, and we developed a close relationship. I even refer to her as a sister. I realized that everything did happen for a reason and meeting her was a turning point in my life. I felt grateful for the unexpected opportunities that had come my way.
Sometimes, providing support means more than financial assistance or finding a place to stay. It also requires understanding and empathy toward the individual’s story and situation. I feel grateful that I now have a family, a job, and a place to call home. It’s truly a blessing to have stability and security in life. recently helped a friend and cousin follow the same path I had taken. I made sure to provide them with everything they needed to succeed. It was a great relief to know that there are still kind-hearted people out there who are willing to lend their time and support to those in need. It feels great to lend a hand and make a difference in someone’s life.
this is the question that need to be follow my essay and answer
This writing exercise has four parts. Please use this form to complete all three parts and
then submit it to me using the drop box in the Week 4 Module. This week’s exercise asks
you to quote passages from your Personal Narrative.
Part 1: After reading Trimble’s section on punctuation, quote four sentences from your
own Personal Narrative: one that uses a semicolon correctly, one that uses parentheses
correctly, one that uses a colon correctly, and one that uses a dash (or dashes) correctly.
Paste your sentences in this space:
o Semicolon sentence:
o Parentheses sentence:
o Dash (or dashes) sentence:
o Colon sentence:
Part 2: After reading Trimble’s section on the Importance of Continuity (40-2) quote one
sentence from your Personal Narrative that effectively uses a “signpost” word (from the
chart on page 41). Make sure to also quote the sentence that comes before it, as a way
of displaying how you use the signpost to create continuity.
Part 3: Quote a paragraph from your Personal Narrative that makes effective use of
imagery. Bold (or otherwise indicate) all the words that you feel evoke concrete,
sensory details.
Part 4: On page 43, Trimble discusses bridge sentences. Quote a bridge sentence from
your own Personal Narrative and explain how it forms a bridge between points.
