An Immigrant's American Dream
American Dream Every immigrant moved to the USA in search of the American dream about a wonderful chance to change their lives. Nevertheless, rarely was the American dream as perfect as they expected; on the contrary, sometimes it could be totally opposite. Being an immigrant, I have experienced many difficulties which were not easy to overcome. Coming to the USA one year ago, just like every other immigrant, I considered it an awesome opportunity achieve my dream. I yearned for an easy life with a pleasant job and good wages. I expected a nice house and a lovely garden where I can unwind after a hard work and plant some roses––my favorite flower. I hoped to own a car, which was luxurious in my country, and drive freely to everywhere I liked. Furthermore, I desired a friendly surroundings with close and helpful neighbors just like I had in my country. However, as people say, everything is not always as what we expect Reality can be completely different from expectation. And American dream may turn into American nightmare. My first impression about this country was the weather. In my country, I used to enjoy the hot wet climate with beautiful sunshine everyday; meanwhile, at the time I arrived here, it was really cold and dry. It wasn’t easy for a tropical guy like me to stand the temperate climate. Not until now had I adjusted to the cold here. Weather incompatibility was not a big difficulty compared to the language barrier. Despite the fact that I had learned English for 7 or more years, my speaking English was terrible. It was ridiculous to watch a whole TV show without having any idea what the show was about. I couldn’t understand what other native speakers said, nor could I explain what I thought to them. Once I was in a mall, I heard a group of boys behind me talking and then laughing so loud. Were they making fun at me, or was it just my imagination? I could never know. Most of the time, I felt like an outsider; and sometimes I wondered if I