Misunderstanding

Betelhem Asfaw
ESL 100
March 10, 2011


Misunderstanding

Almaze came from Ethiopia to get her first degree in the University of Washington but because of economic troubles she had to slow down in pursuing her goals. Almost all youth in Ethiopia have a big desire to come to the United States in order to change their life and to achieve their goals. I was one of those people who were extremely eager to come to the United States. I had some friends who came here before me, and they used to tell me, “ America is the land of opportunity”, and that even made me more interested to be in this country to see my dreams come true. However, when I came to the United States for first time my expectations of life, getting on education, and communication with new people were quiet different from what I thought.

First of all, I have had wrong expectation about life in the United States before I came here because my friends didn’t tell me the hardest part. I thought the job opportunities were more reliable than any other place in the world. For example, I was expecting to get a job easily, but I couldn’t get it for about four months, and I had to be dependent on my sponsor. Even after I found a job, the expenses for apartment and other everyday expenditures were high for a minimum wage income and also health insurance is unaffordable. In Ethiopia, even without a job or any stable income we can still live with our family and get affordable medical treatment, but here in the United States it is hard to get medical treatment without insurance.

Secondly, another thing that I thought would be easy was getting an education. In Ethiopia too much effort and a lot of money is needed to go college. Also, if a person has a chance to go to college she/he cannot chose their major because the government is the one that decides the citizens’ future career. As a result, I was so interested to start school as fast as I could, so I could study whatever I wanted to study here in United States; this was a new found freedom for me. However, it took me three years to start college in Chicago because I had to save some money and help my family first, by working two jobs. When the time was right I started my studies but it was too hard working and going to school at the same time.

Finally, before I came here I thought I could communicate with people of other races easily, and I thought I had enough communication skills, but I was wrong. To communicate with new people in this new world with new cultures was not even simple. For example, after one week of living in the United States, my sponsor took me to an American church. It was Father’s Day, and I was unable to understand what the pastor was talking about. I saw some people standing up from their seat when the pastor said something, and I stood up too without any understanding just because other people did; however, a person next to me explained that the pastor wanted only fathers to stand up to say happy Father’s Day. We did not even have that holiday for fathers in Ethiopia.

Generally, all the thoughts I had about the United States and the dreams to become successful were conflicting with the reality. To adapt to a new culture and deal with new people was something I had to learn. I wish my friends had told me about all the challenges that I was going to face, and then I would have been ready. For example, I could have taken some English classes to have a better understanding; I could have saved some money that could help me to survive until finding a job. After all, as everybody says, there is nothing impossible in this world, and all I need to do is to be strong and keep going to achieve the goals that I brought with me.