The Plane of Destiny 

I still remember that moment, the moment that I knew my life was going to change forever. August 21st, 2007, was the day that I first stepped out of the plane and landed in America. I was surrounded by Americans, walking around and speaking English, I felt left out since I could not speak or understand English. At that moment, I was wondering “how will moving to America impact my life?” “what do I need to change to fit in this new society?” and “how will life here in America be different from Vietnam?” That moment was magical but also nerve -racking because I knew America was about to change my life forever. This is the land where I will be growing up and where my future will be determined.

The day I found out I was going to move to America with my family, I felt overwhelmed because I could not believe that I would be leaving my country, my neighborhood, friends, family, and great memories behind. But at the same time, I was very blessed to have this opportunity and actually experience a new place besides Vietnam. I still remember my reaction: I jumped up and down, ran all around the neighborhood and told everybody that I am officially leaving and coming to America. Happiness was burning inside of me. On the day of our departure, all family members went to the airport. We were very emotional, except me, an 11-year -old girl, who was still very innocent and not fully understanding why we were moving. Later on, my parents told me why we moved, and it was because they wanted to provide better education and a brighter future for my sister and I.

First, everything seems quite difficult, languages, school and family conflicts. The first challenge that I faced was language. I came here and did not know any English words; my English skill was finite and that led me to a huge problem when I could not communicate with anyone at my school. It was the hardest time for me. There were times when I thought I should just give up instead of trying something I could not do, but I’ve always believed that everything is feasible if one really puts effort into it. Furthermore, difficulties did not stop at learning English I was also being bullied by a group of girls; they kept throwing food, jeering and using vulgar language towards me at lunch, but I tried to pretend like I did not hear it. I decided to stay home from school for a few days because I was afraid to come to school. I thought I could not do anything about it except just to wait for them to stop bullying me. Meanwhile, I learned how to not let myself down by all these hurtful comments. I convinced myself that they would only help me become a stronger person.

Many people I met have asked me this “Trinh, why do you have to work so hard?” I simply answered: “Even though I know I am not very smart, but the thing is I am willing to work hard and all I want from it, is seeing the smiles on my parents’ faces and how proud they are of their daughter.” My parents, they been working so hard in the past years to provide for my sister and I, so this is the right time to “return” something to them since they do deserve it. Lastly, as of today, I’ve attained a lot but I think that just not enough, heading to college and strive for a degree is the most important. And of course, I will never give up!