Change One\'s Life. They Happen and Our

¶ … change one's life. They happen and our lives take different turns and take different roads. We deal with these issues as they come and try our best to cope with them the way we know how. There were two instances in my life that I consider very significant. These events involve me leaving my country of birth and also when I moved to the United States.

The first event of my life that I consider significant was when I had to leave my native country of Cuba and move to the country of Spain. The reasoning behind this was based on my father's political problems and personal views that were not in line with the country of Cuba's ideals and political views. This happened on December in the year of 1991. I was 8 years old at the time. This move was particularly a hard time for me because I had to leave several loved ones behind in Cuba. I had to leave my grandmother, my sister, and other family members. However, Spain was my father's native country and I wanted to learn that culture as well. I learned so much about the Spanish culture while I was there. My life was enriched and I was blessed by having the opportunity to learn. During my stay in Spain, I lived in several cities. I lived in Santa Cruz de Teneriffe, then in Seville, and lastly in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. I lived in these towns during a stretch of 7 years. This helped me to adapt and learn new things in the different towns. It opened my mind and taught me to use my mind. I met friends in Spain that treated me like I had lived there my entire life and that particularly made me feel comfortable. I still have friends over in Spain that is my very good friends still today.

There is also a second event that was very significant in my life and how it turned out. I had to leave my father and the country of Spain in December of 1998. My mother and I left Spain and came to the United States and lived in Miami. This was much harder moving than it was moving from Cuba to Spain. I had to leave my father behind and my parents also got a divorce. This was particularly painful. I had to deal with all this at one time. Needless to say, it was very traumatic. I was in the middle of the 11th grade. It took me approximately 2-3 months to get adapted to the surroundings and the people of the United States. However, I was somewhat excited about coming to the U.S.A. I knew that there would be tremendous opportunities within the United States. It was significant in my life because I was going to be challenged and I had to meet that challenge with all my might. I had to learn a new language and also had to meet friends and learn customs. After a few months, everything turned out well. I was getting along great in the United States. Miami was a great city to learn about and grow in. My senior year in high school in Miami was much easier than the year before. I knew my surroundings and I knew people and also made friends. I accomplished so much in this year. My hard work was starting to pay off. As a matter of fact, I received several awards. During my senior year I won the Excellence in ESOL Award (Southwest Senior High School). I also received a scholarship for 2 years of full tuition to Miami-Dade Community College. I received this award for being in the top 20% of my senior class. This was a great award for me to get. It helped me tremendously. It was rewarding for me to get this because I got this in only 2 years of being at this particular high school. To top this all off, I met my fiancee at this high school.