Personal Narrative: My First Day Of School In America

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Anxiety started taking over. I was about to start my first day of school in America. Unlike most students in the fifth grade, I wasn't worried about what to wear or which class I would have with my friends. In fact I had no friends. I was more worried about some student trying to introduce herself to me or a teacher asking about my background. Who wouldn’t want to make friends on the first day? It had only been two months since my family and I came from Ethiopia and everything was still brand-new to me, especially the language. My first day of school forced me to face the challenges of change.
With my brother to my right and my father to my left, I walked through the cold morning of fall. Just as I arrived at school, the bell rang. “ Great,” I mumbled to myself. I had to race inside and have everyone stare at me. Anxious and afraid, I reached for the doorknob. I could feel my hands shaking and my temperature rising I walked up to the teacher on unsteady feet and whispered, “ Hi, um, where should I sit? ” She responded, “ Choose any seat you like, dear.” Her gentle voice comforted me for a second. Where I am from, you don’t choose where you sit or, for that matter, any aspect of school. I …show more content…
I had to work twice as hard as the average student by taking ESOL classes. I realized people in the U.S. had many opportunities that people in other countries would kill for. I was excited to take advantage of these opportunities to be successful. I’ll never forget my first day of school in America, for it taught me very important life lessons: challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them with determination and open-mindedness is what makes life meaningful. Today I am happy to help those who are struggling and scared in an unfamiliar environment. The ten-year-old girl who was lost in a new world of strangers will always be part of

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