I wasn't sure about where I was or why, all I knew was that my life went from cozy, comfortable and loving to cold, confusing and forgotten. At the age of 4 my mother came to the united states. Soon after, my father decided we would join her and that is how our journey began. Everyone spoke about opportunity and wealth; a better future for themselves and their children. The United States of America was where everyone came to get rich and famous. Anyone brave enough to begin the journey and make it was a God in the eyes of everyone who stayed behind. No one ever spoke of the price to pay and sacrifices made for daring to dream of a "better life".
Everyone asks, "how old were you when you came to the U.S.?" my answer is always, "I didn't come, my parents brought me here. No one ever asked me if I wanted to come". I remember my parents and I lived in the attic of a house in South Central L.A. I started school at the age of 5, at 5 most children are learning letters and numbers and sounds. Not me, I was learning a whole other language, adapting to a new world trying to understand where all my family was and why I hardly ever saw my parents; why I was always the last one to be picked up from school.
I did not understand what the other kids were saying or what the teacher expected me to do with the glue and crayons and paper she placed on my desk; so I did nothing. I slowly adapted and learned some words in English, my very first words were "Do you speak Spanish?" all day long I asked this to every child I saw. As I began to understand the language and get the hang of my new life, my parents decided they could not take care of me because they worked all day and all night long and I was always alone. They decided I would be better off with family and put me on a plane back to Guatemala to live with my grandmother. They were only going to be in the U.S. for a year and save money to take back and build a house and start a business; was what I was told.
I was once again confused, English had become the language I spoke and the life I had with my parents was not as bad or as lonely as it was in the beginning and I had friends at school and had the daily routine down. In Guatemala no one speaks English, so I had to relearn Spanish and the rules of a private school, adapt to a life without my parents. The one year they were supposed to be gone turned into 6 years. I adapted to life without them and to the school culture and society norms. At the age of 11 my parents decided to bring me back to the U.S. because it was the right thing to do, we could now be a family again.
Once more, I had to learn English and adapt to life here in the U.S. and the heartache of leaving all my family and friends behind, not knowing when or if I'd see them again. School here was so different, the rules, the dynamic between teachers and students. I started 6th grade and only God knows how I made it to high school because all those years I never knew what was going on in class. I never once presented in front of class, I was always the kid without her homework done because "she didn't care", I was a troublemaker who always ditched school because "she's just a bad kid", I always got in fights and talked back and refused to follow rules because "she's just disrespectful and defiant." I got pregnant at the age of 16 because "that's exactly what she wanted, what else could be expected"... No, it wasn't that I did not care or that I was a bad kid or was disrespectful or defiant; I was misunderstood. Teachers at school just threw me away because my parents did not know the school system, they never got involved, never asked about anything pertinent to school because in Latin America children simply do what teachers say and parents never question a teacher's authority and the teacher is always right. The culture clash.
I always felt I was not smart enough, a failure, not good enough, mediocre. After I got pregnant I graduated high school and went to a private university and earned an associates degree in paralegal studies ( I didn't know that was what I was going to school for. I just knew I needed to get something other than just my high school diploma if I was to support this child on my own).
It wasn't until my kids (4) started school that I realized how unfair I had been to myself. I volunteered in my kids' classroom because I did not want them to feel the way I felt in school; lost and confused. I made it my priority to learn from the teacher so that I could come home and reinforce what my kids learned in school at home as well. When my son got to high school, I became aware of graduation requirements (I vaguely remembered what was said about my credits but I know i only had 30 credits and was a Jr.) 4 year university requirements, of all the different programs and opportunities. My son graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor's in Civil Engineering, my second son still does not know what he will do with his life but is a business major, my daughter will graduate with a bachelor's in child psychology from Cal State Fullerton in June of this year and my youngest is a brain sciences major at Santa Barbara State University.
I became aware of all my skills and learned so much from volunteering at my kids' school. I was presented with the opportunity of a job at the school district as an interpreter/translator for a the special education department and work as an independent contractor under the same title for the Office of Education in Riverside County and for another school district in the same county pn an as needed basis. My life tag became "their opinion of me does not make it my reality," People only know what you want them to know about you. I now look back and thank God for always watching over me thru my life journey. My parents have both passed and being an only child has made me learn to depend and trust myself. I was not a bad kid I was just misunderstood and because no one ever got involved or asked about me at school, teachers dismissed and threw me away. I was not someone they needed to worry about. I share this story because I know there are many other kids like myself who come to this country and get lost in that culture clash. I want them to know that there is hope and if I made it they can make it too.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Rocio S Romero and writers in Motivation and other communities.
EL INGENIERO RAÚL CHAMALÉ
My mother finally realized that the beatings she took from my father would never end and that the abuse was not just for her for for me as well. The day my father took a knife and put it to her neck after he had beat her, was the last time I ever saw my father put hands on her. I can still feel her whole body shaking as she held me close when we were asleep. In the morning she woke me up and told me to get ready because we were going on a trip. We could not say good bye to my father , he would never let us go. So I grabbed a little stuffed dog he had bought me and got dressed. My mother asked me to tie make a bow on the back of her dress for her because she could not reach. I grabbed the straps on each side of her dress and tied a knot, she asked that I make it tighter; she was so thin I could have wrapped those straps around her 4 times and still had enough to make a good size bow. We got to the airport and flew to Chicago. Life has never been easy for a single mother . The United States was so different from our home town in Central America. My mother worked grave yard and after about a year she decided I could not continue staying alone all night and most of the day while she slept. I was around 6 years old and needed someone to watch over me. She decided I would be better off with my grandmother. She said she had to stay and take care of some things but that she would be with me in two days. Those two days turned into 6 years.
By Rocio S Romero5 years ago in Psyche
“The Words That Could Save a Life: A Story About Advice, Ego, and the Hearts We Forget”
There is an old saying: “A wise person learns from advice. A proud person learns from regret.” This is a story about both. There once was a boy who grew up hearing advice from everyone around him. His parents, teachers, elders, and friends — all of them tried to guide him. They warned him about choosing the wrong friends. They reminded him to respect time. They told him not to let anger, ego, and selfishness poison his heart. But like many of us, he believed he already knew everything. Whenever someone advised him, he smiled politely on the outside — but inside he thought: “I’m different. I’ll be fine. Nothing bad will happen to me.” So he ignored the small warnings of life. He cut off people over small arguments. He shouted instead of listening. He lied to escape responsibility. He chose friends who laughed at rules and mocked wisdom. He stopped spending time with family because he thought they didn’t “understand” him. He thought freedom meant doing whatever he wanted — without consequences. But life is patient. And life always teaches — one way or another. Slowly, he began losing the people who once stood closest to him. His best friend moved away after a fight that was never healed. His parents stopped advising him — not because they didn’t care, but because their hearts were tired. His teachers gave up correcting him because he rejected every word. From the outside, his life looked normal. But inside, something was missing — peace. One night, he finally sat alone in silence… and silence can be loud. Thoughts began replaying in his mind like a film. He remembered every moment someone tried to guide him. Every warning. Every soft reminder. Every gentle voice that said, “This path will hurt you.” And for the first time, he asked himself: “Why didn’t I listen?” It wasn’t lack of knowledge. It wasn’t lack of love. It was ego. Ego had whispered inside him: “You don’t need advice. You’re always right. You’re smarter than them.” But ego is a beautiful liar. It makes you feel strong while quietly destroying your relationships, your discipline, and your peace. That night, he realized something powerful: Wisdom doesn’t come from age. Wisdom comes from humility — the ability to listen. The next day, he did something difficult — something most people never do. He apologized. He apologized to his parents, not because they demanded it, but because his heart finally understood their worry. He apologized to friends he had hurt. He apologized to himself — for not valuing his own future. And slowly… life softened again. His parents’ voices became warm again. His friendships began to heal. His mind felt lighter. He started listening before reacting. He didn’t change overnight — but he had finally begun the journey. He changed not because the world forced him — but because advice finally reached his heart. That day, he promised himself: 🕊️ “Whenever someone gives me sincere advice, I will not fight it. I will think about it. I will learn from it.” Because the truth is simple: The people who advise you are not trying to control you. They are trying to protect the version of you that you have not yet become. And one more truth: Advice always arrives before regret. Regret arrives when advice is ignored. Moral / Life Lesson • Advice is not a restriction — it is protection. • Ego is the biggest enemy of growth. • Listening is not weakness — it is wisdom. • The people who correct you are the people who care. One day, you will look back and realize: The words you once ignored… were the very words that could have saved you. So when life sends you guidance — through parents, teachers, faith, friends, or even strangers — don’t shut your heart. Because the doors of wisdom only open… for those willing to listen.
By Shahab Khan6 days ago in Motivation
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.