The Fall and The Rise 

Uzbek Teenager Story

My name is Nasiba Davronkulova. Attending a school in New York was not easy for me. When I started attending school, from the first day I felt like I was in a box with four sides, I didn't knew English.  No one communicated with me nor explained anything to me. Since I didn't know English, I couldn't make new friends either. Every time I went into a classroom, I felt bad. The only thing I could do was to listen to the clock tick tock for hours. One day I even cried looking at the clock. Tears just dropped out of my eyes. It was really hard sitting in a classroom with the English speakers. Those days my parents didn’t work and it was really difficult to afford the things that we liked. Believe it or not, at the end we only had $8 left in our pocket. It was really a hard time for us. We always ate pasta, cucumber, and tomatoes because it was cheap. When we went to the store we wanted to buy things that was delicious but we could not afford it. One special thing we got in America was the benefit card, green card, and medicare card. For me and my siblings it was the benefit card. We waited so eagerly for the benefit card to come. My parent stated that when we receive the benefit card, we would be able to buy any food that we wanted. Before we receive our benefit card, we couldn't take or afford anything we wanted because my dad didn’t work and my mom couldn't support four of us at the same time. When the benefit, medicare and green cards came, we were happy. The only thing in my siblings and my mind was, now we got our benefit card, we won’t have to eat just cucumbers, tomatoes, and pasta, but instead eat delicious foods. Going through this challenges helped me become who I am now. I learned that in order to have a better life, you must go through certain challenges and difficulties.

The Dreamer

Bangladeshi Teenager Story

My name is Tamhid Shadman. I came to the United States four and a half years ago knowing that I will have a better life here than in Bangladesh. However, after coming to the US, it was completely the opposite. My family did not have a house to live in, my parents did not have any jobs and we did not know anything about the United States. Language was a major issue as well. However, things started to change slowly and my family settled down but I do not know if that’s all I ever dreamed of about my life in the US. Life in here is more likely a do or die situation. You literally cannot have anything without money. I have seen how my parents are struggling financially. I see them working really hard to make ends meet and me and my siblings’ needs. Living in New York City is quite expensive, especially, when it comes to rent, food and clothing. After paying the rent each month in addition to other fixed expenses, my parents do not really find a way to save any money. My parents have big expectations from me that one day I will solve the economical problems of my family since I am their eldest child. I hope that I find a good career for myself in the future and pay off all the hard work that my parents are doing for the family. I am another one among all the people who are searching for the "American Dream.”

My Time 

Uzbek Teenager Story

My name is Abdurasul Jabbarov. I came to the United States on an airplane and I traveled for 18 hours. After an exhausting flight, I arrived to the airport. While I was walking through the airport halls, in the US, I was thinking of my country, my friends, my old school, and my cousins. However, I felt good because my parents and siblings were around me. I had never been to an airport before, and on top of that I had never been in a line, long as the one I was waiting on. While waiting in line, I saw people complaining and shouting. After a tiring long wait, we finally got out of the airport. The first thing that happened after I got out of the airport was the smell of the halal food, which hit my nose. I could not say anything. I was just shocked. In my brain, I was thinking, “am I really in the US?” because it did not look like the USA that I have imagined in my mind, before. Suddenly, my brain just flew out of mind, and there I was facing my new life. Traveling to a new world makes you believe that you will have a new and different life. That is what happened to me when I came here. Everything was different and everyone I looked at was strange. I did not know that people here spoke different languages. Nevertheless, I already knew that the new world was going to be hard to get used to. Certainly, life in the US is hard and different from Uzbekistan, but there are more opportunities in the US than in my native country. The school and the teachers are nice and respectful. Also, life is easier and fun because you can buy anything you want, if you have enough money, in the US. However, to make a good amount of money, you just need to study hard and become what you want to be. Now, here I am trying to have a good

education and chasing my dream.

It Is Me

Uzbek Teenager Story

My name is Azimjon Abdugafforov. My first spring step in the United States contrasted starkly with the life I left behind in Uzbekistan. I heard all different languages, but still some people were speaking Uzbek. My family and I were confused and did not know where to go because my father’s friend was supposed to come and pick us up, but his friend could not come to the airport. Therefore, my father found a taxi so we can go to our new apartment. Our new apartment was different from our home back in Uzbekistan, I did not know how but it felt different. When I left Uzbekistan I left behind the place where I grew up and was raised in, friends and family. Life has its ups and downs.  When I was in Uzbekistan I was a child with a little bit of education. My life was great because I never faced any challenges. Even when I did, my mother and my father helped me. In the USA, I started  my new life and I faced many challenges. In these life problems there were no one to help me. The reason that there were no one to help me because my mother and my father don’t know English and my other families are in my native country. Coming to America has been a great adventure for me. I grew up in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. I lived with my whole family. The environment in which I grew up was very similar to New York’s weather but in Uzbekistan you could grow crops. In Uzbekistan we had a big house which included a big garden. In my country people are friendly, people go to their neighbors’ houses to have gatherings, talk in beautiful gardens, and eat some cleaned vegetables from the garden. But in the US you don’t even know who your neighbors are.

A Fresh Start

Colombian Teenager Story

My name is Yuli Chavarria. Most people might not have the same reaction that I had, but for me, coming to New York was a big achievement. I arrived on August 5th, 2013. When I got to New York, it was nighttime so I didn’t get a chance to see the city. My first two months or so, were terrible. Most of the time I spent crying or talking to friends back in my native country, Colombia. However, I never said “I wanna go home”, (referring to Colombia) because I knew I had so many opportunities in New York, that I didn’t have in my hometown. I saw lots of people, new faces. New language, if not “languages” because in New York you can hear every single language of the world. It was frustrating going to the store, only a block away from my house, and not knowing how to ask for something. It was simple. If I didn’t see it, I didn’t buy it. My first year in New York was something I didn’t expect. When you think of the United States, you think of people going out all day, doing different things, every single day. Unfortunately, my experience was much different than that. I spent one entire year trapped in my house, going to a school I didn’t like. The only times I got to go out was with my parents, because I didn’t have many friends, back then. Now, I have improved my English skills and get to go to a school where I have friends from different parts of the world.

The Lost Kid 

Indonesian Teenager Story

My name is Ivandino Zulkarnaen. I Arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport on June 29th, 2011. On a busy Wednesday afternoon, I finally made my first step into the United States. As I walked out from the plane and went to the administration gate for my official paperwork, I was surrounded by a six foot Goliath wearing an Hawaiian shirt, as well as women in tank tops. I felt smaller and colder next to them but I kept on walking and wondering “What is this place?”. During that chill summer time, I spent my three months fooling around in the house. I rarely went outside, and didn’t have any friends. I had never felt that lonely before because I lived with three sisters, back in Indonesia. I also didn't know any English, and by the time school started, I felt very lost, like I got left behind. I have never thought of being an immigrant before, not until I felt isolated in my middle school community because I was very different from the other students. Since I was slowly learning English, communicating with others was very challenging. Language became a barrier in some ways that may have affected how I represented myself in the public. It's still quite a challenge and I assure you that other immigrants who spoke a different language other than English as their native language felt the same way too. Living as an immigrant is tough, and very challenging. It was not only a cultural shock that I experienced, once I arrived here in the U.S. There were also specific challenges and obstacles that slows down immigrants dreams for having a greater life chances in America. As an immigrant myself, our - referring to all of my fellows immigrants out there - obstacles may come in many kinds of ways. For example, deskilling, being a target of police brutality, deportation, and discrimination. It is a huge issue that my fellow immigrants and I have to face in our society. It is very depressing to experience. However, we kept our quality of being unique as our pride, and overall, that is what kept most immigrants strong and united.

A new beginning

Bangladeshi Teenager Story

My name is Mahpara Elahi. My journey to America began on a very warm night, in April, 2008. Coming to America, at a very young age was a very big challenge. I was in  a whole new country with so many people with different cultures, religions, traditions, background and languages. Attending school was a big challenge for an immigrant child. Not knowing the English language led me to getting bullied throughout my elementary school experience. It was a tragic time for me, not being able to understand and or speak English and not fitting in, as a result. For me crying and going back to Bangladesh were the only things on my mind. But, I knew America was the place where you are provided with many opportunities.That was the reason we left Bangladesh.  New York City, itself, is a very big culture shock because there are so many people from so many different cultures and backgrounds. Living in Queens for more many years helped me develop me as a person, in how I think. Knowing English and being able to speak really helps me to stand up for what I believe and respect, for example my religion, Islam. Being able to wear a Hijab really makes you stand out from the crowd and sometimes causes you to be treated very harshly. Not having anyone sit next to you on the bus or train, and people making faces at you, really feels very bad. But wearing a Hijab is my choice and I’m proud to be an Islamic girl in the city of New York.

Find out more stories in the website below:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/