Torriente 1 Liliarlet Torriente Megan Keaton ENC 1102-07 28 April 2014 Educational Exploration KINDERGARTEN: Today I woke to the

familiar smell of caf con leche, freshly baked bread, sizzling fried eggs and my mothers calm voice telling me to wake up. I can tell from looking out of the living room window that its bright and early. Time for school. The vendors are already out selling their merchandise, the workers are walking to catch the bus, and everyone offers each other a warm, casual greeting as they walk by one another, Buenos Dias, Maria!, Buenos Dias, Roberto! Torriente, Cuba is such a small town that everyone here knows each other. I think thats why my mom feels safe letting me walk the couple blocks to school alone. Besides, she can always stand on the side walk and watch me until I get there. I enter Pepito Tey Elementary and immediately see all my friends but thats also because I am friends with everyone. School is so fun to me. I love nap time, playtime, and story time. I especially love volunteering to read in front of the class. I heard my teacher, Maria tell my mom that I was one of the best readers in the class one day and so now I read every chance I get Im not good with writing though, I mean my handwriting is awful. Mom always yells at me saying that pretty girls like me are not supposed to have so ugly handwriting. At least I get good grades!
A MOTHERS REFLECTION:

Torriente 2 Maana mi hija y yo nos iremos a los Estados Unidos. Dejare atras a toda mi familia, pero ellos entienden que mi hija merece un futuro mejor. Aqui en Cuba no tiene esperanza. Cuba esta esta en muy malas condiciones. Tengo miedo de estar en un lugar extrao y extranjero con mi niita de solo siete aos pero por ella hago cualquier cosa. Soy capaz de alcanzarle una estrella si algun dia le hace falta. Mi hija es mi tesoro y mi razon de vivir. Yo la he criado sola sin la ayuda de su padre y esa sera en los Estados Unidos, igual. Estoy un poco preocupada por el idioma pero Lili es inteligente. Ella estara bien. Tomorrow my daughter and I are going to the United States. I will leave behind all my family, but they understand that my daughter deserves a better future. Here in Cuba she has no hope. Cuba is in very poor condition. I'm afraid of being in a strange and foreign place with my little girl of only seven years but for her I'd do anything. I am capable of reaching for a star if someday she needs it. My daughter is my treasure and my reason to live. I've raised her alone without the help of her father and that's how it will be in the United States too. I'm a little concerned about the language, but Lili is smart. She'll be fine. LOSING FAMILIARITY Moving to a foreign country wasnt easy to me for two reasons. One, I had to watch my mother struggle to provide for us, being a single mother with no relatives in the country and not knowing how to speak the language. Two, I had to learn how to speak English. I started school in America when I was in the second grade. Most kids that come from foreign countries and do not know how to speak English are held back in school for at least a year when they move to the United States, but my mom insisted to the schools personnel that

Torriente 3 this would not be necessary for me. Instead of being held back, I was presented with an exam that I took in a room with the lady that was to become my teacher. I assume that I passed the exam because they kept me in the second grade, after all. I walked into Liberty Park Elementary holding my moms hand as one of the ladies from the front office led us to my homeroom. I know a lot of kids cry when their parents leave them at school, but I didnt because I wasnt nervous. I was excited! My teacher called a girl named Maria over and asked her to translate for us. I remember Maria, she had really black hair, fair skin, and she was missing a front tooth. Maria was a really nice girl She let me sit with her and her friends who all spoke both Spanish and English. That day, I went to ESOL class after my homeroom and then I had lunch with Maria and her friends. They helped me communicate with the lunch lady who asked me for my student pin. After sitting down and eating my lunch I decided I wanted ice cream, so I asked Maria to come to the line with me. In Spanish I asked her Maria, how do you say ice cream in English? and after she told me I asked the lady at the register myself. From that moment on I always asked one my bilingual friends how to say certain things and then I said them myself instead of asking them to speak for me. I believe that is the reason I learned how to speak English within just a few months. I know it sounds crazy but it was at this time of my life that I realized how important my education was to my mother and my future. My second grade year was basically life defining for me. When my mother and I first moved to the United States we lived with distant family friends who really did not like having us at their home. Eager to get rid themselves, of us they managed to get us to move in with a family of strangers located in what you would call the ghetto. We didnt have to pay these people to live with them; we simply had to babysit their newborn

Torriente 4 daughter when they were at work. However, their living conditions were so awful that my mom and I were only there for about a week, during which time we hardly ate anything. Luckily, my mom had made friends with a couple who had a daughter around my age back where used to live and they took us in and helped my mother get a job, a license, car and eventually an apartment. After we moved in by ourselves, I was often dropped off at school early and picked up a few hours later because my mom had to work and didnt know anyone that could watch me, much less for free. I realized that I was no longer at home in Cuba, surrounded by my family and friends that I had known my entire life. I was now in the United States where my mother and I were alone. I knew it was my mothers responsibility to take care of me until I no longer had to be cared for but I also knew that someday it was going to be my responsibility to pay her back for her all of her struggles and for the privilege of bringing me to this country. BUILDING SUCCESS: When I was in the fourth grade I was taken out of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. This was an accomplishment for me because it meant that my English was now nearly perfect. In the fifth grade I became the treasurer of my grades Student Government; A title which taught me both responsibility and dedication. At the end of my sixth grade year I found out that I had earned a perfect score on my FCATS; An accomplishment I shared with everyone I knew. By the time I was in the seventh grade I was offered a Take Stock in Children scholarship. Given to bright students who come from low-income households; Winning A Scholarship Gratifying, joyful, opportunity at the door

Torriente 5 The moment when hope my soul bore College; reality which felt like unreality A smile, on her face she wore My mother and lover, whos only strength is me Could finally inhale and exhale She could finally breathe

COMING OF AGE IN ALL THE WRONG WAYS: Hello, my name is Forrest, Forrest Gump Ya know its funny what a young man recollects? I dont remember my first Christmas present or my first pair of shoes but I bet if I think about it real hard I can remember my very first F. Now you wouldn believe me if I tol you but in Middle School I was a real bad student. I hung out with bad people. We was together all the time, we was like peas and carrots, me and them, and I didn even care if I turned my homework in on time I never thought it would get me anywhere, but it did. They sent me to a room where I got to meet the principle of the en-ti-re school. That fellow told me that I needed to get my act together? Or else I wouldn make it anywhere in life. Maybe its jus me but middle school was very confusing times and you wouldn believe it if I told ya but it was in middle school when I realized that I had to listen to principle Logan, or else everyone was gonna think I was stupid (although momma always told me stupid is as stupid does.) Truth is, I had to get a few Fs in middle school to realize jus how important my edumacation was And you know momma always tellin me bout how miracles happen everyday? Some people dont believe it but they DO.

Torriente 6 A LIFE CHANGING DECISION: Today I decided to graduate High School early. I figure I have enough credits and most of my required classes. I dont really like anyone at my school, my boyfriend is about to graduate and I feel like Im ready to venture out into the world and take my education to the next level. Many of my friends and family are telling me that I am making a mistake and that I should enjoy what is left of my high school years. But in reality, whats another year in this place? Im going to learn way more in college than I could ever dream to learn in high school, and besides, why would I graduate in four years when I can do it in three? I am eager to leave and being here seems pointless. I know I am young. Ill be in college at age sixteen, but Im ready.
A REGULAR DAY:

The date is March 6th, 2013. Its a regular day here at Mariner High School. Im sitting out in the courtyards round table having lunch with a bunch of other Cubans. Were laughing and joking, making the best of these forty five minutes before we all have to go back to our classes. I have AP Spanish next. I hate my Spanish teacher with a passion. Mrs. Fleming really knows how to bring me down. I swear my day will be going perfect until I get to her class. I just called out for my friend Daniela and waved her over cause I saw here walking out of the cafeteria. Daniela is the girl who has made my last year in high school bearable. Shes super smart and so she makes a good study buddy. Daniela and I have a lot in common. She wants to go FIU, I want to go to FSU. Were both waiting to hear from our dream schools on our acceptance. We literally talk about it everyday. We both took the SAT/ACT like four times trying to get the score we wanted and we studied together every time. Hey, whats up? says Daniela as she greets me with a kiss on the cheek, Nothing, chilling, I respond. She sits next to me with her tray of food and proceeds to eat her beefaroni. I

Torriente 7 have nothing to say except to comment on how much Im dreading going to my next class, so I check my email instead. I have mail and its from Florida State. I open the email in anticipation only to see, Congratulations right there in black and white tiny letters NO WAY. I just reread this email like four times to make sure theres no mistake and then it hit me: IM GOING TO FLORIDA STATE! My first instinct was to scream. My friends figured out why I let out a shriek without even having to ask. I jumped up and down, skipped, sang I probably looked ridiculous to my peers but I couldnt help it, I was overcome with utter joy and relief. After so many months of stressing over my tests scores and making sure I was getting top-notch grades, I was sure my hard work had paid off.
THE PRESENT MOMENT:

10/13, 7:23pm GeorgiaBoi10: Hey, hows everything going? Me: Great! I love it here @ FSU GeorgiaBoi10: So whats up? You got any exams coming up? Me: Yeah GeorgiaBoi10: What class? Me: International Relations. Its SO hard!! GeorgiaBoi10: Really? So how you holding up? Me: Not so well actually. Being in college is great and everything but things arent looking so good.. GeorgiaBoi10: Oh no, Lili? Me: Im failing English. IDK what to do.

Torriente 8 GeorgiaBoi10: Get help and get back on track! It happens to the best of us. Me: Its just that, its so easy to get distracted here. Theres always so much going on. GeorgiaBoi10: Exactly. There will always be things going on. You have to put your schoolwork first. The events arent going anywhere.. Me: I know. Im done messing around. From here on out, Im all about my classes. GeorgiaBoi10: Thats what I like to hear... dont forget how hard you worked to get where you are. Id hate to see you lose it all so quickly. Me: True... Thanks for the talk. See you soon!