I always used to do what I wanted to. I never held a job let alone apply for one. I went out on weekends and never listened to my parents. I would go with my friends to clubs and party until the sun came up. I slept all day and never did chores around the house. If there was something I wanted, I had to get it and I always made my parents buy it for me. Every day I had breakfast in bed. I was spoiled but it evened out by my getting such good grades in school. This may appear to be a dream for most teenagers and a few adults but for me it was reality.
             All this changed 3 years ago. March 11th, 2000 is a day I will never forget. That was the day my family and I stepped on American soil. It was definitely the scariest day I'd ever experienced. My fairy tale life had come to an end. My mother(Maria), father(Jon), and sister(Diana) landed in Detroit, MI where we were immediately taken by the police. My initial thought of the situation was that we were going to jail but it was a customary procedure that the police do that to all immigrants to get fingerprinted and issue immigration papers. Dad comforted me throughout the whole procedure reassuring me that this happens to everyone trying to become United States citizens. For some reason, I knew he was as scared as I was but believed he would protect us no matter what.
             We had to wait another 3 hours until our next flight to Pittsburgh, PA and once we safely arrived my mother's sister Elaine was waiting for us. Finally! Someone we could talk to who knew exactly what we were saying and feeling.
             Elaine had lived in the states for 21 years and was familiar to traditions and customs as well as the Americans lack of etiquette. She was the first person to help get us on our feet. Once we arrived in Youngstown, OH she helped us get an apartment. As we walked in the apartment, there was no furniture and the refrigerator was empty. We had no English skills wha...