How determination and persistence made me fulfill my aspiration.
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ Hitherto my arrival at the John. F.kennedy international airport, I remember my feelings of being caught up in a reverie of years long past. My dream of coming to the United States was fervid and I wondered if my dream was ever going to come to pass.
From my childhood ;I remember sitting and watching television with my dad, I saw children in different amusement parks on television such as Ocean city, P.O.P, Disney Land, e.t.c having a good time in the merry -go- round, roller coasters and some ,playing arcades. I would cry to my dad saying, "please I want to visit the amusement park", "that is America", he would tell me. Then and there the thoughts of coming to America became innate in me. I had a childhood friend who I watched movies with, we both aspired to be in America someday ,to play with the other kids we saw in the television.
Luckily for my friend his dad was an ambassador to the United states. His dad sent for him to further his education in the U.S.A, consequently he left me behind. I wondered if my dream was going to become a reality.
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ As the years passed by, my childhood friend would talk to me on phone and tell me how the amusement parks , the merry-go-round, the arcades and the roller coasters we saw on television all existed. As I matured in age, adolescence commenced so also the movie industry became sophisticated; in the American movies, I saw spectacular architectural edifice, the breathe taking automobiles, the impressive roads and all the wondrous infrastructures, I compared all these to my country and the keenness to leave my country and discern those wonders things became ardent in me.
I told my dad of my desire to be in the United States, he said it was okay but he didn't have the means to send me abroad; hence I decided to do any thing within my reach to travel abroad.
I took the S.A.T with high expectation of receiving a scholarship to study in the united states of America , unfortunately I was only granted admission . I rallied round my friends and relatives to raise money towards my admission, but the money I received was not enough to purchase the air ticket alone, therefore I used the money I gathered and ventured into the business of buying and selling, hoping to make profit, in other to consolidate my traveling abroad. The business seemed lucrative at the onset.
The situation in my country deteriorated, considering the fact that we were ruled under a military regime that was governed under a dictator , there was injustice from all sectors, even from the police force. It was becoming difficult to survive. Any just person that was antagonistic towards the tyrant leader was accused of being a rebel and consequently put in prison or worse killed. Essential commodities such as constant power supply, good roads, proper waste management , employment , good food , potable water, good hospitals were becoming extinct, meanwhile my friend would write me letters describing how peaceful democracy was and how every one had equal rights and justice; he told me of the availability of necessary amenities such as electricity, food, water , electricity, hospitals and how efficient the police was. All these good news about America made the yearning to leave my country increase.
Due to these decline in my nations economy, my business also pulverized, therefore I
Decided to take the left over money from the d dilapidated business to enroll into the university. At the university things were pretty rough, and it was difficult to study because the educational sector in my country was substandard, all the problems of the economy reflected in the university; the lectures were debauched, we students were packed like sardines in our classrooms, we lacked adequate educational facilities such as reading tables, chairs , laboratory equipments and textbooks, my child hood friend would write me letters of how he was excelling in school owing to the exceptional educational facilities provided by the government of the United States. I became resolute to leave my county and study abroad.
My dream of coming to the United States began to dwindle because I didn't have any way of going abroad, just as all hope seemed lost my childhood friend sent me an invitation letter to the United States, I was ecstatic about the ideal, I quickly proceeded to the United States embassy in my country in anticipation of getting my visa; but I was denied a visa because I needed a better sponsor ,and my friend was only a student. With all hope lost I went back home feeling so miserable and forlorn.
Few weeks after my ill luck at the embassy, I was back home in a state of melancholy, I decided to watch the news at the hour, the reporter was interviewing some people who won visa lottery to travel to the united state, and they spoke about the requirements to participate in the next lottery. I instantaneously left my house and got the necessary requirements and submitted them before the dead line which was the following day. I was full of optimism that this was going to be my turning point.
About three months after submission of the visa lottery form I received a letter of congratulation from the American embassy concerning the visa lottery, I won the lottery. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed. I immediately went back to the embassy and without hesitation ,I was granted a visa to come to the United States of America.
I boarded a KLM plane and arrived at the John.F.Kennedy international airport safely. Looking up ahead I saw the sign saying, welcome to the United States of America, I heard my name from a distance and it was my childhood friend that called me . Then it dawn on me that my dream had become a reality.