The air felt different when she first arrived. The forest surrounded her, and the green followed her everywhere she went. Everything felt larger, quieter, and stranger than what she was used to in her home country, Bolivia. Now, this was her new reality-Texas. For Isabella, it felt like a completely new world, one that looked like a forest but simultaneously contrasted with the buzzing and quick pace of the city.
This wasn’t just a new place for Isabella and her family. It was the beginning of a completely new life. Moving schools at 8 years old is challenging enough, but moving across countries without knowing the language made this experience even harder. Still, she was determined to adapt and make the most out of this new experience. Throughout her process of getting used to her new life, Isabella discovered resilience, flexibility, and determination, and these are all values that have stuck with her, and 8 years later, she is still grateful for everything she learnt.
The first thing Isabella noticed wasn’t the new school or even the people, it was the trees. “My first impression was that like I live in a place where there was like a lot of forest, a lot of trees… I thought like I was basically living in a forest,” she said [1:12]. To her, the Woodlands felt almost unreal. As she compared her life in Bolivia to her new life in Texas, she emphasized how the environment and her surrounding were so different. She was immersed in the forest, however, the city was also a big change as everything moved quicker and felt more monumental. The physical space by itself was already a big change for her, everything was different from the life she had always known in Bolivia.
Despite this big change, the environment was only the beginning of the challenges that she had to face. Leaving behind her close ones was one of the hardest things she had to go through. “I missed like a lot of my friends, and my family were like also in Bolivia, so I missed them a lot.” she explained [1:50]. Back in Bolivia, Isabella had a great group of friends and was very close to her family, so leaving them behind was clearly extremely difficult for her. Luckily, she mentioned that she had some close family members in the U.S., so although it was painful for her to leave so many people behind, she found comfort in those near her and valued their company and support during the hardest moments.
Still, her biggest challenge came in the classroom. As Isabella mentioned, entering the school for the first time was absolutely nerve-racking. “When I moved to the US like the change of language was really hard, so I wasn’t able to communicate well with like my classmates when I first started the school,” she said [2:25]. At first, even simple conversations seemed impossible to have, yet she explained that she felt welcome by her classmates and teachers, and they made the experience for her way more tolerable, as they were patient and included her. However, by the end of the second school year, her persistence paid off. “I was able to learn their language fully, and actually like be able to communicate fully with my classmates,” she said [2:52]. Of course, learning the language meant that she was able to connect with her peers and feel completely included, which meant a lot to her. She expressed great appreciation for her dad, which helped her get through all of these obstacles, mainly the ones regarding the language.
Her experience reflects what many immigrant students endure. Being uprooted from home, having to adapt to a new community, and doing everything to belong. For Isabella, this was a slow process, but surely one of the most important ones in her life, and she got the opportunity to learn about persistence and discipline.
Now, the trees she first saw as strange are a constant reminder that change has brought great things to her life, and that having the best attitude can give you experiences and learning opportunities that will stick with her for the rest of her life. They remind her not of what she lost, but instead of how far she has come.