Not so often you get a long distance call saying your life will turn three hundred and sixty degrees to a different direction. My family won the lottery number and although it's hard to believe, deciding whether to take or leave "the ticket" was somehow complicated.
My name is Yohara Noelia Molineros, I'm 17 years old and I came to this country about two and a half years ago from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Back in my beautiful city I had the best childhood a kid could possibly have.
My parents Rossy and Miguel brought up my two siblings and I with much love and great values as well. Since my parents gave my older sister, younger brother and I a proper education, now after we have changed the place where we were born, the culture, customs, lifestyle, we are very conscious of how important it is to be humble, honest, patient, and hardworking above everything.
Coming to this country was a total surprise for my entire family, since the petition made by my father's sister, who has lived in America for more than 20 years, got accepted around 15 years after it was made. In the meantime, we continued our lives without worrying about "el dichoso viaje" as we used to call our trip without return to New York. When the petition was made, our family's economic situation was not at its best. Even though, my father graduated from medical school, his salary was not enough. By the time the petition got accepted, luckily or not, my father had already found a stable job at a hospital, and our financial situation was like never before.
The decision was hard, yet my father preferred to sacrifice his years of preparation and career, just to provide us the opportunity for a brighter future. This act of mere love and care has shaped the way I am, and the effort I put to accomplish things.
When we arrived on September 19th, 2013, my aunt and her sons received us five with warm hugs and happy smiles. Tia Tita, my aunt, provided us with food and shelter. We are still living in her basement, which is not so comfortable for five people, but it's good enough to sleep and eat. My aunt is a little complicated to live with, she yells too much, loses patience easily, and complains about everything. She's the opposite of my father, and I think dealing with her explosive personality has been the most difficult thing about living here besides learning the language. However, she's the one who wanted us here, the one who helped and still helps my family economically, so I feel very grateful. My parents taught me to appreciate the hand that has helped you, and I honestly believe my aunt did everything she could to bring and keep us here for better opportunities and future, and I cannot be more thankful.
Before going to school, everything felt really nice; the weather was fresh and not too cold, our family was united to celebrate our arrival and the idea of a new life simply excited me. The air was different, the people, the way they talked to each other, the way the laughed at each other, everything was completely different and I kind of liked it in the beginning. When I found out I was going to school here in New York, I was more nervous than curious. I didn't want to go; I was not feeling ready for it, why did I have to? I thought, everything is going all right, why ruin it? Even though I questioned my entrance to Newcomers High School, my parents didn't wait longer than a week to put everything in order and register me in the school.
My first day there made me feel more invisible and insignificant than ever before. I felt like a baby who was just born and the only thing she could do is cry, because she's afraid, afraid of the world. School was, by that time, a very distant and irrelevant world for me. I would go everyday without caring about anything or anybody. I was present in body, yet not in mind or heart.
In one of the terrible moments in the cafeteria where I felt lonelier than in any other place, I met the one who would later become my best friend. A very charismatic boy who got to the school the same day I did, and who asked me to please stop crying and promised me to stay by my side until my sadness was completely gone. I thought it was not real, but I found it cute anyways. He is now one of my best friends and I want to thank him with all my heart for giving me the chance to be myself once again.
In addition, I started reading every lonely book I found in the library and that fascinated me, since I love science fiction stories. I became friends with the best librarian in New York and the woman I miss the most in my school now. Days at school started to get better when I understood what people were saying. It was just complicated to reply, but with my friends around I gained confidence and started to talk more without worrying whether what I was saying was right or not. Then, we learned many new things about history, science, and English of course. Also, we spent every afterschool exploring the city and getting lost in random subway stations.
The experiences I had and still have with those people I consider part of my own family, are the reason why I wouldn't leave this country and my impulse to keep moving forward. Now, after two and a half years have passed by my eyes like a shift of light, I can say I'm finally oriented into the right direction. There is no more fear of making mistakes; I realized that being wrong is a significant part of the process of learning and that everything I do in my life is what I take out of it, the good, and the useful. I understand perfectly that being new anywhere is simply a headache that aspirins seem not to cure. It takes courage and dedication, or simple practice to get used to the change and assimilate to it as your own.
Long before receiving this assignment I saw new kids in the library, with a disoriented look in their eyes, their body expressions screaming: "take me out of here," so awkward and with a sense of not belonging. I could clearly see myself from two years ago reflected in them. I comprehend every single one of them, and when I get the chance, I always approach them with a big smile on my face, full of warmth and kindness, the same exact way I wish I was welcomed by students on my first terrible day in the library.
I believe that a smile can turn even the saddest of times into a brighter one. I see they are very confused, so I ask many questions as if we've been friends our whole lives and we haven't seen each other in a while.
Most of them get as excited as me, especially if they are from the same country and city I'm from. "What a coincidence! Welcome to Newcomers High School, I'll be around if you need something." Some come to me often; others find their own group, but being remembered as the first one who welcomed them to school, is simply grand and makes me feel like I'm of service and so alive.
For my welcoming activity I decided to choose Yarisi Perez, a fourteen year old girl who came from the Dominican Republic a couple of months ago and who is still struggling with the adaptation to the new system. I met her in my gym class, and I could see her volleyball skills are innate, yet she was very shy and insecure of herself, in contrast with the other Dominican girls who are always very confident in everything they do. One random day I found her in the train with other girls talking among themselves. She looked away a little uncomfortably, then her eyes focused in my direction, so I waved at her cheerfully. Instantly after that a smile poured from her lips as she waved back, she looked a little happier and I was happier too. She reminded me of myself so much that I wished I could spend more time with her.
A few days ago, I asked her if we could have lunch together and she agreed. For an hour or so we talked about ourselves; I told her that I was exactly like her; timorous and doubtful, but that after learning English a little more I gain confidence somehow. After advising her to watch and read the news in English so she could perfect it, we hugged each other and said goodbye. I think she felt as good as I did, I hope she did. It's always great to help people, especially when these people are facing the same situation you faced before and perfectly understand how it feels. It's like having the opportunity to change what you did wrong, because somehow you mirror your old self in them. What a wonderful thing to give what you most needed but didn't receive at the time.
A true newcomer will always offer help to the needy one, because he or she was the one in need once, and the chance of a better beginning for someone else seems just great.
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