The name that was given to me on the 16 of July 1993 was Moisey, in other words Moses. I was born in the former Soviet Union in the country of Turkmenistan, which is very rich with oil. I came to the states at the age of two; however my older brother was born in the U.S. When my parents moved to the U.S in the 90's it was tough for them to adapt to the new lifestyle. It was very difficult for them to find a job, without a job they could not support an average family of four. Without any hope in the U.S in addition to my mother being pregnant with me, my parents decided to move back to the old country... back to what they called life. As time went by my parents felt as if they were in a sort of depression in the U.S and they claimed that was the main reason that they moved back to the old country. Of course someone would be forced to feel depressed without any sort of support, no job, and no hope in the land of "opportunity". In many cases people back in the country spoke about America so highly, calling it the land of opportunity. My parents were able to live the spoken theory. In about 96 my parents decided to give it another try, see what the land of opportunity throws at them this time..My father is a brother of five others. Two older sisters, two older brothers and then comes the little guy who I favored most; my uncle Joseph. As my father came to the states for the second time with a hundred dollars in his pocket, my uncle offered him a business proposition... establishing a car service business. Keep in mind my father had a hundred dollars in his pocket. His older brother applied most of his money to the business.
As my father was working, my mother was a stay home mom. Typical Russian wife, taking care of the kids and cooking. It was time for my older brother to begin elementary school unfortunately he was not doing well. My mother being a very smart and determined woman could not find the skill to aid my brother...she was not familiar with the English language. This led to my parents hiring a tutor, Ms. Koval..she was recommended by one of the counselor's in school. Ms.Koval was a great woman who was a great help to my family in every way. She was aware that my mother was not able to speak English well; in fact she did not know how to speak at all, just a few words here and there. Ms. Koval offered my mother to apply to Long Island University, my mother was surprised. Without knowing any English she went ahead and applied. Her hope in living the American Dream rose, but were quickly brought down. She was denied; luckily she was determined and applied for the spring semester. ACCEPTED! However she was a bit intimidated, knowing that she could not speak English. As she was accepted, she had barely any sleep for the next seven years. She would have a school book and a dictionary on the side, defining each and every word. Soon she became one of the best students in class, and chose to major in Pharmacy. Her determination pulled her through pharmacy school, and has made her a successful pharmacist today.
Rights were not really taken from my parents, my father had the opportunity of working at the same time my mother was provided a great education. They came to the states to attempt to live the American dream. We as people were granted our rights, and allowed the opportunity to get an education. Language was a major issue that my family came across.
As my father was working, my mother was a stay home mom. Typical Russian wife, taking care of the kids and cooking. It was time for my older brother to begin elementary school unfortunately he was not doing well. My mother being a very smart and determined woman could not find the skill to aid my brother...she was not familiar with the English language. This led to my parents hiring a tutor, Ms. Koval..she was recommended by one of the counselor's in school. Ms.Koval was a great woman who was a great help to my family in every way. She was aware that my mother was not able to speak English well; in fact she did not know how to speak at all, just a few words here and there. Ms. Koval offered my mother to apply to Long Island University, my mother was surprised. Without knowing any English she went ahead and applied. Her hope in living the American Dream rose, but were quickly brought down. She was denied; luckily she was determined and applied for the spring semester. ACCEPTED! However she was a bit intimidated, knowing that she could not speak English. As she was accepted, she had barely any sleep for the next seven years. She would have a school book and a dictionary on the side, defining each and every word. Soon she became one of the best students in class, and chose to major in Pharmacy. Her determination pulled her through pharmacy school, and has made her a successful pharmacist today.
Rights were not really taken from my parents, my father had the opportunity of working at the same time my mother was provided a great education. They came to the states to attempt to live the American dream. We as people were granted our rights, and allowed the opportunity to get an education. Language was a major issue that my family came across.
As for me language came pretty easy, although I was not born in the states, the English language was introduced to me pretty quickly. I would say that it is much easier for a young individual to learn a new language. Yet it was not always easy, I would always speak Russian at home and it would throw me off from learning the English language. I would say that I am grateful that my parents moved to New York. It made me who I am today. I really can't imagine how my life would have been if I was to be raised in Russia. I look through my father’s childhood pictures asking myself what if... What if I was to grow up in a different country? I would just imagine. How would life be without a computer? I would ask my parents, the answer was very simple. They were all family oriented, spending quality time with one another. At times I want to visit the old country, many say that there is nothing to see out there, just endless roads without any pavement. I insist on visiting perhaps one day. I feel as if I am missing something if I do not visit. I feel as if it is part of me.
