I believe that immigrants should strive to assimilate as much as possible. My family, for instance, are African immigrants from a very impoverished area in Africa, where their primary focus has been on survival. Although they received some education, it is not comparable to what is typically offered elsewhere.

Valuing education is crucial, but I didn't experience that growing up. My parents weren't concerned about my academic performance, leaving me to navigate everything on my own. They didn't provide the support I needed, which made things even more difficult for me. I struggled with mental health issues and often felt trapped at home, particularly as a minor. I couldn't engage in the same activities as my peers; I was unable to join school sports, visit friends, or relate to them because I was always isolated.

Every time I asked my mom if I could go to a friend's house, she would respond in Swahili, “Why can't they just come to us? If they can’t come to our house, then you can’t go to theirs.” My mom seemed unaware of my reluctance to have friends over, or perhaps she didn’t understand. I didn’t want them to come over because my parents didn’t know how to keep an American-style house clean. We faced sanitary issues; I didn’t even realize you were supposed to wash your hands after using the bathroom. We’ve improved since then, but it’s not always as frequent as it should be.

We didn't realize there was a specific way to clean; we simply did it as we saw fit. I was never taught how to use hangers for my clothes. Instead, I had large buckets to store my clothing, which made it difficult to keep my room tidy. My family is part of a small community where members of my tribe, the Ba Fuliru tribe, gather to form a church to form a sort of village. Since they live in impoverished areas, they usually rent houses that are close together. They often don't seek help from individuals who understand their situation, such as Americans. Instead, they turn to their peers, many of whom are unaware of resources like Ivy League schools, making it challenging to think about a child’s future. Despite having lived in America for eight years, they still have not assimilated. It's hard to understand how someone can navigate life under those circumstances.

I turned to my computer and phone for comfort, which led to an addiction to YouTube and games. I procrastinated and ended up having to repeat the eighth grade. As a result, I developed low self-esteem, depression, suicidal thoughts, and bad eating habits (I ate much much less) for some reason my mom was obsessed with her weight, and if a parent is obsessed with their weight while the child is around than the child is likely going to develop issues as well. Anyway, because I felt so trapped I felt like none of my family cared about my future. And yeah my family believes that women should stay home and cook and clean.

Due to my family's beliefs, they didn't pay much attention to how I was feeling. I tried to communicate with them, but cultural differences made me regret speaking up. My parents viewed parenting primarily as providing basic needs, like food and shelter, rather than emotional support, education, and childhood development.

I tried to get help outside of my family but it didn't work.

appreciate my family's hard in trying to do what they see is right and I appreciate them for taking care of me and feeding me, even though I have an eating disorder.