What is home to me?

Home

                                  My home in the Dominican Republic.

 Walk in through the big black gate that opens to my story and my adventure. The first thing that you are going to see is a big entrance with the earth of the front yard. My house has a big patio where I played a lot when I was a child. When you continue walking you will see a cherry tree and a beautiful mango tree. The mango tree is where my family has their best memories. Underneath the tree, we shared stories and talked about life. I remember when I was a child, I liked to climb trees and pick mangoes. My friends and I played around the mango tree, and we ran around the houses. On the other side of the big black gate is my aunt's store. That store was my place. Every time that I got hungry or wanted something sweet to eat, I went to the store.  I was always in the store. In that store, I had my first ever job as a child when I was ten. 

When the black gate is open, you can see a house of two levels. The first level is my house and the second level is my aunt's house, and in the back, which is in the middle, is the principal house, where my mother and her sisters and brothers were raised. That was my grandmother's house, it is like the pillar of the house. The most important house. 

My home is a lemongrass color, with a design of sunset color around. I always enter my house from the back which was the kitchen, and the other side was my room. I was always restless and I got scared when I was a child. I shared the room with my brother, and that was wonderful because I felt safe there. My house is like every house, what makes it remarkable is that I just didn’t have one home, I have a few homes where I feel safe, and where I created the best memories in my life. 

  Mango Tree

  Cherry Tree

One of my best memories is when I was a child. I always loved to go to the beach. Summer was my best time of the year because on the weekend we went to the beach with my family. Sometimes we went to the river, or we went first to the beach and then later to the river, because it was close. My favorite beach when I was a child was “The Beach of Palenque”. That one was my favorite because it was in a great spot. There was a chair to sit on and put your food and clothes on, or whatever you brought to the beach. There was an amazing shadow that made me want to sleep, listening to the waves of the sea and feeling the wind on my face. And the food is what makes the beach outstanding. We always bought a complete service that had four big fish, fried plantains, lemons, and salad if you want. The fish was always spectacular, the best fish there, and they said to me that they found the fish on that beach. For me, it was the best place to spend time with my family and enjoy time with nature and make amazing memories. I always look forward to going back to that beach and eating the amazing fish that they make. 

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In my family my brother is the funny one, he is always the chill one with no problems or worries. He is like my friend and father. When we moved to a different country, my father was not able to come with us and my brother became like a father to me. We always joke around, but when I need advice, he is the serious one. He gives the best advice. We always fight, we have a typical sibling relationship. He supports me and sometimes makes me release things I would never notice in my life. 

           On the other hand, when we had my father, he was the calmest human being you will ever meet. He is always helping everyone and knows everyone and makes friends everywhere he goes. Many times I wonder how my dad is accommodating to everyone, and he never says "no", He always helps and puts everyone first. He is such a great human being and one of my big supporters - he is my superhero.

 Last but not least we have my mom. My mom has a strong personality. Before you meet her you will think that she is the most serious and strict person. She is ,but when you get to know her, she is the best and funniest one. She is the typical “don’t judge a book by a cover”, my mom will surprise you. She is my best friend and my role model. My mom was a lawyer and she worked in an office. She had a strong character, which when I was a child I didn’t like because she wouldn't let me sleepover with my friends. Now that I am this age I am very thankful because I realize how dangerous my country was and still is for a child. Many people say that I look like my mom and others that I look like my father. If I'm honest I have the best mix of both personalities and I'm very grateful for them. These three people are my home and my safe place. I always joke with my family that we are the family “peluche” since we all have different personalities and we never get bored together.  

 

        All of these people and  moments in my life make me the person that I am today, and let me tell you, the person you see now is completely different from the person that I was before. A little about myself when  I was a child. I was the quiet one, I didn’t talk that much when I didn’t know a person. I just talked the most with my family, and specifically with my mom. She is the person that I share all of my thoughts with. I talk so much with my mom that sometimes I drive her crazy. As a kid and teenager, I was a good student, but for me, it was not enough. I didn’t feel that I was good enough or that I was doing enough in school or in life. In school, I was always with my group of friends and in the classroom, I was scared to talk in front of my classmates, and that fear  as a child stopped me from knowing who I truly was. I feel that my fear  stops me from getting what I want in life or achieving my goal. When I moved to the United States I knew that I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to be a fearless person who was not scared to express myself  and talk in front of people. I wanted to be a better student to achieve my goal. It's crazy for me to look back and remember how I was and how I am now. The person that I was before would never read in front of her classmates, and the person that I now enjoys sharing her story with the class. I am still working on myself, but I am proud of what I have become and who I am now.