My American Dream

Back in Vietnam, I had been always dreaming of being in America, a place that I called “a promised land”. Indeed, every time my family from America visited Vietnam with a full suitcase of gifts like chocolate, perfume, toys, and much other stuff and told me all the stories about America, in my mind, I could visualize how beautiful and amazing America is. They didn’t tell American life was full of roses. Everyone must work hard to achieve things and my family is not an exception.

They came there after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. They began a new life from scratch and right now they are very successful. They said to me one thing that I remember forever. “The American Dream can only work if you actually put your efforts into that dream.” And that motivated me to come to America later even though I understood how hard it can be. When I first stepped on my feet in America, I told myself this is where I must belong to. Inside a mind of a 15 years old boy who always wanted to be in America at that time, he just simply thought that he must make his American Dream come true.

For many people, the American Dream is about materials, being rich, and being successful. I want to be like that too. I am forever grateful for what the American has helped me in life. It helps me to grow up, get out of my comfort zone be confident in life, be better at English, and realize I can anything. To me, the American Dream means that it only happens in America and there is nowhere else you can achieve it. Until right now, the most impressive thing or the most American Dream thing that I have achieved is passing the citizenship test and officially becoming a U.S Citizen after 6 years in America. The moment I took the oath was so proud and so meaningful. It means that I took another closer step to achieve my American Dream.

I think that in order to achieve the American Dream, a person must understand what they want here and have a specific plan to achieve it. They must not be lazy. They must find a job and work hard to have money to start a business or to do something. The young generation must go to school, study to get knowledge and get a degree in order to have a dream job. Whatever they do, they have to follow the laws and think for their community. There is a saying from the late president John F. Kennedy during his inauguration speech. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” I never forget that quote from him. America helps to open a road ahead for you and all you have to do is walk on that road and what to build on that road. Some people only know how to get benefits from the government meanwhile they can work. I find it’s so unacceptable because while other people work so hard to support the family and themselves, there are still many people asking for subsidizing. Before we ask for help from the government, we must ask ourselves whether we did anything at all to help America or not. The American Dream is still there but it’s all about whether you want to keep that dream or not.

In my mind before, a measurement of success is how much money you can make, how many houses or cars or materials you own. Anyone who doesn’t have those things is a failure. But if I look at those qualities in order to confirm whether they are successful or failed, I would make a big mistake in my life. Yes, they can have a golden life with many luxurious things. What if those things are fake, or borrowed, or what if they just show off? And what if people who I assume fail because they don’t have those things are actually successful? I see that a lot and I think the most important qualities to measure a successful and a failed person are humility and gratitude. Being humble because there are always higher mountains. We have a lot of things to learn from in order to grow. Today you can make money more than a person; then you show off, you are arrogant. Tomorrow that person has learned from you and make more money than you. Life is unexpected. You never know what will happen next. When you are sitting on top of your success, you must think of your family. Without them, there is no you in this world and maybe, on the road to your success, they have helped you. After that, you think of your community if you are an immigrant. You see how your community is living and you can help to build your community stronger. Last but not least, think of America, a land that has raised you and your dream. Use your success to motivate others, lighten up the burden of an individual, and build a better America. That is what I think of success in America.

Being in America is a dream come true for me. I am forever grateful for what America has helped me in life. I just hope in the future, I can be successful on my career path and pay back this huge “debt” to America.