A 14-year-old boy adjusts to life in America

A 14-year-old boy adjusts to life in America

This is an essay about courage. It is about a young boy who embarks on a journey to a new country halfway around the world with a man, a father, whom he barely knew. I still wonder even to this day how it must have felt for him. That at 14 years of age you are willing to give up what you know, even if it's a life in an orphanage, to take a chance for a new life that you know nothing about, all in the desire of finding something better. My son Seth took that chance, wishing to discover a life filled with optimism, brightness and the one emotion that defines the human spirit, hope. Elliot Gordon, "Dad"


It was a normal day at the orphanage. I woke up, went to school, attended classes and played with friends. Suddenly one of the staff members told me that the director needed to see me. This started the weird feeling that I will never forget. As I walked to the director's office many thoughts went through my mind. There were many possibilities why I could have been called to see the director.

First I thought I was in trouble. But after thinking about the past week I realized that nothing I had done was important enough to disturb the director. I was standing in front of the director's office and all I could hear was my heart beating. I walked in and the director told me to sit down. Her words, "Li Bao Min do you want an American father?" were words that I never thought I would hear.

I felt this way because I lived for almost 14 years without a hope of having a family. I always hoped someone would adopt me. I was just about to give up because I was too old to be adopted and American families always wanted babies. But here my dream of having a family was coming true.

I remember the first time I saw my future father. I was very excited and at the same time very nervous. We did not know how to communicate with each other. I knew it was going to be hard for me. I was very happy to have an American family and start my new life.

My father had a lot of rules for me however, and I did not always want to follow his rules. I realized that I wanted to have control of my future and life and wanted to make my own decisions. My father and I had many talks about all of this and some of our conversations were very angry. But by these talks I realized what I had been through and what I wanted to have here. I am very strong willed. And sometimes I am very stubborn. I think I am strong because I know that things are not going to be good just because I want them to be good. I know that what I have isn't going to be there just because I want it. Goals take a lot of work and some luck.

My dad and I are together because of luck or God or whatever it was that brought him to my hometown the year I was born. He said the day he saw my picture in a Children's Hope publication and decided that it was meant for us to be together was because he had been to my hometown 14 yearsbefore, the year I was born. My dad said there was something special that he saw in my picture so he called Children's Hope to say he wanted to adopt me. I know that my life could have taken many paths but it took this one. My dad says he cannot explain it. It just happened this way and we need to make every day special because he says "no one knows about tomorrow."

I just finished my senior year at Rome Free Academy and I am now headed to college. In high school I took the same courses as everyone else. It was hard but I always did the best I could. At the same time I participated in sports, hung-out with friends and went to football games.

I used to misbehave and talk back to my father because it was the first time I had someone who cared about me and I realized that even if I was disrespectful and stubborn he would still love me. I wanted him to keep proving it to me. I made him angry but now I know deep down that he loves me. I know that no matter what I do he will always be my dad.

It was a normal day at the orphanage. I woke up, went to school, attended classes and played with friends. Suddenly one of the staff members told me that the director needed to see me. This started the weird feeling that I will never forget. As I walked to the director's office many thoughts went through my mind. There were many possibilities why I could have been called to see the director.

First I thought I was in trouble. But after thinking about the past week I realized that nothing I had done was important enough to disturb the director. I was standing in front of the director's office and all I could hear was my heart beating. I walked in and the director told me to sit down. Her words, "Li Bao Min do you want an American father?" were words that I never thought I would hear.

I felt this way because I lived for almost 14 years without a hope of having a family. I always hoped someone would adopt me. I was just about to give up because I was too old to be adopted and American families always wanted babies. But here my dream of having a family was coming true.

I remember the first time I saw my future father. I was very excited and at the same time very nervous. We did not know how to communicate with each other. I knew it was going to be hard for me. I was very happy to have an American family and start my new life.

My father had a lot of rules for me however, and I did not always want to follow his rules. I realized that I wanted to have control of my future and life and wanted to make my own decisions. My father and I had many talks about all of this and some of our conversations were very angry. But by these talks I realized what I had been through and what I wanted to have here. I am very strong willed. And sometimes I am very stubborn. I think I am strong because I know that things are not going to be good just because I want them to be good. I know that what I have isn't going to be there just because I want it. Goals take a lot of work and some luck.

My dad and I are together because of luck or God or whatever it was that brought him to my hometown the year I was born. He said the day he saw my picture in a Children's Hope publication and decided that it was meant for us to be together was because he had been to my hometown 14 yearsbefore, the year I was born. My dad said there was something special that he saw in my picture so he called Children's Hope to say he wanted to adopt me. I know that my life could have taken many paths but it took this one. My dad says he cannot explain it. It just happened this way and we need to make every day special because he says "no one knows about tomorrow."

I just finished my senior year at Rome Free Academy and I am now headed to college. In high school I took the same courses as everyone else. It was hard but I always did the best I could. At the same time I participated in sports, hung-out with friends and went to football games.

I used to misbehave and talk back to my father because it was the first time I had someone who cared about me and I realized that even if I was disrespectful and stubborn he would still love me. I wanted him to keep proving it to me. I made him angry but now I know deep down that he loves me. I know that no matter what I do he will always be my dad.




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