You must be brave to try.

I didn't end up in Kansas right away. Many things occurred along the way. I sometimes feel like Dorothy explaining my long journey, except for me its from an entirely different country. My mother moved my sister and I to join my father in Texas when I was seven. I'll never forget the moment we crossed that border, looking back, I wish I could've savored the moment more. I never got a chance to see Mexican territory again. From the moment we reached America, my family's life changed forever. It improved, it bettered, it was altered. We were given opportunity. We were given a chance at the 'American Dream'. We ended up in Missouri only a year after living in Texas, and some years later we reached Kansas. Safe little Kansas. I don't appreciate this state enough. I don't appreciate the work my parents do for me enough. But I do hope that I can someday change their lives like they changed mine. If it weren't for the sacrifices my parents had to make for my sister and my sake, we would not have half of what we do today. They uprooted everything to reach safe little kansas. My parents gave up the lives they had, doing everything they could to get me to be the person that I am today. I am grateful to them for instilling a sense of curiosity to reach beyond the border of country. I got here because of the determination of my family. I got here because of their hard work. I am here to reap what they have sowed within me. They have planted in me, and immense understanding of diversity, of the world, and of the human spirit. The story of how I got here is not over yet. I don't think it will ever be over. It will never cease unless my desire to travel seizes with me. My parents have taught me how to be strong, how to value what I have, and have taught me to never give up. They will always be my muse to travel. They will be with me where ever it is I go. I am here because they brought me here, and its a story I am always willing to share. Although I may never know exactly how I got here, I know my family has made me into the type of person brave enough to try and try again.