“My American Dream”

Ipat Ly

Paris, France | Hmong | He/him/his

I was born and raised in France until the age of 17. I am the second youngest of ten. I wanted to live the ‘American Dream,’ although I only saw it on television and movies. My oldest sister left for the United States in 1987. She eventually had nine children. That’s nine nephews and nieces (who were all around my age) that I had never met before. 

During the Summer of 2007,  my sister’s family visited France. Despite our differences, my nephews and I bonded through our native Hmong language. I still managed to converse with my sister’s family. 

For the very first time, all of my family members were together. We were happy, and it was wonderful. It still gives me goosebumps when I think about that time. It was that feeling and that moment that I decided to pursue my dreams and to take control of my life. 

In July 2008, I traveled alone to the United States to visit my sister and her kids in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the end of my short vacation, I had decided to stay and restart my studies. I started at Harding High School as a Freshman, even though I was already 17 years old. With only 20 English words in my vocabulary, my sister didn’t want to sign me up for the senior class. 

That first year in high school was probably the toughest. I was new to the country, and my sister, who was helping me, was also facing the end of her marriage. I was separated from her family for a couple of months. I stayed at a friend’s house with one of my nephews while she and her other children lived with a relative. Nothing seemed to come easy.

Junior year was the hardest, but also the best year I had in America. I was energized and woke up every morning ready for school. I took my studies very seriously;taking six International Baccalaureate  classes, was part of the tennis team, created the Guitar Club, and became a National Honor Society member. I excelled academically, had many good friends, but most importantly, I was a hundred percent myself. 

For once in my life I felt free. It was as if I was living in a dream. My class even voted me the Sno-Daze prince. I was living what I only saw in American movies. 

I don’t regret leaving everything I had in France to move to St. Paul. Even though I knew nothing about the language or culture here.he things I have experienced, people I’ve met, laughters I’ve had, tears I’ve cried, memories I’ve made; all these things have made me into the person I am today. I now realize that the American Dream is nothing but my own reality.