written by Anila Noushin
When Franklin D. Roosevelt created the square deal, he stated that every citizen of the United States should have the equal opportunity to succeed. However, foreigners from all over the world are always on the outside looking in, hoping they get the chance to live in America for a shot at a better life. Many parents don’t even want this life for themselves, but for their children. I know this firsthand because my parents came to America in search of a better life for my sisters and me. The idea of the American Dream is not just about “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness,” but it’s also about the sacrifices made in search of that happiness.
Foreigners tend to have a more glamorized idea when it comes to the American Dream. People think that as soon as you arrive, you are provided with equal opportunities, along with the chance to form a comfortable and wealthy lifestyle. They believe that once you move here, you automatically become successful because America is the “land of opportunity”. In my family, if you’ve moved to America, then you’ve already made it, you’ve already achieved the American Dream. However, despite most people’s beliefs, my parents knew it would be harder to achieve this dream; they knew that they would have to persevere to make their aspirations attainable.
In 2000, my parents immigrated here from Bangladesh to give their children opportunities that weren’t available back home. They didn’t want to leave all of their friends and family, but they wanted my sisters and me to have a different life, one with more fulfilling goals and aspirations. My mom was a chemistry professor at a local university while my dad was a mathematics professor at the same school. Every year, Bangladesh was getting more and more corrupt, and although my parents had good lives, they knew they had to move to safeguard my family’s future. So, they moved to New Jersey and decided to start over, completely. With very little money in their pockets, they both got jobs at casinos to get enough money for a nice house, whilst taking care of two toddlers. My parents worked day and night to provide my sisters, and eventually me, a good life.
My family had to tackle more obstacles when the tragic event of 9/11 occurred. They were subjected to many hardships during this time period, as they were a Muslim family at the peak of political tension. For a long time, many people didn’t understand that they sacrificed their old and stable lives to live in this country of better opportunities. But, my parents had no shame in who they were, they knew their worth because they knew they worked their butts off to make their dreams come true.
After I was born, they taught me the same thing: never be ashamed of who you are. That’s why I sit here today telling you all my version of the American Dream. I am Anila Noushin, the daughter of immigrants. And I’m blessed to be the daughter of Shirin and Asm Chowdhury because of their selflessness. Not only do I have a better life than I would have in Bangladesh, but I’m the best version of myself, and it’s because of them that I’m able to achieve greatness. I have them to thank for every goal I’ve ever reached, for I wouldn’t have been able to attain them if they hadn’t given me these opportunities.
We didn’t go from rags to riches, but I do know one thing: my parents’ determination to give my sisters and me a better life is what motivated them to work harder and harder. Now, my sisters are on their way to become optometrists, while I plan to one day become a lawyer.
That’s the real American Dream. It’s not about origin or wealth, but it’s about the sacrifices you’ve made in order to get the chance to succeed. I may not be as wealthy as many of my family members back home believe, but that doesn’t matter to me. What fills me with great pride is the fact that my parents went from living in a third-world country to living as a middle-class family in one of the hardest countries to immigrate to, America. My mother and father have achieved the American Dream by being altruistic, hard-working, and determined. Our lives are so much better now because of what they’ve done for their children.
We must never forget that millions of immigrants leave their homes in search of the one thing their nation wasn’t able to provide: an opportunity to flourish.
Sources:
Cover Photo by Arnaud STECKLE on Unsplash
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