I was about twelve years old when I immigrated to Canada. My parents thought it was necessary for our family to move and experience a new culture. Looking back now, it was a wise decision for my parents to move, but my life in Canada wasn’t always as great as how it is now. Learning English and adjusting to my new life was challenging and scary. I was always considered as a bright kid when I was in Korea and seeing myself crumble in front of a new language destroyed me and my confidence. I couldn’t understand what my teacher, text books and friends were talking about. This was the first time in my life I utterly felt helpless.
I thought about returning to Korea. Everything seemed bleak and I was angry at myself for being so incompetent. Suddenly I felt like a little kid for even thinking about giving up. My desire to prove to my friends, teacher and mostly to myself raged up. I believed that I can do anything if I worked hard. However, for this to happen I needed to be the hardest working student in my school. I grinded ever since I promised to myself that one day I will prove to myself and others that I am capable of what I imagined to be. I studied approximately four hours every day afterschool and after about two years I began to notice some changes.
Challenging myself was a bitter pill to swallow but in the end, I realized it was the biggest reason why I am living the life that I wanted.