Hi, I’m Hammam Essa and I’m 14 years old. Something important to know about me is that I was born in Taiz,Yemen and I immigrated from Yemen to Djibouti because of the war that broke out in Yemen. I stayed there for over a year and it was very hot there then I moved to the U.S.A. My family and I are Muslim. We used a boat to get to Djibouti. It was the worst trip ever because when the boat started to move one of the engines broke down and we were tilting left and right and everyone on the boat started to throw up, especially the women.The women had their own section it smelled so bad.
Three strengths that I have are helping out when needed like helping my mother around the house, getting groceries, and helping my dad at work. The store is in east New York and I help him by making orders and fixing things. I’m good at many different video games and I like playing with friends and family. I’m good at riding my bike. I say this because I have fast reflexes and I ride my bike to school and then from school to work and then from work to my house. A work in progress is me. I say this because I’m still growing and working and learning new things. My greatest achievement is graduating from middle school. I say this because the biggest challenge was passing all my classes and my next big goal is you might think it’s going to be graduating high school but no that’s going to be wrong it’s going to be being a pilot in the future. I want to be a pilot because I want to see the world from above and see many different places.
The most important thing in my life is my parents. I say this because they’ve helped me out when I was in need and they are the people that have been taking care of me for my whole life and if it wasn’t for them I would not be here in America. They helped me out when I was at my lowest like that one time I failed my final exam. They told me that next time I would pass it and told me to never give up and always try again and do my best. Whenever I achieve something big they would give me a present such as when I graduated middle school they gave me a PS5 and when I graduated Arabic school they gave me a new headset and new games. That’s why I always try really hard on achieving my goals and my desires. So I’m very lucky to have them in my life.
Dear Hammam,
Your post made me think that you and your family really love each other. The reason for you guys to come to America shows that you guys want the betterment of your future by coming to America. Something I wonder is, how long has Yemen been in war since you came here?
Sincerely,
Bryan
Dear Hammam,
I am moved and intrigued by the story of a trip to America where it mentions the war situation in the city of Taiz in Yemen, I feel intrigued by the culture of Yemen. I did not know about that country until now and it seems interesting to me.
One thing that I learned from your life and that caught my attention is: your greatest achievement was graduating from middle school. I think this is interesting because it is very difficult to deal with school in a new country with a different language and different culture.
Your writing connects with my own experience. For me, parents are people who have been there for you and who have made an effort to ensure your happiness, supporting you in the most difficult moments of life. My mother has been my great support, I admire her greatly and she is the most important person to me.
Thank you for your work at Youth Voices. I look forward to seeing what you write next because your story is very interesting and I would like to hear more about you and your progress.
Dear Hammam
I am very interested in your letter, “My Journey To America, ” because I don’t really get to see or know about many different people leaving from countries to another country. I only just hear about people moving from their country to the United States. So this is really interesting to know because I have also never heard of those countries.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “The most important thing in my life is my parents…” I think this is meaningful because many of us don’t really thank our parents. And coming from someone that had immigrant parents I feel like I don’t really thank them as much as I should even though they sacrificed so much for me.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because it is nice to know a bit about people from around the country. Also because I feel like a lot of people do have some things in common and we just don’t realize it.
Evelin