Saturday, December 13, 2014

MY AMERICAN DREAM

Back when I was child until mid-twenty, I always wanted to go, work and live in America.  Like any other kids in neighborhood and school trying to be eloquent in English language to pursue the dream of going to America, I tried it but found difficult.  But what drove further my interest to go to land of opportunities was my ever fascination in those long-pointed nose, tall, blonde white men and women, the ample apple trees, and the desire to see and touch the snow that only in books, pictures, posters and Christmas cards I see.I want to experience white Christmas, even do an apple-picking job, or feel the cold of winter and the scent of falling leaves during autumn season, the summer and spring, befriend Americans and bring them home for a visit to show how Philippines is.  Seems everything is just childish and trivial things.

It’s the land of milk and honey, for so many opportunities to make a lot of money in the land. Believing that going there will give me all contentment I need –like raising a family of my own, blooming career, receiving hefty salary, sending money to sustain and build the dream house back home in the Philippines that I will soon home on my retiring plan.  That is mean to say, it will make me the best that I could be if I will be in the place that I am calling my greatest American dream.And it was not just childhood’s innocence anymore when I was already at the age of building career in our small town yet still I am envisioning myself of going to America to migrate as my ultimate and greatest dream.  I was even getting a bit envied from distant cousins, childhood friends and acquaintances who were able petitioned by their parents, aunties, uncles and grannies.

Not until I reached my age of 30’s, my earnest desire to migrate to the home of the Yankees had gradually subsided until dream no more for this land of opportunities.  Who doesn't want to go to every Tom, Dick, and Harry’s dream place?  Indeed I still want anyway but this time it’s not for a career but instead just as sojourn.  I’d realized that I can’t stay there for a long period of time.  I’d just realized that there are things that I don’t feel in western life.  The reality is that when you grow older and get matured, you’ll realize so many childhood things in your life that you will not really need later.  While growing up, you will learn what you really want for yourself.  I don’t want to settle in a fast-phase state of the art place, modernized behavior and points of view.  The biggest influence is my simplicity in life, I just woke up that I cannot barter the satisfaction of having life to be simple and live it.

As an enthusiast of experiencing going to different scenic places, I want to check the land of green pasture for a visit or tour only to experience how is to be in the other side of the earth.  There are no slightest bits and pieces of bitterness over the heard someone, colleagues and neighbours who made it to pass and grant their visa to United States of America.  There is nothing to do with difficulty to get there, neither its mounting cost of living, nor merely sour-grapping if this so called my greatest American dream did not flourish.  The fact that I did not even apply to obtain the visa and eventually denied, I don’t feel sour-grapping.  It is purely part of knowing and setting your priorities while you are getting old.  Though I may not able to see America all my life, it will be fine with me and I am still be pleased to whatever places I may have seen.  Maybe I can make it there but if how and when that is I am uncertain now but not bothered.

By Alex V. Villamayor
November 25, 2014

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