My name is Tuan.

I was 8 years old when my dad dropped me off on a boat that would sail me to America. 

We were so poor we could only buy one ticket. 

That ticket was my future. 

I was alone and scared for my life.

Home was not home anymore. 

I missed my old life. 

I missed playing with my friends at school.

My dad needed me to escape Vietnam. 

It was not safe for me,

He told me, "America is your future. Make me proud"

I did not see him for another 25 years. 

"America is your future. Make me proud"

My country was at war. There was fighting between North Vietnam and South Vietnam, and its people were not safe anymore. I lived in the south with my dad, and when he saw that it was too dangerous, he wanted me to run away to be safe.

I am what is called a boat refugee. I escape on a little boat with almost no space for me to sit. It was cramped and uncomfortable. I want to go home, but I have no home. I did not know where I was going. I could only hope that I made it out alive.

Being on the boat was scary at my age. I had nobody to talk to, everyone was as scared as I was. Escaping on a boat, we came across a lot of pirates trying to attack. Luckily we avoided them quick enough. 

When I first arrived on land, they sent me to live in Iowa with an American family. This wasn’t my home–it was so foreign. They looked so different. Why was their hair yellow? Why were their eyes blue?

I'm having a hard time adjusting. I do not understand my foster family at all. This is frustrating. I miss my dad’s home-cooked food. I don’t want to eat these nasty foods anymore. The world is too big. I don’t know anything.

I had my first day of school and I made a few friends. There were other kids like me! We had a little group going on, I felt more at ease. These would be my best friends until college. 

School was easy. I learned that I was good at math. My English is picking up really well! I am making American friends. They taught me to play football with them. I am finally adjusting! I wonder how my dad is doing though.

Fast forward, I am 18 years old now. It has been 10 years since I have been living in America. I received a scholarship to a university, and I'm excited! I also bought my first car with the saved up money 

from my part-time job.