Personal essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Personal - Essay Example Back to those days when I was in elementary school, my parents were busy with work, so needed to get used to staying at home all by myself. This was so, because it was legal in my home country to leave children alone at home. I still remember the first time my mom needed to leave home for some emergency, and I had to stay at home alone for the first time. After my mom locked the door, I ran to the window and watched my mom leave, with my tears flowing. I felt so afraid and helpless at that time. Even now, I still remember the feeling. I did not understand why my parents were so busy everyday that they had no time to accompany me. This bewilderment on my part no doubt created some emotional distance between us. Just like most teenagers, I experienced my rebellious period. I was extremely tired of my parents at that time, and I thought they did not understand me. No matter what they said, it seemed I was always wrong. I liked to shut myself in my room after I got home from school, then I would not show up until next morning when I needed to go back to school for classes. I did not truly understand my parents until I went to college. Although my resistance towards my parents weakened after the rebellious period, for most of the time, I ignored what my parents told me. I did things following of my own thoughts and will. In retrospect, I realize what my parents told me was quite useful for my future life. Because I had been an independent child from an early age, my parents thought I could take care of myself, and were confident to let me go on my own and study abroad to secure a better future for myself. I was accustomed to traveling around on my own, and I was very excited about studying abroad. When my father asked me whether I was fully prepared to study in the United States in all seriousness, I answered â€Å"yes† without hesitation. In my mind there was no difference between studying abroad and studying out of state within my home country. I naively th ought I was mature enough to take full charge of my own business without help from anyone. When I really set foot on a foreign land and started a totally different life though, I came face to face with my self-righteousness and naivete. It was then that I began to understand why my parents were very worried about how my life would turn out in a foreign country, without them by my side. Perhaps it was from the moment that I started to live in the United States that I really grew up to be a person who can be responsible for myself, as well as for my parents. When I was living by my parents’ side, there was nothing that I needed to worry about. My parents assumed all of the pressures of my life, and my only task was to live well, and study well. When I came to the United States though, I needed to take over every single task of life, from renting an apartment to buying groceries. All of a sudden I realized how difficult it was to live a comfortable life. It is a great thing that my mom managed the life of the whole family. When I was living with my parents, I would stay far away from my parents for a long time. I never thought how my parents would miss me back at home, and of course I never missed my parents then. When I came to the United States though, I kept thinking of my parents and how they were. I would come back home on summer vacations and knew they were happy to be with me, even though they