Today, I am going to tell you the story of my life. I lived in a small town located in Michoacán called "Juntas de Poturo" with my family. 

One day, we went to the pool to enjoy family time. As we were going down the road, we suddenly saw two trucks coming behind us. We let them pass as if nothing had happened, but later, they blocked our path, and people got out with weapons. They took us out of the car, separated us from my father, and told him that we had 24 hours to get out of that town and that if we didn't get out, they were going to kill us all. We didn't think about it and returned to the house. We grabbed the papers and clothes for my 1-year-old little sister. That same day, we left that town. 

We traveled to Mexico City by bus, but we spent four days and three nights without eating or drinking water before arriving. We arrived in Tijuana one night and didn't have money for a hotel that night. We stayed under a bridge, and there we slept very cold. After three nights in a row sleeping under that bridge, we found a shelter called Ambassadors of Jesus, and we went to see if there was space, but there wasn't. The next day, we went to see if there was space, and yes, there was space; they accepted us in the shelter. Everyone in the shelter was sick, and since no one knew about medicine, my father told them he knew because he worked in a pharmacy in the town where we lived, and my father gave them the medicine. 

We started to fill out the paperwork to move to the United States, and then the appointments began coming out. On May 10, 2023, we were given the appointment, and on May 23, 2023, we went to Los Angeles for a few days, and then we went with a family member to Louisville.

For a few days, I started going to a school called Ballard, and then I moved to another part of Louisville, and I entered Atherton School.

That's the story of my life.

My name is Kevin Garcia Ricardo. I was born and raised in Cuba. Cuba’s official language is Spanish. My favorite things about my country are the people, the fields, the food, and the beach. In Cuba, there are a lot of famous dishes, but my favorites are; ajiaco, casabe, buñuelos, tamales, tostones, roasted pork, and congrí rice. The climate is also one of my favorite things, as it is hot most of the time. Some of the most famous people in my country are Willian Levy, Celia Cruz, Pitbull, Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Ana de Armas, Yasiel Puig, among others.

I arrived in the United States in November of last year. I went directly to a school near my house without knowing English. When I arrived in the United States, I felt strange because of the language and the climate. When I arrived in November, it was very cold already, and I did not like it. The schools in the U.S. are so different than in my country. In Cuba, we had to wear uniforms, and there were no resources like here. 

Some of the challenges of living in a new country are adapting to the people, language, rules, schools, food, and other things that I have never experienced before. Arriving in a new country without knowing the language is very difficult, and I do not recommend it to anyone. Trying to understand what teachers are saying is so difficult. I try, but I just can’t understand everything, just one or two words. But I know I will get better, I just need to practice more.

My name is Yuri Natalia Moreno Cardozo I am 17 years old. I am from Colombia, and the official language of my country is Spanish. What I like and miss most about my country are my friends, the food, the sweets, etc. In Colombia, the climate is very irregular; it can rain for a week, and another week is very sunny, but it does not get as cold as here. The most-known artists in Colombia are Shakira, Karol G, Maluma, J-Balvin, and Ferxxo. More than ten religions are practiced in Colombia, mainly Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Pentecostal, and Albentist.

I arrived in the United States on May 6, 2022. I came with my mother, and we moved to Miami before arriving in Louisville in September of this year. What has been the most complicated for me since I arrived in the United States has been the language. I was surprised to see so much difference between schools in Colombia and schools in the United States. In Colombia, there is no money for computers, transportation, or even having an organized school with so many projects, posters, and even aids.

One of the challenges of living in the United States, apart from the language, has been the food. It is very different from what I am used to eating, and it makes it more difficult since there is no Colombian restaurant in the city. At school, I think the most challenging part has been the different rules and policies that I didn’t have growing up in Colombia, so it has been a great deal to adapt, and the food too, is not good.

I will keep my name anonymous, but I want you to know that I am from Iraq. In my country, the people speak Arabic and Kurdish, but I only know Arabic. If you ever think about visiting Iraq, you need to go to Baghdad, is the capital of my country and you can find the Al-Jawadain Holy Shrine in which Muslims around the world gather to pay a visit to the holy shrines of Imam Al-Jawadain, the grandsons of Prophet Mohammed, around the year. It's the best place to seek calmness, pray, enjoy the architecture, and live the history all combined. In the same area, there are awesome restaurants, museums, and other places to visit. To say ‘Hi!’, a man cannot shake hands with a woman. The man needs to put his hands on his chest to say hi to a woman, but for another man, you can shake hands or hug them if you know them very well. 

From my country, I really miss the food, especially Dolma. Dolma is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Ottoman cuisine, typically made with a filling of rice, minced meat, offal, seafood, fruit, or any combination of these inside a vegetable or a leaf wrapping. Wrapped dolma, specifically, are known as sarma, made by rolling grape, cabbage, or other leaves around the filling. Dolma can be served warm or at room temperature and are common in modern cuisines of regions and nations that once were part of the Ottoman Empire.

Schools in Iraq are different from the schools in the U.S. The schools do not provide materials except for a book that is for the different subjects. There were no computers, and everything was done on paper. There are uniforms that you need to wear and is mandatory, if you don’t do it, you get sent back home. Most of the schools in Iraq are divided into just boys and just girls, until they get to college in which both can study in the same place. If you don’t behave, you get sent to the Principal and they hit the palm of your hand with whatever they find. There is no cafeteria or playground. If you want to eat, there is a store inside the school that only sells chips, cakes, and snacks.

In 2016, my mom, my brother, and I moved to the U.S. We went to California to start a new life. I never spoke English before arriving in the U.S. I started in 5th grade without knowing any words in English. My first day was horrible, I did not understand a single word, but there was an Arabic student who helped understand many of the phrases, words, sentences, and a bit about the culture. It was a shock for me because everything was so different. The food, the people, the language, the rules, everything was different for me. I am still getting used to this culture, and there are many things that I’m still learning.  

In almost all my school years, I have been to different schools every single year. In California, I went to 5th grade in one school and in 6th grade, I went to a different school. In 2018 my mom, brother, and I moved to Louisville. For 7th grade I went to Westport Middle, for 8th grade, I went to Newburg Middle, for 9th grade I went to Fern Creek High, and then I went to Atherton. Even schools in California are very different from the ones in Louisville, but I really like this place better. 

My name is Isaac O. Bardales Marquez, and I’m from Honduras. The official language in Honduras is Spanish. There are two different languages in Honduras; the most common is Spanish, and the other one is called “Garifuna” not every Honduran speaks Garifuna, just the people who live in several places like Colón, Cortés, Islas de la Bahía, etc. My favorite things about my country are the food and the islands. The climate in Honduras is usually warm, so a typical day in Honduras would be sunny, with people on the streets, kids playing around, etc. 

The most famous dishes from Honduras are baleadas and pollo con tajadas "pollo chuco" in some places. My favorite food is "pollo con tajadas". There are some popular places in Honduras that tourists love visiting, such as Roatán, Ruinas de Copan, Utila, etc. One traditional costume in Honduras is a folk costume. Women wear long, sleeveless dresses with cloth belts, while men dress in white shirts and pants with sombreros and red scarves.  In Spanish, to say goodbye, you can say “adios.” But in Honduras ,you can also say words such as “cheque, dale, ahi nos wachamos.” The way they greet you in Honduras will depend on the friendship you have with that person. Still, you can say “Que onda”, “que huvo”, “que contas”, “que pedo.” 

The difference in schools shocked me when I came to the United States. In Honduras, we had just one teacher for all subjects like Math, History, Spanish, etc. Also, in Honduras, we had one hour of recess. You can do whatever you want in that hour, play outside, interact with other classes, eat, etc. The schools in Honduras are really different from schools in the United States. Some of the challenges of living in another country so far have been dealing with racism and language. 

U.S. citizens who wish to visit Honduras for less than 90 days do not need to obtain a visa. However, passports still must have at least three months of validity. The places considered “off-limits” for tourists are the villages because of gangs. There are many famous people in Honduras, soccer players, and people from history. One of them is Anthony Lozano, a famous soccer player from Honduras called “Choco Lozano.” who plays as a forward for La Liga club Cádiz and the Honduras national team.

I hope you can visit Honduras. It is an exciting country to visit. I recommend visiting "Las ruinas de Copán” in “Departamento de Copán.” Also, Roatan is a very good option as well. Honduras is a beautiful place with good beaches, delicious food, and very lovely people.