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Personal Narrative: My Life In El Salvador

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The grenades and explosions shook our home and the bullets pierced the air outside our front door. As we all huddled together in one bedroom, on that night, our family knew we had to leave. October 1979 was not a good time to be in El Salvador. A civil war was raging outside of our doorstep, and people were disappearing daily. A five-year old child could not fully-recognize the severity of the situation; I was just happy to be with my family. My Grandmother lived in Queens, New York at the time and through a visa lottery, she sponsored our family of six. This fortunate chance allowed us to relocate to New York City in January 1980. Once there, we hoped to start a new life with more opportunities. It was a surreal experience coming from a small town in El Salvador to The Big Apple. It seemed like a dream when the tires of the airplane touched the ground at JFK Airport. I was grateful for the new start and welcomed the challenges ahead. Learning a new language, tasting new foods and seeing the diversity of people everywhere was …show more content…
The incredible people I met then would lead to incredible experiences. The experiences mounted when I was honored to serve the next nine-years in the United States Navy. Along with life in New York City, the Navy prepared me for any obstacle set in my path. The Navy exposed me to many high-stress situations with harsh consequences for any mediocre performance. Senior personnel can be quite demanding, and they always want answers now. The poise and leadership skills created through my time in the Navy is invaluable. The ability to consistently demonstrate progress and performance towards the goal of mission success is critical in the Navy. Also critical was achieving my personal goal to finish my education. Every day, I was sharply aware of the importance of that goal and the opportunities presented to

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