When I came here to this country on Saturday, December 19, I went
to my aunt's house. I spent a week at the house resting, exploring
Lynn and meeting the people here. After resting for a week, I went to register for school. That was on a Friday and the following Monday I began my studies. On Monday, I came alone without knowing anyone or even knowing anything about English, all nervous and everything.

I arrived and Ms. Samboy, my guidance counselor greeted me and said the
people here are very good people. I felt confident in that little time with her.
They gave me a tour of the school and they took me to the first class. After
not knowing or understanding anything, that day ended. I got home and
knew that I had to get used to everything. The next day was the same and
I was already talking to some people but I didn't know who I was hanging
out with. My friends spent the days studying and I made more friends from
those friends and they started smoking cigarettes. Outside of school they
offered it to me, but I said I don't smoke and they still welcomed me.

But when I got home I felt alone without anyone and I missed my family
day after day. One day someone I had seen only a few times before in the
neighborhood offered me a cigarette to smoke and that day I was sad, and
my mind wanted me to smoke but my heart didn't. I regret that day because
I accepted a cigarette and smoked. I felt relaxed without thinking about
anything, I liked it since that day I smoked. I smoked to not be sad. I felt
like I couldn't live without smoking anymore, it gave me anxiety. I was no
longer able to stop myself from smoking and I started to smoke every day.
Every time I saw that person, he would give me more cigarettes. One day I
remembered that my caretaker told me not to get together with bad guys. At
that moment I told myself if I want to stop smoking I have to stop hanging
out with those people, so I stopped hanging out with them and that was it.

It was just three weeks later that I said to myself, “Carlos, you came here tohelp your family, and you need to do just that.” I spent a day without smoking, then two days and I said I'm not going to do it anymore, because I owe it to myself and my family. When my friends offered it to me or they asked me, I told them I wanted to stop that and they didn't talk to me anymore. I asked my dear God to free me from all evil and now thank God I'm still here. I haven't smoked for weeks because the power to stop that is in oneself and it doesn't matter what people say, you have to look out for yourself.

That's why my advice is to look at who you hang out with and you'll know,
and above all, never fall into bad temptations. Ask God to take care of you
because he is the person who never abandons you. So here I continue to
thank him, my god for where I am and above all for giving me the strength
to quit smoking.

© Carlos. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.