My name is Olegario Tojil, I come from the country of Guatemala
and I am going to tell you a little about myself. I am just a
normal boy. I am 19 years old. I arrived in the United States in
November 2022. At that time, I was 17 years old and I remember that
I was very accustomed to the traditions and customs of my country in
Guatemala because everything is very beautiful. I felt very proud of my
life and my country. And here in the United States, I don't feel the same;
all the sensations are very different. I liked to eat all kinds of fruits,
vegetables, herbs, and meat from different animals that we hunt in the
forests. It was a lifetime of unique moments that I lived with my family.

In Guatemala all foods are healthier because we grew most of the things
we ate ourselves and all types of food, no matter how simple, had a
unique flavor. For example, my grandmother and my mother liked to prepare Atol de Elote. When the corn fields were producing corn, and they were still tender, we cut them and took out the kernels. After that, we would grind them on a grinding stone and strain it. In a clay pot we would boil it until it becomes thick, then take it off the heat and place beans on top. The flavor is unique and it is something that you cannot stop eating because it is super delicious. There were many things we did as a family that I really liked. But in one day a single decision changed everything.

As I was growing up and the years were passing, I began to worry every
day about my life regarding what I wanted to be in life, and I began
to set goals for myself but I realized that in my country I could not
achieve many things because the economy is very bad. Similarly, when
you wanted to buy something like a piece of land or build a house, it
was very difficult and couldn’t be achieved easily. That is why most
people come to the United States to improve their lives both financially
and emotionally. I made the decision to come to the United States. The moment I made that decision I felt very sad because I had to separate
from my family and everything I loved. But in the end, I decided to
travel and that's how I started a new story in the United States.

Now I am surrounded by people from different places with stories similar
to mine and answering the question: Who am I in America? I am a person
who has gone through difficult situations. I am a person who came to
make history like anyone else in America. I am a person who has goals
to achieve. I am a person who thinks about his family's finances. I am a
person who, no matter the situation, does not give up. I am a person who
can become an example of inspiration for others. We are America and we
are people from different places, we are multicultural and multilingual. I
am a person who was born to stand out and not to fit in. Sometimes the
obstacles can be difficult, but they are never impossible. If in this life
we have goals, we should never hesitate to fight for them, and we should
never give up until we achieve them. When we think that we no longer
have a way out, that is when we are close to achieving our goals. This
is why I continue to achieve all my goals in one way or another. As my
mentor Yudiz Lonzoy says, "The worst madness of humanity is to try to
obtain different results by doing more of the same."

© Olegario . 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.