Being born in America has been such a privilege for me. There isn't the threat of walking around my backyard afraid of stepping on a landmine, like in Cambodia, my mother's home country. I don't have the fear of being arranged to marry man I have never met before. There also isn't the threat of being so poor that my parents would have no other choice than to sell me to the sex slave trade. I have been given an amazing education and the opportunity to meet and make friends. America has given me the privilege to live a free, fulfilled childhood; a childhood I am very thankful for.

As a child, I took growing up in America for granted. I never knew about the horrors that still exist in within the borders of Cambodia today. Many young girls, from the ages of twelve to eighteen are being sold by their families into the underground sex slave trade world. Arranged marriage is still very relevant in the country as well, but this is more common in very traditional villages. Older men, who are close friends of the family, choose when they want to marry. Girls will begin being arranged to marry at the age of eighteen and this lasts until 25, and the husband that chooses them is at least 12 years older than them. Being in America has given me the chance to experience falling in love and having young heartbreaks. Though, the heartbreaks were hard, they have made me who I am today. I have the choice of dating whoever I want, and I have the option of searching for my soulmate. Being an adult now, in America, I am very thankful to be given a life full of choices that are my own; but sometimes a free life isn't an option.

I had known little of my mom's childhood until now. At a young age, my mother's life was thrown into genocide. The Khmer Rouge is very underrated in international events. It shouldn't be given less attention than the Holocaust, because it is too, mass murder of innocent people. My mother's family had been separated throughout the years of the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Her entire family was forced into concentration camps and as a young girl, my mother and her siblings were on their hands and knees digging in trenches.

I am so very thankful that my mom and her family had found their way into a refugee camp. I am also so thankful that the U.S. forces came and saved her. They gave her a new home in America.

Although growing up with a very traditional mother has some cons, I wouldn't have it any other way. The nights she wants me home early were annoying, but I know it was only cause she loved me. My mom doesn't try to dictate over my life, because I know she only wants the best for me here in America. Being part of the Cambodian culture is a blessing. My family lives in peace, with a lot of love and support from family friends. My mother's side of the family and many of the other families who were refugees with my mother are still very close to this day. I am very thankful for the opportunity of being a U.S. citizen today, because if I wasn't here, where would I be? Would I be starting a journey with a man a barely know? Would my mom and I be tip-toeing around our yard avoiding landmines that are almost fifty years old? I don't know, but I do know that I am done taking my time here in America for granted. I have so many opportunities here, so now I am going to take action and embrace the gifts America gives me everyday.