Ralf lives in the USA but he was not born there. He and his family immigrated to the USA. He is 15 years old. He is a very good child. He is smart, always in good humour, full of energy. Before the immigration he was a very good student. He learned very much, was always punctual, the teacher praised him. He had many friends and he was spending a lot of time with them. Everybody liked him. He was also a great football player. He also had a girlfriend. They loved each other. She was helping him whenever she could. He always had something to do and was not lazy.
When he learned that he and his family are going to the United States of America he was shocked. He was happy and in the same time worried. Happy because it knew that new situation mean new opportunities. Worried because he had to leave everything that was important to him. He would not see his girlfriend for a very long time because of the migration. Everything was going to change. New country meant new language, new friends, and new school. That was an unusual experience.
Ralf thought that he had to face all the new difficulties. He was always solving problems and he did not think that this time would be different. He started learning English. He wanted to know the language so that he could talk with the people in the USA in their own language. He thought about his life before the migration. In his native country the people believed that America was a distant country where everybody is rich and happy. Everybody wanted to go to America; they thought that they could improve their status in a short time. They only had to go to the USA. After the arrival Ralf felt very strange. He did not know anybody. His parents wanted him to become somebody important. They talked with him about it very often. They were angry that he was not as good as in the native country. The constant pressure made him start drinking. He was stealing money from his parents and he was buying alcohol for it. The alcohol was not enough for him so he started taking drugs. He stopped learning very good. He began getting bad notes in school. The teachers noticed that something is wrong with him. He was not thinking about the lesson. He was always looking through the window and he was thinking about something different. His eyes were not normal. During one lesson the teacher asked them what was wrong. Ralf did not want to answer and he felt bad. All students were looking at him. He returned home and did not talk to anybody. He even stopped talking with his parents. He started taking stronger drugs and this made the situation worse. But one day his girlfriend called him from his native country. She was worried about him and asked him about everything. They talked for a very long time. He told her everything. She decided to help him and come to the USA. When they were together again everything changed. The fact that his girlfriend was near changed him. He stopped taking drugs. He started learning well and found a job. He was very happy.
But what he did in the past caused many troubles. He had to convince people that he is different now. He had a bad opinion. He had to work hard to change everything. But in the end he managed to get out of troubles.
This story may be too simple but it is an example of what can happen to a young person who wants to be like the rest. Who want to accept everything. It also shows how important are friends. They are a necessity and everyone should have them. If somebody does not have friends he or she is terribly poor. A real friend is a person who is with you in all situations, good or bad, and always want to help you. He or she will not leave you even if something bad happens. There are also false friends of course and you should avoid them. The best friend of Ralf is his girlfriend. She saved him from the terrible situation in which he was. The story is also about the shock of coming to a new country. It is very difficult to live normally when you do not know language and all people are strangers. The stress is terrible and may lead to some problems. It may end very badly. It is even worse when you are not an adult. Children and teenagers react to new condition of living more emotionally than the adults. New school, no friends and new language it is an unpleasant experience. The people who are new in a country may meet with prejudice. The other people make opinions about you even if the do not know you. It is because you look differently. It is stupid - we should comment somebody only if we know him or her personally.
