I moved to the United States full of dreams and goals and a complex naivety that all would proceed in my favor. The American Dream. However, all is not as it seems. There is a tangible envy amongst friends, and a potent anger amongst enemies. It was not long before my belief and faith was tested, and through it all God, The Creator has kept me on my feet.
There is a pain in knowing that in pursuing the greatest of dreams, you must, for a while feel incompetent. It is an incompetence born of understanding that while one struggles they must make ends meet, and in the world of American Greed, the almighty dollar has a stranglehold on the lives that surround it.
I have watched my parents’ work, long after they should have retired to greener pastures and have seen them toil every day. Because of this and all they have done for me I will continue to bang on the doors of the Hollywood elite, in the hopes that one day my dreams will be fulfilled and I will give to them what they have given to me tenfold. I will give them the world.
I look at myself in the mirror every day; who do I see? I see someone that has been dropped a thousand times but I continue to get up and I’m reaching the top little by little. The knot in my throat constricts a little more each day but I am persevering. I am still fighting the good fight regardless of the criticism of others, and no matter whom in my family does not believe, because all that matters is that I believe in me.
Since I was a little girl, in the streets of the Dominican Republic I have wanted to be an artist. When I was given the opportunity to come to sunny Southern California, I knew that my time had come. And while I have had to make sacrifices as I reach for the stars (Yes its figurative, but also, I would love an actual star on Hollywood blvd.) I have kept the morals and integrity that my parents instilled in that little girl from the D.R. I know that as I continue to walk down the roads of my life some of them will have to be dirt, for the universe is ever conspiring to push me forward towards my dreams.
It doesn’t matter what clothes you wear or the shoes you buy in this world; what matters is staying true to yourself and beliefs. The only person who can make you happy is yourself. I am happy because I am independent and can depend on myself to get me through tough times.
To love unconditionally in these times is a rarity to see for unconditional love is defined as affection without any limitations. However in today’s society too often we love someone because of how we might benefit from that person instead of how we could benefit them. What this world needs is more love; however what we see is more unhappiness, then happiness. For some people it is easy to promise things because promises are words but when asked to put their money where their mouth is they do not even carry a dollar.
Many women today feel that they must depend on others for their self-esteem, but I choose to walk down the road less traveled and feel the gravel beneath my feet as a truly independent women. Walking side by side with the Lord towards my dreams.
Yissendy Trinidad