MOSAIC: voices from Polson High School

Welcome to Mosaic.
Be honest. Be kind. Be temperate.

My “American” Dream-Juho

{summary}

I can say that I’m living my American dream right now, in sort of way. Well, mostly it is that I’m living in America, but for many people I know, it is a dream.

My name is Juho. I am an exchange-student from Finland, the country of forests, thousands and thousands of lakes and technology. I have lived there all my life, until this summer. One year ago, in September, I talked with my dad about going to an exchange program. I decided fast, applied to the program and they accepted me. I came here in the end of July.

My main reasons for coming the United States were that I want to learn to speak English more fluently, get to know the new culture and get a bunch of new friends. All those things are happening all the time. I could say all those things were my American dream. However, I didn’t consider it that way. To me, American dream means the same thing as to everybody else, a same boring good education, a well-paid job, a beautiful wife, a pretty house somewhere in deep forest nearby a little lake and a bunch of awesome kids. That could be my Finnish dream also. Like it is to me. So there’s no point calling it the American dream.

So let’s go deeper. What is my dream, whether it’s American or Finnish? My dream is to be a good, interesting and wise person, who will be remembered by his family, relatives and friends after his death. Basically I’m saying, that I want to leave a memory of me to this world. How this could be done?

As always, it starts from myself. I have to realize what are my goals, and more importantly, how I want to achieve them. Let’s say there is an English test. If I want to pass it, I don’t have to probably even read on it, just guess and write what comes into my mind. If I want to get a good grade of it, but I don’t want to read on it, I could cheat, ask and check what my friend wrote.

It’s obvious that those ways to achieve anything are the wrong ways. If I want to get a good grade from that test, I should read on it and concentrate on test and do my best. That’s the way to do it. And that is just example, which works in every situation. If you want to achieve something, you have to do work for it.

In my life with other human beings I believe in the golden rule, treat others as you would like to be treated. Whenever my old neighor needs to cut his lawn, I would go over there and do the job. Whenever my friend needs help with his car, I would go over there and check that problem with him. Whenever my kids are having problems with homework, I would help and work with them through them.

I wouldn’t ask anything back for those chores. If my friends think in same way, I will get my prize. And the prize is not always needed. You can help each other sometimes just because it makes you feel good. It is sad that this kind of thinking is dying in the modern life. But if everybody would think that way, everybody would help each other. A good example of that kind of thinking is my grandpa. He lives in small village where everybody knows everybody. If somebody needs some help with their potato field, he would take his tractor and plant all seeds in a field. And he wouldn’t ask anything back. It is just the old manner and that’s the way it has been for always.

My other grandpa died two weeks ago. He was also just one great guy. Everybody in town knew him. And everybody mourned his dead. He was loved. He also helped people, asking nothing back. My grandma has had so many visitors who had came to ease her sorrow and just to tell her how great guy my grandpa was and how much they miss him now.

I want to be that kind of guy. That is my dream. When I die, I want to be remembered by people I dealt with and who I helped. People I loved. I don’t want to be remembered about how much property I had or what did I do for living in this life. And it is possible achieve all these goals. It depends from yourself. You need other people on your way but it all starts from you. Just like Pilgrims surviving their very first year in America. They were not alone. The Indians were there for them even they knew how cruel the white people can be and how they have kidnapped and killed many of their sons. The Indians gave what they had, asking nothing back. I just admire that from bottom of my heart.

Whether it is in America or in Finland, to achieve your dreams, you need other people to make those dreams come true. It starts from you. You have to realize what you want, what you want to be, what you want to do and with who you want to be. Getting there is a beginning.

The End

{extended}