Dear New Beginning,
I came to America on my mom’s birthday — December 19th. After a long, exhausting flight, we landed in Houston relieved, hopeful, and completely overwhelmed. There were five of us and over thirteen boxes. The first challenge was simply getting everything out of the airport. The second was standing outside in the cold, waiting for transportation, realizing very quickly that nothing was going to be as simple as we hoped.
Even renting a car became a problem. Every agency required a credit card. No exceptions. It made something painfully clear to me: if you come to this country without money, without connections, without someone to help you navigate the system, survival becomes incredibly fragile. I don’t know how people do it alone.
The weeks that followed were hard. Finding a house. Talking to agents. Communicating through heavy accents. Facing rules that felt almost designed to work against new immigrants — higher deposits, stricter requirements, constant suspicion because we didn’t yet have credit histories. It was discouraging. But slowly, things started to fall into place.
About two and a half weeks later, we found a home. My siblings started school. I went back to mine. We furnished the house piece by piece — Facebook Marketplace, thrift stores, whatever we could find. We ate at cheap buffets, explored unfamiliar places, and learned how to exist here together. It wasn’t perfect. Living with family is stressful in its own way. But I’m grateful I got to figure it all out with them.
The difference between life in Nigeria and life here is enormous. Being here showed me just how lucky I am — and how much responsibility comes with that luck. I’m in a place where dreams are possible if you’re willing to work for them. That may be the American dream, and I know it will take effort, discipline, and grace. But I won’t take this opportunity for granted.
I want to become a physician-scientist because I want to change things — not just treat symptoms, but understand systems. The path will be hard: medical school, a PhD, residency, everything in between. But I know I’m strong, brave, supported, and capable of seeing it through.
And to anyone else trying to find their footing in a new world — I’m rooting for you. It’s hard. But it can work out.
With love,
Edidiong C
Creating My Autobiography 