To the younger generation of immigrants,

I'm an immigrant, too. I was born in Thailand in 1997 and moved to the United States with my family right around the time I would have started preschool. My family, with cultural roots that extend back almost endlessly into Southeast Asian history, decided to dig up their lives and replant themselves in a foreign country with the dream of having a better life.

I was an only child at the time. I know in hindsight that this journey was made largely in part because my family wanted me to receive the education that I deserve for a fair price (not the hindering sum one would pay in Thailand). America has always been seen as a land where dreams come true for families like mine. We just wanted our own piece of that dream--just like you and your family (though perhaps with different goals).

I understand how hard it is to assimilate to such a dynamic culture with so many sub-cultures within a larger whole. No doubt, America lives up to its nickname, "the melting pot." Depending on where you end up in America though, it might not feel that way. I found myself transplanted into a northern suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the world from my bedroom window was shrouded by a strong white culture. In Minnesota, people are very proud of their Scandinavian heritage.

They consider it an ethnic culture of their own, but it doesn't feel that way. Not to people like you and me, that is. People forget that their European ancestors settled here generations ago. They've had their time to assimilate and get comfortable. You and I, we're the very first generation in our families to step foot on this soil. We struggle to change every cultural norm we've ever known. I was lucky to have been raised here. I was able to learn the language and its nuances and idioms as I grew.

Gradually, my life became less and less difficult. For my parents, it was a full-time job with countless hours of overtime to even understand the slightest bit of sarcasm. If I had a dollar for every time I explained an idiom or figure of speech to my family, I'd probably be able to pay off my student loans. Many of you may find yourself struggling with explanations, too. But I promise things get easier--just keep at it!

Middle and high school for me were so wildly normal, it was almost disappointing. That being said, this is when I learned important lessons about being a first-generation immigrant--listen up! I put so much work into being "normal" that I became ignorant as to what "normal" was supposed to be. To me, at the time, "normal" was what you saw in the TV shows and movies: kids participating on a sports team, struggling in math courses, complaining about relationship problems, gossiping about this popular kid and that popular kid, etc.

Do you see what's wrong with this picture? There's no race involved here. It's just a gray blob of behaviors and let me tell you, the term "normal" had so little meaning to me by the end of it all. I wish I had taken the time to join a club that informed me of my own culture as well as others' instead of binge-watching popular TV shows, just so I could talk with my friends about them.

I wish I had gone with my parents to more events at the Thai Buddhist temple instead of the local football games. I wish I had gone to more Art Club meetings than just planning my outfit for the upcoming week so I'd fit in. It wasn't until I got to college that I realized I had made a big mistake.

Ultimately, my message to you is that we, as immigrants, tend to allocate almost too much time to "fitting in" and assimilating. We just don't realize how much we distance ourselves from our cultures of origin.

People like me make idiotic decisions and obsess over a mold of the "average" human being and it makes me feel like I've now neglected a whole part of me. Instead of idealizing and striving for these norms in high school, work to celebrate the things about you that make you different.

I can't express how happy it would make me to see other younger generations of immigrants be conscious of this. For now, remember that you are perfect because you are different, not the other way around.

Your friend,

Methas