Leaving Cameroon

Hi, I'm Joseph, an immigrant from Cameroon. My life was tough in Cameroon. I didn’t go to school because my parents couldn’t afford it. I would always watch the kids play soccer, but I couldn’t. I was always hungry because my parents couldn’t afford enough money for food.

“Mom, Is there anything to eat today?” I said. “I'm Sorry, Joseph. We had to pay the house bills. We will eat tomorrow, I promise, " my mom said.

That was always a lie, and I knew that. My parents couldn’t find work anywhere. Hunger reached our family, and we had to move. We barely had enough money to move, but we had to. My parents broke the news to me.

“Hey, son.” My dad said. “Joseph, we have some important news. We are moving to France.” My mom said. “Really? Why? What about our neighbors? Our dog? Our family?” I said. “Sorry, Joseph. We have to go and leave them. We will say goodbye, I promise. You will understand once you get older, " my mom said.

I watched as my mom went on her phone and bought three tickets. My dad was checking their wallets. I overheard them talking. “What? The tickets were that much, and did you buy them? What about when we get to France? We won't have enough money for a house or anything else!” my dad said. “Stop worrying so much! We will sell what we have here and find work in France, I promise,” my mom said.

I watched as my favorite toys and games I had go away. My parents sold everything. All we had was our clothes. We arrived at the airport, gave our luggage to the workers, and got on the plane. I was so scared. I didn’t know if the people in France would like us, I didn’t know if I would go to school, I didn’t know if we would have a house. After a long time, we arrived at the airport in France. It was so amazing. Everything looked so new and different. The people were friendly. I was happy. My parents got a taxi and drove to our home. It wasn’t a house, but it was an apartment. “This is just for now, Joseph. One day, we will have a big house. I promise.” my mom said.