I was born in 1980 in a nation which no longer exists. My father was a local official who oversaw tariffs on imports/exports with a focus on fruit. He was a prominent leader in the community, who would later be executed along with my 3 uncles when I was a teenager.
My mother took care of our home which was an enviable 800 square foot domicile with a solid floor. Not living on the dirt was something of a luxury, most of my classmates at school would makes joke at me for our family's wealth.
I was the youngest of five siblings, two brothers and three sisters. My mother and sisters were all raped after my father's execution, my eldest sister would become pregnant and give birth to my nephew who took my name. My brothers joined the regime. One quickly died in combat and the other from malaria years later.
In 1997 after years of being refugees my sisters, mother, and I were granted asylum in the United States. We moved to Michigan where I saw snow for the first time. I enrolled in a local school and quickly excelled with computers. My English was rotten but I found the mechanical rules didn't require translation. I ended up with a scholarship to Michigan State University. My freshman year, I attained United States citizenship. It was the second best day in my life.
In 2001 a couple of planes flew into buildings and Americans lost their minds. To this day they haven't found them. I was the victim of constant hate and accusations, being detained and questioned by the FBI more times than I can count. My mother having been through what she had, didn't take kindly to the intrusions into our family. She was continually asking why we were being targeted, and eventually the US government called on their division of social services to take away my nephew in retaliation to her hiring a lawyer to protect our rights. My sister would kill herself within the year.
In 2011 my mother suffered a stroke and would limber on for six months before dying. The healthcare industry sucked up the majority of my savings from working at a major tech firm for the past decade. A month after she passed, my sister and I moved to Germany and renounced our citizenship as quickly as possible. We had to pay a ransom tax to no longer be 'Americans.' It was the best day of my life.
My sister is now married as am I, and we live in comfort and privacy in the EU. People here seem to not only have a common historical kinship, but also a welcoming attitude. Something I never experienced in the great 'melting pot' that is the United States. The words etched on the statue of libery ring hollow to me, and to everyone else I expect. America is not the land of anything but greed, and greed corrupts everyone even if they cannot see it.
I've had more erections than I care to count.