FYRE Reflection
Ashley Allen
Southern New Hampshire University
POL 371
In order for Aubrey to enjoy a happy life in America, her parents submitted the necessary
paperwork in 1992 before she was born. She spent 22 of her years in the Philippines. When the
papers arrived, she was 22 years old and in an extremely difficult situation. She explained to her
family that she did not want to go because she was afraid to part with her dog, friends, and
grandparents. Her father was working at sea on a cruise ship when her documents arrived. Due to
the subpar treatment he received at sea, he spent seven months of the year working aboard the
ship, and Aubrey was not permitted to speak to him. She was passionate about dancing, and that
was what truly kept her going. In her own country, people were instructed to work hard until they
were successful and to keep working if they weren't. She knew that was affecting her as well
because that caused everyone's mental health to crumble. She made the decision to go to
America and submitted an application to a college she had her eye on. She intended to attend
UCLA and pursue a dance degree. Due to the lack of acceptance of dancing in their culture, her
family did not want her to major in dance. Her family pushed her to study in immigration law so
that she could support them and be successful. Her mental health was under a lot of stress after
moving to America since she was trying to avoid upsetting her family and was also trying to
figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She had always wanted to work in the dancing
world, but she also didn't want to offend her family. She used dance as a method to express
herself and get away from everything going on in her thoughts. It helped her find serenity and get
out of her own head. When she remarked in her narrative, "Flower where you were planted, but
you can't bloom like a flower if your soil is toxic," that really got my attention regarding how she
approaches life. Although she is aware that everything is great, she also understands that staying
where she was would not have made her happy in any way. She made the decision to study dance
at UCLA, but she didn't allow her parents' opinions influence her; instead, she used them as
motivation to work harder and prove to them that this was what she really wanted to do. Nobody
should ever listen to advice from others on what to do with their life; after all, it is their life for a
reason.
