grammar

can you help me fix all the grammar?

LaiIp/2

Looking for a Brighter Future

By: Lai Yin Ip

Venezuela, the place where I was born and grew up, has valuable minerals.; being It’s the number one pioneer of the biggest reserve of oil, and Nicolas Maduro was commanding one of the happiest countries in the world. Ever since he became president, political and economic issues have tormented the country. Comment by Crystal Bratton: These two sentences contradict each other. If he’s commanding a happy country, then why is the country tormented? Perhaps you can rephrase this by stating that prior to becoming President, Venezuela was one of the happiest countries.
After Maduro became president in 2013, the Venezuelan people did not have any food in the cabinet; the quality of life began to fall and people were in the hunt for a better future. Comment by Crystal Bratton: Given that “cabinet” also refers to politics posts in the US, maybe change to pantry or shelves.
This the reason why I came to America.
One Wednesday morning, I woke up from my nap. I walked over to the living room where I saw my parents sitting down on the couch with serious faces. I could feel the tension in the air. They started to talk about the reality of the country and how the economic crisis and crime now reigned. the country and
Tthen they came right out with it
“You are going to study in a foreign country. Choose anywhere you want,” my dad added.

I kept quiet for a minute because I could not believe that it was happening. I had no obvious choice to make and I chose the United States, specifically Florida because I had visited the state before and was familiar with it.
The process was long, I was there, filling applications and waiting for an acceptance letter. I was searching the Internet and I found Broward College, which had excellent educational feedback and good reviews.
It all happened so suddenly. I received an email a week later from Broward College that my admission was approved. I was not that thrilled but I knew that was a good thing. I got immediately into the paperwork and got all the documents ready to head to the American Embassy where I got an official student visa for five years.
Later on, I had to get ready to pack. Not wanting to leave was stuck in my head like a song I didn’t like. My parents were feeling down, sad, the pain of separation from a parent leaving their little daughter to another country.
Finally, the day I didn’t want to happen had arrived. I was there at the airport, standing in the gate waiting for my group to be called, sobbing and crying. I never expected to say goodbye to my hometown.
None of this could happen without speaking English. I had some knowledge since I used to have tutors going to my house to teach me English and I always loved it. The way people talked seemed like a whole different world. The world that I was now in it.
One month went by, one month of missing my family and my friends. I was feeling homesick. Getting into a country that I only went for holidays is not the same as to live, is entirely different. Getting accustomed to things is hard and challenging.
The primary reason I was here was to go to college. The night before my first day of college, I could barely sleep; the anxious thoughts encroached in my head.
It was summer; it was so hot as a sauna. When I arrived, there were plenty of students walking around knowing the place. I was just there, standing in front of a building trying to find the right location. Fortunately, everything went okay, Building 69, room 102. The professor was kind and when the class finished, the professor gave instructions that we had to buy books for the class. On my way to look for the bookstore, I was just walking through the crowd. Again, I didn’t know which path to take. I decided to ask someone,
“Excuse me. Do you know where the bookstore is?”
“Of course, I’ll take you there. I have some extra minutes,” she replied.
Caroline, a very sweet International Student like me, all the way from Mexico. We talked and she explained how things worked around there. She showed where the cafeteria, the library, and where the bookstore was; all the basics.
Everything was falling into place. I was adapting to new subjects in English. I was like a sponge, trying to absorb everything as much as possible to get used to it. I was learning to gain confidence and starting to speak in public.
However, I was afraid of being rejected. I was an International Student. I didn’t always know how to pronounce and spell words. Rejected just for being from another country and not having the same experience as them.
While trying to fit in, I was also handling things at home. I was living alone, and I had to do a lot of tasks. It was my first semester of college, I was trying to do homework and it was tough, but it was only the beginning. Things started to get overwhelming for me. I was putting a lot of effort and trying hard to keep everything organized.
Till one day. I reached the edge; I was drowning like a baby who could not swim. I was driving on my way to school, it was early in the morning. Maroon 5 was playing on the radio. “Daylight”, a soft song which talks about enjoying the most of a relationship before it ends. Suddenly, I just broke down, I had mixed emotions and I was feeling alone. I knew I had to go to therapy to control my emotions and get my life in order.
It took me more than six months to get accustomed to a new country but it brought so many amazing opportunities in my life. Ever since, my life started to get better. I found ways to do everything on time; I began to pace myself. Instead of asking why I did things wrong, I could ask what I have learned from it. I became an independent thinker. All of this thanks to my parents, who wanted a brighter future for me.