“I can’t believe You won’t be camping with us this Christmas!” exclaimed Mareta,my friend as I dug my feet into the sand, quietly listening to her complaints. I really wanted to go camping on the little island called Taveuni for Christmas but I also wanted to go to my hometown Suva because I really missed my little cousins. I didn’t know what to say at that point because I wanted to go to both places. I really liked my village life in Savusavu which was rural, listening to peaceful waves crashing, and I could swim in the ocean anytime I wanted and lay down on the white sandy beaches tanning but I also wanted to go to my hometown. My home town was not that urban but rather suburban. I wanted to go shopping, play games online with no wifi difficulties, play with my cousins and eat fast food.

After a few hours at the beach, I go back to my house made of bamboo and find my mom on the phone with dad. My Dad was not a type of person who will abandon his family for a $10 per hour job but he went back to Suva saying that he needed to work because he doesn’t want to be at home jobless.My mother was teacher and my Dad used to be a SignWriter and a Graphic designer but he quit 2 years ago.My mom told me to sit down in a stern voice and I obeyed as quickly as I could because I thought I was in trouble. My mom looks at me and says “... We’re going to the U.S!!!” A smile suddenly appeared on her face and she widened her arms for a hug and my Dad laughed on the phone. I was completely in shock and surprised at that point. My mom then told me that my Dad won a green card and we were to go to an interview.I then realized that my Dad went to work only for work experience and why we were going to Suva . 

I told my friend Mareta and she was so happy to hear it at first but then she made a sad face and asked” So that means you’ll go forever?” I then realized that I won’t be going neither to the island nor to see my cousins in a couple of months. I won’t be able to see my friends and family. I would be going to an unknown place where I don’t have any family or friends. I was not supposed to tell any relatives though. Mom said they could file a false case against us or even do blackmagic. “ Why can’t Indians be happy for eachother?” 

A few days later, we went to Suva for the interview.We stayed at our own house which was nothing like my bamboo house which made me wonder, “Why would we go and live in a simple bamboo house in the middle of nowhere when  we have a half million dollar mansion in a town?” On the day of the interview, we went into the main office and sat as we waited for our turn. The room was quiet, It smelled like papers and cardboard boxes and the room was boringly gray.

Everyone was worried, nervous,anxious because a lot of people were being rejected on the spot. We ourselves were nervous and anxious because we didn’t want to say anything suspicious that would get us rejected.My mom’s hands were sweating and dripping to the floor like a leaking pipe, my dad was so silent that I thought he was sleeping, and my sister wondered of to the only thing that was good there, the paintings. All there was, was:

Waiting

Silence

Pens writing

papers flipping. 

Our turn came, the man looked at us and our papers with his round glasses and asked us a few questions and then said, “Make sure to take all the important documents with you on board” handing back our papers. I thought to myself confused, “ Are we going?Is this it?” We went back to our car, no one said anything when we walked out of the building.We got into the car and then we came to our senses that we were back on planet earth again. We looked at each other and cried tears of joy. We were going to be the first in our family to go to the U.S.A

We went to my mother’s brother’s house and told them the good news. They were happy to know that we were going to make our lives better. We had a feast that night. My dad bought the tickets after a few days and our flight was on the 19th of July. My Mom, sister and I went back to Savusavu to finish the school year and Dad stayed in Suva for work. We planned for months on what we were going to pack and waited for the day to arrive.

The day came and my uncle and his family dropped us to the airport. We said farewell to them but it wasn’t a happy one, It was painful. The pain I’ve never felt before. Leaving my little cousins felt like a mother leaving her own children.Leaving my home country felt like leaving for war. We boarded the plane. It was the first time We’ve ever been on a plane. It was a Twelve hour flight and I had so many movies to watch and a sister to bother!

We landed and waited for a friend to pick us up from the airport. I used to have a friend when I was in 1st grade but she left for the U.S when we were in 4th grade. We were going to stay at their place for a while.He came and we drove another 6 hours until we reached his place. His place was nice, the mom was nice,my friend  was nice. But after a few days I realized that she changed a lot. “Was every teen like this here?”  My mom got a call from her sister- in-law and told her that her cousin was so angry on her and cried that she didn’t tell her but the reason why we didn’t tell her was because she could make a false police report and get us in to trouble.We stayed there for about a month and moved to an apartment. It is a one bedroom apartment, fit for a single person, but we are a family of four.

Days went by, Adjusting in our new home, trying to have a good night’s sleep and becoming friends with our new neighbors. We joined a church and all the people there are sweet and helped my parents to apply for jobs.  After a few more weeks,my Mom got a job at a thrift store and my Dad at a hotel. But the first few weeks were hard. My mom’s fixed day offs were not matching with my Dad’s continuous unfixed day offs and my Mom would be tired every night when she gets home and my Dad would have to overwork himself by helping others do their work because of his boss. Mom got used to her job and is not that tired when she comes home. Dad also got used to his job but he still has to finish his own work and help others with their work. My sister goes to an elementary school and is doing fine. I am going to high school and doing fine also. I had a fear that I might fail some classes because I’m completely new to the school system but turns out I am getting all A’s. 

I love it here. There are so many things that I didn’t even know existed and there are so many places that I saw in the movies. I am doing well in church and am becoming more social day by day. As a Christian, I’ve been blessed and am and will be blessed. However, I still miss my family back in my country, blood related and related families. I miss the beaches and family time that I used to have with my other families sometimes but I can’t miss the new opportunities and experiences that are given to me here. It was a great adventure and experience moving here and I look forward to the next. As Meister Eckhart once said, “ And suddenly you just know… It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings”.