It was the summer of 2007. My family and I had enjoyed living in a small Southwest suburb of Chicago for 12 years. It’s where we grew up, made friends, played sports, and went to school. We were happy and liked it there, that being said, it was the only place we had ever lived. My family had no idea that our world was about to be turned upside down.

One fateful day, my father called us into our living room for a family meeting. There was an ominous tone in the room that seemed to be shared with the whole family. He had been extremely irritable as of late because he was struggling to find a job in the then terrible banking market. As I waited, I studied the living room that I had been in countless times. My eyes inched across the white walls and hardwood floors, with an oriental rug laying across the width of it, and a panoramic picture window facing the street. Opposite of the picture window was a floor to ceiling stone fireplace that was rarely used. Once we sat down and focused our attention on my dad, his face snarled into a serious look in his quest for words. He looked up at us and said, “I’ve been offered a job in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Your mother and I have been talking about it, and I think I’m going to take it. This means we will be moving there this summer.” My shock in response to what he said was similar to that of a family being notified that they would be deported. His words cut through the air like a samurai sword through a pillow. Upon the reception of these words, I wanted to go clean my ears out for fear I wasn’t hearing properly. I would have been less surprised by my dad beating me with a sack of potatoes in front of the whole family.

In the short span of thirty seconds, my dad took my world and threw it into limbo. For him to expect me to believe there were no jobs in the banking market in as big of a city as Chicago was ludicrous. I couldn’t come close to fathoming what a life in Iowa would be like. It all seemed so unreal, as if I was trapped in a dream that I would never wake up from. I was Alice falling down the rabbit hole into an unfamiliar place with new settings, people, and ways of life. A strong feeling of helplessness began to set in upon me as I realized there was nothing I could do, but accept my fate.

Along with moving day came a culmination of feelings inside of me. Anxiety to see my new home and meet new people, curiosity as to what life was like in Iowa and more importantly what my life there would be like. Most of all I felt pain. I had to leave my school, neighbors, best friends, family, and my city.


My best friend, Neil, sauntered somberly up the driveway toward me with his head held low as if someone had just shot his dog. I advanced toward him casually. He caught me off-guard when he reached out for a hug instead of a customary handshake. We knew very well that soon we would be separated.

The time came for us to pack up the last of our belongings into the cars and say our goodbyes. Friends, family, and neighbors had gathered in our backyard to wish us well and send us off. Hugs were exchanged as well as parting gifts and mementos to ensure no friendship would be forgotten. Many somber tears fell to the ground from the cheeks of my kin and pals alike. Despite my own efforts to hold back tears, I felt a strong wave of them come out of each eye. This was the day that I thought would never come along. Deep down I knew it had to, but I always thought there would be more time to play backyard football with my chums or act as if I was actually watching golf as I sat next to my grandpa. It seemed unnecessarily abrupt and unfair that I had to leave my life behind.

My time in Chicago was up. A new chapter of my life was beginning, yet only because it was forced upon me. An unfamiliar place that I already despised awaited me at the end of our journey.