My trip was from Mexico to the United States, during the spring of 2009. It was my first trip without my parents. It took my aunt and me three days to travel from San Luis Potosi to Chicago, Illinois. Those three days were the saddest and longest days of my life. Saying goodbye to my parents and my little sister was the most difficult part, I had never separated from them before and I had no idea when I was going to be able to meet with them again. Like a camera, I tried to capture that last picture of them and me together, and savored all those hugs and kisses I was not going to receive for a very long time.
Most teenagers travel because they want to have fun, I traveled because I wanted a better education. When I was nine years old and in third grade, my parents decided to move our family to Mexico.
Unfortunately, neither my parents nor I were aware of the lack of education opportunities in Mexico. It quickly became clear that because I was a U.S citizen, there were better opportunities back in Chicago. The trip I took to get back to the U.S. was not what most students’ dream of, nor the most exiting trip a teenage girl could imagine. However, it was the one I wanted and needed for my future.
My head felt like it was going to explode. The tears running down my face like a waterfall did not allow me to sleep on the bus. I could not go to sleep, the driver did not turn on the television and to top it off they turned off the lights right away. I had nothing to distract me from the terrifying thoughts filling my head. My parents and frightening thoughts about what was going to happen once I got to Chicago were all I could think about. I had a new family to adapt to and I had to grow up fast. I could no longer be an immature girl, I had to become a responsible and independent grown woman. I had to take control of my future because my parents were no longer with me.
At some point I must had fallen asleep, because when I woke up, I realized I was already in the U.S. I knew this when I looked out the window and did not see crowded roads filled with people selling dead animals or dried out plants lining the streets. Everything was exactly how I remembered it; lush green trees surrounded us and the nice fresh air, free of dirt. I still had sad thoughts about not having my parents and little sister with me, but my trip was definitely getting better.
After four years I’m still on my trip. I have finally accomplished one of my biggest goals which is graduating from high school and attending college in the fall. These past four years have not been easy, but I’ve learned that I am capable of taking care of myself and being independent. I learned that sacrifices will undoubtedly pay off at the end. Now, here I am, half way through my trip and excited about the next four years of my trip, college.
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