The Trip by Natalia

THE TRIP by Natalia

February 2009 finally arrived. It was a perfect sunny morning for a long plane ride. The bags were packed and everything was set up to start the journey. My mom and my dad couldn’t hide the sadness on their faces even my “Juanita” was acting different, her tail was still and her eyes were spiritless.

We got in the car and we all were silent. Our way to the airport seemed eternal.

As soon as we got there my mom started crying. I did the check-in and got my boarding-pass.

My dad wanted to look calm and comforted my mom but when he hugged me it wasn’t easy for him to let me go.

It was time, I kissed them and told them “everything would be ok, don’t worry”.

After having ride 4 airplanes I got to JFK, I arrived at 2am and it was freezing, there were another four Colombian girls and they could barely understood what the immigration officer was asking them, fortunately they were tired enough to not check all our bags.

We stayed one week at St. John’s University “learning” how to take care of kids. Then I left to Pittsburgh to live with my first shitty host family. They lived in a suburb 40 minutes away from civilization. The weather didn’t help much. There were raccoons and bambies and groundhogs dead aside the roads. I put up with that situation three long months, and then I moved to Fabulous Vegas! I lived there nine months and then went back to Colombia. End of the trip.

Every time I think about that trip I remember how nervous I was. When I woke up that morning I couldn’t stop thinking that that was my last shower and my last breakfast, at least for that year. For a minute I wanted to tell my parents I didn’t wanna go and let them alone but I gave up a lot of things to have this trip that there wasn’t much to do then. At the airport my heart started beating faster and faster and I tried to not tell with my face what I was actually feeling at that very moment. I needed to be strong for my and for my family. Nobody said it would be easy I know. The aisle between the gate’s entry and the airplane got narrower at every step I’ve made.

I really enjoy flying, but the flight from Costa Rica to JFK was a nightmare. In there was a teeny tiny baby who cried the whole flight. It was exhausting.

On my arrival I had my first encounter with the snow; it wasn’t that pleasant I must say. I was very anxious. I was wondering how my life would be in there for the rest of the year. My first trip abroad. My first year away from home.