This is it, Zenita. This is it.

I remember the day before my flight, December 02, 2011. It was a busy day for me. I had so much to do: haircut, mani, buy clothes, pack my suitcase, and get all my paperwork ready. It was an exciting day but at the same time, sad. I remember feeling bittersweet. Packing my suitcase was the worst part of that day. Most of my clothes are for summer. I might have had one or two hoodies but that’s it.

As I’m folding my clothes to go in my suitcase, I thought to myself, Am I ever going to wear this again? Well, might as well put it in the suitcase! 

I got done packing, and it’s time for me to take a shower and get ready. That was the last time I was ever going to use that bathroom, last time I was going to eat at that dining table, last time. It was already 8:00 pm, it was time for me to put all my belongings in the trunk of the car. As soon as I shut the trunk, everything stopped. It almost felt like my heart stopped beating. I stood there like a statue while a cool breeze ran across the back of my neck and a random voice whispered in my ear, “Are you ready?”
   

I got in the van with everybody: my aunts, uncles, cousins and nephew. It took about three hours to get to the airport from my house. The whole entire car ride to the airport was dead silence. I felt like I needed to say something, but I could not get the words out of my mouth. Time check, 10:23 pm.  My body was starting to shake for some reason, especially because I know that in a little bit we will be at the airport.

Next thing I know, we are at the airport. Oh. My. God. This is my first time traveling by myself on a plane. A freaking airplane. I was the last one to get out of the car. Once I got out, my aunt said that we should take a picture for the last time. We all got close to each other and snapped the picture. I was trying so hard not to cry. They all walked me to the door and right there I couldn’t hold it in anymore. My eyes felt like they were burning and my vision got somewhat blurry because the tears were starting to cover my eyes, and next thing I knew I was crying like a little three year old girl who dropped her ice cream on the ground.
   

All I saw around me were people walking around with their suitcases, so I got on the plane and, unfortunately, my seat was next to an old man. When they shut the door, I looked out the window and I witnessed a beautiful sunrise. While I was looking at the sunrise, I started tearing up again as I tell myself, This is it, Zenita, this is it. I could not do anything except already miss everyone and everything I was leaving behind.

As the plane started moving and kept getting higher and higher above the ground, the view is getting smaller and smaller. At first, the people look like they’re shrinking like the size of ants and then buildings started shrinking also and a few minutes later I can no longer see anything except for clouds. It almost looked like a never ending field of soft cotton to me. It was an uneventful twelve hour long flight. I was stuck sitting next to an old man who never spoke a word to me.

We had a stopover at Nagoya, Japan a couple hours later and when I got back on the plane, this old lady who was assisting me, moved me to a different spot. My seat was no longer next to an old man’s,  but now I was stuck with no one. From Nagoya, Japan to Detroit, Michigan.
   

“Welcome to Detroit...I hope you enjoyed your flight,” I hear someone say. Uh no. It was a boring flight but at least I made it here safe. When I got off the plane, some dude greeted me and asked for my name politely, shook my hands and told me that he will be assisting me.

We walked and walked and walked. We got to the conveyor belt where you pick up the luggage. He helped me find my suitcase which was nice. There weren’t that many people at the airport at that time so we kept walking and walking, and right there was my dad standing in a long black coat with my brother and uncle. The guy who was assisting me handed my dad some papers, my passport and then left. I stood there with no reaction on my face but in my head I was totally freaking out because I was still in shocked like, woah! oh my gosh! my dad, who I haven’t seen in almost five years, is standing right in front of me. Everything happened so quick but in my head, everything was in slow motion just like in movies.

He walked up to me and hugged me. 

“Look at you, all grown up now!” my dad said.

No words came out of my mouth. My brain was still processing the fact that I’m with my dad now.
   

“How are you?” he asked.
   

“I’m good, you?” I answered.

 “Well, why don’t we go ahead and put all your stuff in the car?” he said not answering my question.
   

We got in the car and drove for half an hour to get to my aunt’s house just to let them know that I made it safely and maybe to hang out for a little bit. When I walked in her house, everyone welcomed me and it was scary because I had  never met all these people. A few minutes later, my dad said “Zenita, will you make me a cup of coffee?”

Right at that moment, I knew everything was about to change.