The way to America

 

                                                                                                                                   --------Xuanwei

  China is my motherland, where I was born and raised for 23 years. I usually considered myself such a common one among all the diligent Chinese students that I had never thought that one day I could study and live in the United State by myself. I have always wondered what it is like on the other end of the earth.

  The day finally arrived when I got the choice to go to United States. The plane landed at the moment when I was in half-asleep-half-awake. Before I knew it, I realized that I had reached to the United States, and I was in a mixed feeling of exciting and nervous. I walked out from the airport, a ray of golden sunshine shined to my face and I felt that the sun was welcoming me there. I was so relieved to finally be here. At that moment, everything to me was more like a dream than reality. I was sitting in a taxi that was shuttling through different streets of New York City. When I closed my eyes the journey from Shanghai all the way to New York City rose in my mind.

  I could see my parents saw me off from home to Pudong International Airport, Shanghai. Along the way, they reminded me to take care of myself and pay attention to my safety constantly. I was a little impatient and I had not realized that the parting was upcoming, until I stepped over the airport’s checkpoint. I did not dare to go back to see my parents, because I was worried that I would cry. However, when I went to the corner, I glanced at them secretly. They were waving to me with smiles and I could not endure my feelings anymore and the teardrops were forming in my eyes. With tears in my eyes, I boarded the plane to Hong Kong.

  After three hours of flying, I suddenly saw the beautiful night view of Hong Kong from the flight’s window. Meanwhile, I felt strong turbulence of the plane and due to such reason it circled for half an hour. At last, we landed safely. I breathed a sign of relief.

  Unfortunately, that night was destined to be a sleepless night. I walked around the lounge of Hong Kong’s airport. Everyone spoke Cantonese that I could not understand. I had to wait until the next morning to board according to the original schedule. But when I heard the meteorological notification from the airport broadcast I started to worry about my next flight. A lot of flights were canceled or delayed because they were affected by a typhoon. The typhoon alert never stops all that night.  What made things even worse was that I got diarrhea. I felt very bad, as the air conditioning was incredibly cold.

  What a tough night! I silently prayed that everything would be OK. Fortunately, I felt better at the next morning. However, my flight had been delayed. I consoled myself that hopefully the fight was not canceled, just delayed. After some hours, I finally boarded the flight to the U.S.

  In the plane, I waited an hour again before the plane took off . I believed that a good gain takes a lot of pain. Although, the journey was so stressful and hard, it is a memorable experience. Under the circumstances, I began to learn how to depend on myself and be optimistic. More importantly, I realized that the care from family and parents means more than what I could imagine to me. I am in the United States now and everything is wonderful. This is the place where my dream starts, I will cherish it and look forward to the future.