Today, 6 years ago...

...I first stepped on a new country that is Mother America. Father led an emotional family prayer before the three of us left for the airport. We first dropped my 2 brothers and sister at school; up to that point, I still had not realized how terribly I would miss them until a couple months later. At the terminal, we saw Ft. Guido who was leaving for his Italy annual vacation. We chit-chatted for a few minutes before his boarding leaving the the three of us on a final talk. I could see the sadness in Mother's eyes, letting her oldest child to embark on a totally new life some 3000 miles away. The boarding time arrived and I said good bye to Mother, shook her hand (Yeah, I was that cold many years ago), and walked straight with Father to the airplane.

Seated at the Singapore Airlines business class was a blast. We were pampered by nice airplane meals, good wines, excellent services, and the spacious comfortable seat. That 18 hours Singapore-LA flight was the definitely the best flight ever. Safely landed in Houston, we stopped by Amoseas office before continued travelling to CS by a Greyhound bus. On the taxi to the hotel, I was stuck to realize how small the town really was and how hot the summer day is.

Father wouldn't feel safe leaving me alone before talking to the religious figure in town. So, the next afternoon, we visited St. Mary's and got into talking to Ft. Mike. Father left the day after I moved in to the apartment. (Hi, Kak Meita! She was my roomate). With all the activities of a freshman, I didn't have enough time for a homesick and didn't even bother to call home for the next 3.5 months. Communication with the family was purely by the weekly e-mails. What can I say, I really enjoyed the college life.

That was me 6 years ago, and I could see a lot of me changing. For the better, I hope. Dum spiro, spero.