Moving On
A large lorry laden with bricks slammed into my chest. Everything froze in front of my eyes: time, my family, my thoughts. Well, that’s what it felt like. The same phrase repeated in my head: ‘They denied our green card appeal’. Tears began streaming down my
face.
I flashed back to the summer of 2007, my family and I moved from England to a boarding school in Tennessee, USA. Being only six years old at the time, I acclimatized quickly to the change of scenery. We were living there on a five-year visa which would expire in 2012. As the time of the visa expiration approached, my parents applied for our green cards. They filled out many forms, and sent them in. We went to a doctor’s office to receive the different shots required for the green card application.
June 2013 came around, and we received a letter telling us that our green cards had been denied. At twelve years old and being quite naive, I told myself that the government had made a mistake and we would receive another letter saying that they sent us the wrong letter. I convinced myself of everything except the fact that we might have to uproot our lives at any given moment. That summer, I attended my first, invigorating camp in Virginia, and became certified in First Aid and CPR. A four-day family trip to visit friends in Florida, over the Fourth of July weekend, followed. It was as if my parents knew it would be our last summer there. During summer break, my parents met with a lawyer to fill out the appeal form. Summer break ended, and my hopes were still up for an apology letter.
The school year began again, and life carried on as normal. I went to school, and hung out with friends. I thought life was going just fine until that fateful winter morning.
It was the afternoon of December 9th, 2013. The day was snowy with frigid, blistery temperatures and biting winds. The roads were slippery and treacherous. I had a snow day. Like most people my age, I was delighted to find out that we had no school. The rest of my family went to school and work while I stayed at home for the morning. I went to the campus cafeteria for lunch then stayed to help my mum at work.
As I walked down the hallway I saw my sister, Victoria: ‘Antoinette, quickly go home and pick up the letter that came from the immigration office, and take it to Mummy and Daddy.’
Since I had made up all the fantasies about receiving an apology letter, I wasn’t too worried about what it contained.
The next day, December 10th, the icy roads were safe enough for the bus to maneuver down, so I had school. As we sat down to family worship at six A.M., I had no thoughts about the letter until my parents informed me of the sudden change of plans in our lives. ‘They denied our green card appeal’. The water pipes burst. I sat there crying for a long time. When I had composed myself, I didn’t want to speak to anyone. I found out that once we left the US, we were banned for ten years. I was devastated.
Finals ended and Christmas break began. We spent it packing everything we had acquired over the past six-and-a-half years. Friends offering their services helped us pack, as it was a prodigious project. My aunt invited us to temporarily move in with her in Texas until
we could find a permanent place to live. Unfortunately, my parent’s work permits expired at the same time as their driver's licenses. My 19-year-old brother was now the only person in the house with a valid driver’s license. My aunt flew up from Texas to help us pack, and to share the 18-hour drive down to Texas..
In Texas, I had a difficult time adjusting. I was homeschooled and had very little motivation to do anything. The only friends I made there lived about 45 minutes away. I was constantly upset. I missed my friends in Tennessee so much that it nearly made me sick. My
emotions were running high. Many times I would crack like a glass falling to the ground.
Tears would flow like rivers down my face.
How could I move on with my life apart from my closest friends: Brooke, Bethany, Jerry, Noah? After a few months, I realised that I had to accept the fact that change is inevitable. Ernie Harwell once said: ‘It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad
and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.’ It was time for me to courageously move on.
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Our students need your help! 讓學生好文讚出來!
Below are four essays written wholly by TAIS students. They are competing for a $30,000 TWD scholarship. Please read these short essays and vote for the one you believe is the best written. Think about:
此篇文章是由TAIS學生撰文，正在爭取贏得獎金3萬元的寫作競賽，請您在閱讀文章之後投下您心中覺得寫得最好的一篇，按讚之前請您想一下:
- Is the story told in a unique way? 說故事的方式是否獨特?
- Is the delivery creative and with a clear "voice" of the writer? 是否具創造性並清楚的傳遞了撰文者的心聲?
- Is it easy to read this essay? Is it enjoyable and memorable? 容易讀嗎?是有趣的、難忘的嗎?
- Were the rules of writing followed? (Give leeway on grammar since their first language is Chinese.)有符合寫作原則嗎?(請容許文法使用的誤差畢竟這些學生的母語是中文)
- Is there a clear introduction, body, and conclusion? 是否有清楚的起、承、轉、合?
Please "like" the essay you're voting for. 若認同此篇符合上述，請對文章按”讚”
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