Perla
It was the happiest day of our lives, when me and my two kids finally set foot in this beautiful country of the USA.
My brother Lucio, who is a US citizen, petitioned for us to live here permanently.
It took a long 10 years, since as his sibling, I was the lowest in the eligibility category.
I remember the tears flowed as Lucio and I hugged each other tight, when my family and I arrived at Los Angeles Airport.
We have not seen each other for a long time.
3 years before the trip, my ex-husband Rene and I parted ways due to irreconcilable differences.
So it was just me, my 18 year old daughter Eva, and my 14 year old son Egay, that’s off to a new life.
The kids took the marriage annulment very hard and this migration to the US have helped alleviate some of the agonizing heartaches both have experienced.
It was like a new chapter in all our lives as well as an exciting adventure for the kids.
We all have never ridden a plane before and so we were all high strung and wide awake during the long 16 hour flight.
It was amazing seeing the division of night and day when we crossed that divide. By the time we were thousands of miles away from the only country we’ve ever known, Pilipinas Airlines made sure that we were spoiled with pinoy delicacies on board.
Pinoy is slang for Filipinos.
We were all gazing excitedly through the window, as the City of Los Angeles sprawled before our very eyes once the plane touched the ground.
“Wow, ang ganda, it’s like in the movies!’ Eva exclaimed, as her eyes teared, transfixed to LA’s high rise buildings.
“Bakit ka umiiyak?” Egay’s brows furrowed as he looked at his sister asking why she was crying just so to tease her.
I can’t help but smile at these two, who have spent their time bickering and making fun of each other since they were little.
My brother Lucio is married to a US born Filipina named Chrissy and they never had children.
When Chrissy found out about the petition, she wholeheartedly offered to take us all in.
They bought a 5 bedroom home in West Covina, expecting to have a big family.
They quit trying after 3 miscarriages, the last one almost took Chrissy’s life because of complications.
They both decided to spend their time fostering dogs at their home instead, preparing them for their forever homes.
On top of that, they also own 3 boisterous French poodles.
While we talked non-stop during the ride from the airport, I couldn’t help but mesmerize at how the air is so clean, the roads so wide and there seemed to be an organized system of driving here.
Not once did I hear any car honk their horn at another.
In the Philippines, all you hear are the unrelenting honking of angry motorists.
My eyes then caught sight of a bottle of Coca Cola, Lucio had by the driver’s seat and I could not believe that it was made of plastic. Back home, we still had coke in a glass bottle at that time.
Little did I know that this is just the beginning of the many changes I will witness as I assimilate to my new country.
The beautiful winding driveway to Lucio and Chrissy’s home seems to set the prequel to a huge monstrosity of a house that greeted us invitingly.
The setting sun made the house sparkle, transforming it to a dreamlike mansion, at least for people like us, who only see this type of residence in the richer neighborhoods of our country.
“Wow, parang bahay ni Michael Jackson!” Egay blurted out that the house was like Michael Jackson’s home.
“Welcome home everybody!” Lucio said with a smile.
“Thanks kuya,” I said warmly.
In the Philippines, we call anybody older than us “Kuya” for men and “Ate” for women.
Lucio and Chrissy then began giving us a tour of the home. They gave me my own room, while Eva and Egay shared theirs.
In our eyes, everything was luxurious compared to what we were used to.
As I took a peek outside through my bedroom blinds, I was shocked that there was not a single soul in sight.
The street was absolutely deserted.
In the Philippines, we were used to lots of people milling about in the streets at any time of day. We called them “tambays”, people just hanging out with friends and families.
This brought me the first pang of home sickness.
In the next few days, Lucio and Chrissy took us around to see the sights. They also gave us $200 each to shop in department stores for whatever we needed.
I have never bought anything expensive for myself, my children took precedence over everything.
I don’t know what I was thinking, I probably blacked out and thought $200 was the same as 200 pesos- which was the money currency we use back home.
I ended up buying a $80 pair of jeans, which to date, I haven’t stopped feeling guilty about.
It was so cute to see Eva and Egay struggling to make sense of the US coins as they pigged out on the chocolate dipped ice cream bars at the mall, that eventually became their favorite.
I saw Eva extend her hand to the cashier, and let her pick the correct payment.
I felt a warm feeling in my heart that sooner or later these two will be full pledged Americans living the good life in this country.
Aside from the beauty of starting a new chapter in their lives, being here also exposes them to limitless possibilities that very few will ever have the privilege to experience.
“The land of opportunities.”
Now I realized what it truly meant for immigrants like us.
