Coming to California
- Lisa Tate
- San Diego
- UNITED STATES
- 18
It was snowing the day that we left Ohio. My mom, dad, and I all stood out in the freezing cold hugging various family members, laughing, crying, and saying goodbye. We were off to start a new life. My dad had found a job in California, all the way across the United States. He had been sick of his old one, at General Motors, so he decided a change would be good. And that change was taking us a long way away from what we all knew and loved. Ohio…our home and our families were there. But it was time to make a new life. My mom cried the hardest as we were leaving. Packed up in a rusty red car, the three of us made our way west. We stopped in many cities, including Chicago and Dallas. My favorite city was Pocahontas because that was the name of my favorite movie, so my mom took so many pictures of me in front of the city sign. As we drove west, we saw a lot of subtle changes, especially in the weather and landscape. My mom’s favorite change was palm trees.
Finally reaching California, we went to a temporary apartment in La Jolla. We lived there for about a week before we could move into our permanent apartment, in Rancho Bernardo in San Diego. That first week was exciting yet tough. Although it was very cool to explore our new surroundings, and ultimately, our new life, we still remembered what we left behind. My parents called their families every night to tell them of our adventures and to be reminded that even though they were in a different place, families always stick together. Say goodbye to my mother, my sister, my brother Say goodbye to the life i've always known Tell the people that mean so much that I love them And that I'll visit when i can Pack up my family Let's drive into the future Drive where we can start again, start right Watching the vibrant sunset