During the fifteen hour fight, I barely couldn’t close my eyes and take a rest. It’s my first time going to a country outside of Asia. For me, America is like the most familiar stranger. I have been learning English and American culture since my childhood. I ate McDonald’s, watched Hollywood movies and listened to Billboard top music but I never actually been to the US before. So I am too excited to sleep. I am wondering if everything in this magical country is the same as my imagination or not.

And then, I am here. 

Everything is so different and at the same time you also could find familiarity. At the beginning, I thought I was just going somewhere just like where I came from but in the English version. After a few months, I started to realize the deeper difference between them. I am so glad I’m here and can do whatever I want without caring about how other people think. 

You can buy a ticket to anywhere you want at any time. Eventually you have to go back to your place and return to normal life. But a one-way ticket has another meaning. For me, it not just means you flew to another country but also means I step outside my comfort zone​​.

– Tzu-Ching Huang

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant