A lot of people decide to have a party on their sixteenth birthday, but I wanted to go to Australia. Six hours to California then another fourteen hours to Sydney really did a number on my health. On my way there, I got really sick and at the time, I just wanted to go home. When I arrived, I was greeted by cousins and family members that I’ve never seen before. As soon as I stepped out of the airport, I recognized one of my cousins that I haven’t seen in years. He gave my sister and I each a stuffed koala wearing a leather hat and jacket. Although I was very sick, I still appreciated the thought to get us a souvenir. A long time ago, my relatives in Italy decided to move. Half of them immigrated to America, and the other half immigrated to Australia. This was the first time I’ve ever been to Australia, so there were a lot of cousins that I knew nothing about. The trip was only two weeks long, but I went from not knowing anyone’s name to being best friends with a lot of my cousins. I remember when it was my birthday, a lot of my family went to lunch at a restaurant, and one of my cousins didn’t know who was having the birthday, so he gave the card to my sister. But, at the end of the two weeks, that same cousin was wishing we could stay. It was a really nice experience seeing and going to all the amazing places in Australia, but the best part of the trip had to be spending time with my family and building relationships with them. When I look at the stuffed koala in my room, I’m reminded of the good times with my cousins and the rest of my family in Australia.

– Gillian Marino

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant