As the crickets chirped and the sun rose from behind the mountains, the day I had long waited for finally arrived. In retrospect, I was unprepared for its consequences but well aware of the opportunities that awaited at my new home in the United States. While I was unprepared for the separation anxiety I would encounter when I left the home I knew best, this opportunity was seen as a blessing in my rural town of Crofts Hill, Clarendon, Jamaica, and I pledged to make excellent use of it. Wailing as if I was at a funeral of a close relative, I gave my grandmother one last hug and a kiss to remember me by. While this was not goodbye forever, I could not help feeling a sense of guilt, guilt that I was leaving her to embark on a better life in the United States of America. She did not take our separation well as she pleaded for me not to look back at her sobbing as my younger brother and I was leaving. This I understood, as we had lived with her for the prior six years and were now being ripped from her arms. Living with her was intended to be temporary until my mother achieved stability in the U.S; then, she would have us come with her to live. As I said my last goodbyes at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport, it was both a happy and a sad occasion. Sad to be leaving close relatives but happy to be embarking on a new and hopefully exciting phase of my life filled with promise and opportunities. Relatives from all corners of the island gathered to say their goodbyes and shared memories and advice on how I should seize the plethora of opportunities America had to offer. Upon landing at Miami International airport, I felt like the world was on my side. I was in the land of the free, where with hard work and dedication, I expected to achieve my dreams. With the various limitations in Jamaica, notwithstanding its stunning beauty and other attributes, Many could only dream of the opportunities that I believed awaited me in the United States. I felt ecstatic but quickly became mildly depressed as I felt like a piece of me was still in Jamaica. I worried about my grandmother's health and safety but remembered her command (make me proud and take advantage of what the USA has to offer). As I walked through U.S immigration and customs, I now felt a sense of promise. I would make every attempt to use the opportunities that would present themselves. While I had a new home that awaited me, I would never forget my roots. As a result of the opportunities I was given, I have been through High School; I've maintained an exceptional GPA and achieved awards such as the honor roll, etc. I now have an apprenticeship teller position at Georgia's most renowned credit Union, Delta Community Credit Union, and I am on the path of attending college. To this day, I am grateful for all the opportunities I was given when I migrated. I avoided common teen mistakes such as teen parenthood and delinquency, and today I stand as the first male in my household to apply to college and await decisions. I can now say I made my family proud. I have learned that change is a good thing and not to let negative thoughts steer my path to success but to be ambitious in any path I wish to partake in.