Yesterday, we were still in class copying notes and reading textbooks. Time went by so fast. We’re now walking down the stairs and toward the stadium, fed up by all the speeches we’ve heard from our teachers already. To not fall asleep during the speech was my goal.

“Hey, Megan!” I yelled, trying to catch up with her. She turned around and waited for me. Megan is one of my best friends.

“Oh my goodness, I really want to get this speech over with,” I complained.

“Me too. We’ve heard like five already!” she replied.

“So, what are you planning on doing over the summer?” I asked her.

“Oh nothing special in particular. Still staying in Taiwan for sure though. When are you going to America?”

“I’m going to the airport today,” I informed her.

“We’re going to miss you so much!”

“So am I,” I told her, as my voice faded. “So am I.”

Quickly, we walked into the stadium and grabbed a seat. “Welcome to your elementary school graduation ceremony. Let us begin!” greeted the principal. It was the principal’s speech that made me sleepy. I flashed back to the time I was in first grade, being the first one to answer the teacher’s questions and always in the playground during lunch. In first grade, I was shy, and through elementary school, I had stayed the same. Listening to teachers talking and doing homework. It all seemed like that was just yesterday. Slowly, I was drowsing and I almost fell asleep until Megan punched me on the back. “It’s almost your turn to stand up. Don’t forget, your rank is #12!” she reminded me. I don’t know how to survive without her. Since she came to this school, we’d been best friends. Finally, when the principal called out “12th place” I stood up, got a round of applause, and sat back down.

Soon enough, I fell back sleep. I don’t know how long I’ve been drowsing, but it was when Megan, again, cuffed me and told me the assembly was over. I learned that it was not a good idea to fall asleep during a graduation because it is a very important part of our life that we can share with others about. Obviously, I didn’t reach my goal. Through the whole speech, I didn’t listen to one word the principal had said. Walking out of the stadium, we stopped and take pictures of our whole class. Megan groaned because she hated taking pictures. Finally, after about three takes, we headed upstairs for more pictures, it turned out.

All our parents are already outside, waiting for us to get our things together. My hat and my folding chair are the only things I still have at school. Grabbed as many things as I could two days ago, when I brought a huge garbage bag, so I wouldn’t have to carry too many things on my last day.

Finally, it was time for all of us to leave. I was cheerless because of leaving this school, leaving all my friends, and most important of all, leaving this country. I hugged Megan for the longest time ever. It seemed to me as if time was frozen. I stopped at my one, last step to the silver gate I really love, and turned back once again, waving to all my friends. There were tears in my eyes, dropping like rain as I took my last step outside elementary school, onto a different education and a different environment.

It was as if my life just completely took a 180-degree turn. My dad came to get me to the airport while my mom and my brother are making final checks of our house. I am no longer an elementary student, but a mature young adult, who happens to be doing something that’s going to change her life. In the airport, when we were checking in, my mom and my brother arrived, and were getting their things together. It took us half an hour to get through everything in the airport and finally to the gate.

“Seat numbers twenty to forty, you may board now,” informed the airhostess. It was then I became aware of the fact that it was our turn to get on the airplane. Boarding onto the airplane smoothly, we then waited another half an hour for the airplane to get started. When the airplane was moving, I realized that this is my last view of my hometown and of the country I will never forget.