On a bright and sunny morning, Layla made her usual trek to school. But today was not any ordinary day, today was her very last day of school in Minya, Egypt! As Layla walked the familiar path to Sawada Elementary school, she didn’t feel happy at all. She wasn’t excited to see her friends, nor was she excited to see her favorite teacher, Mrs. Ostebø, because she knew that today was the last day she would get to spend with them in a very… long… time...

It was just last week that she had learned her family was moving from the only home she had ever known. She knew she was going to miss her friends in town, but she was really scared of was not being able to fit in when they arrived at their new home in the U.S.A. Her parents had said “Michigan” when talking about their new home and Dad’s new job there, but she didn’t really pay much attention to those details after they broke the news.

That night Layla had trouble sleeping. She was too busy imagining what kinds of people, sights, sounds, and smells awaited her in that distant place. Would she be able to make new friends in a place that spoke a whole different language? Practiced an entirely different religion other than Islam? Would she ever get the chance to eat her favorite foods again? Her mind started racing, but then she remembered what her mom had said: “a home is what you make of it, Layla. 

The next day, Layla awoke early to find her parents rushing back and forth, confirming that everything was packed and ready for the long journey ahead. She slugged through her morning routine and packed up the last of her things. Luckily, she was able to sleep through the flight, but her lethargy did not seem to ease no matter how much she slept. 

After the flight, they were greeted with long lines of people that slowly trudged through a slinking path of ropes up to the customs agents. No one looked particularly happy about being there, but she began to notice more and more that the people around her didn’t look like her or her friends back home, didn’t dress like them, or sound like them. She was intrigued by this, but several looks and not-so-subtle glares from the staff and other travelers made her feel self-conscious and out of place.