Anxhela N., a sixth grader from Room 308, wrote:

"What? Going to U.S. Forever?"

Winter!  Everything was fine.  Being the best student at school, having many friends, and doing whatever I want.  “This is the life!”  I said for a moment.  But maybe I said that because I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

Ding Dong!  The bell was ringing.  Then I heard a voice.  A really familiar voice.  “Anxhela!  Yeah…!  Open the door!  Ha ha ha!”

Oh!  Yeah!  That was my dad.  He was screaming.  The whole apartment could hear him.

“What?  Are you screaming?”  I asked my dad, while trying to open the door.

I opened the door and…I saw my dad laughing and screaming and crying, while trying to say something to me.  I was feeling so anxious and nervous and I was waiting for the reason.  I felt so happy.  When my dad is happy, I am happy.  But in fact, we were both happy for different reasons.

Of course!  We won the lottery.  That means goodbye Greece, U.S. I’m coming.  FOREVER!!  I still remember myself when I took this letter (the lottery) in my hands.  I looked at it and I said, “But, dad, that can’t be real.  Maybe there’s a mistake.  Maybe we didn’t win the lottery.”

He didn’t pay attention to me!  He kept dancing, screaming, singing, crying, and laughing,  I started crying, feeling so upset,  My whole face was red and my forehead so hot!  Nobody could see my tears coming out of my eyes.

That was the most horrible day of my life.  I felt that maybe this is just a nightmare.  I will wake up soon.  But that didn’t happen.  Well, not exactly.  I woke up.  But I woke up with the same nightmare.  My heart was still broken, my face still red, and my dad still dancing and screaming.  That could not be more sad.

I felt like I was crazy.  I was mad at everyone.  I wanted to scream.  But I was feeling that even if I scream, nobody will hear me.  So, I sat quietly in one of my room’s corners trying to think about Greece.  Trying to think that I can’t just leave everything.  I can’t leave my house!  I can’t leave my friends!  I can’t leave all the people that I love.

Well, this is what I was thinking, while feeling more and more horrible every second, every minute, every hour, and every day.  Before I leave, I shared my tears with the people that I loved.  Yes, I did say goodbye.  But I still miss who I was in Greece.  I still feel bad about the people that I lost.  I still feel my heart broken and I still think that I can’t fix it.