I finally ended my vacation… And at this realization, I am reunited with the oh so familiar sadness that I feel when leaving family once again. That feeling of emptiness that you just can’t explain. That feeling of loss that you feel when you realize that you will not see those who truly love you for another year or two. I’m gonna miss them. The cousins, the titos and titas, the lolas and all the close friends that we see every time we visit. It’s sad because I am so happy when I am with them. It’s completely different from the close friends I have acquired here because the happiness I have with them is completely temporary. I can’t predict how close we’ll be or how long we will see each other. I can’t say that our relationship will be lifelong. At least when I’m with family, I can always reassure myself that they’ll always be there. That no matter how long we don’t see each other, we can always count on the fact that our blood will always connect us with each other. It’s not easy for me, to separate like this so frequently and for such a long period of time. I am convinced however, that if ever I were given the opportunity to have a life in the Philippines, to be secured of a stable job there and to have that security there, I wouldn’t think twice about leaving the States, because even though I love both the U.S. and the Philippines equally, there is only one place in the world where I feel whole, where I feel happy, and where I feel loved. At this point I know who I can live with, and I know who I can’t live without. And with this in mind, all I have to say is, even with all of the good friendships I’ve had here, all the great school experiences, and all the once in a lifetime opportunities I’ve had in the States, I honestly believe I would leave it all just to be with family. It may be farfetched, naive and immature of me to say it, but I love my family and I wish I had grown up with them nearby.