Faith helped me with move to the U.S.

Well, I could lie that the transition from a foreign country was smooth, maybe even lie that moving here was all my plan. But I’ll tell the truth and describe the sadness that moving to the ­United States brought, and all of God’s help that allowed me to adjust and to recover from the sadness that it brought. 

Imagine being with friends for 11 years of your life. Imagine leaving them, imagine being like brothers to some of them. Imagine rising from being most teachers’ least ­favorite student to the executive committee and one of the most respected students in your grade. ­After five years of very hard work, I accomplished so much in school and now that would all be gone.

Let’s start at the beginning of 2018. I had just got inducted into the Executive committee in September of 2017 and was planning on running for Head Prefect (Basically the Head of Student Council) in my Catholic School in Singapore.

Meanwhile, my dad was offered a promotion but he had to move to upstate New York. He and my mom asked us if we were okay to leave and go to another country. At first, I thought they were joking, so I said that it was a brilliant idea, saying that if God willed it, it has to be best for our family. 

On April 21, 2018, they told me that we would be applying for a visa in June and that we were moving to the United States, (Well, good job! You officially ruined my birthday). In the days that followed I told some of my classmates.  

On June 8, 2018, as we applied for a visa to move to the United States, I was praying that God only willed for Dad to be offered the promotion, not to be moved to the United States. God willed otherwise and we were accepted for the visa. Soon enough, my parents pulled us out of school after the first semester, and allowed me to use my PS4 to make up for ruining my birthday. 

On Sept. 13, 2018, I went back to school for one last time to say my final “goodbyes” to my classmates. I went through my final school day with tears in my eyes and I led the school in praying the Angelus to end the school day.  

A few weeks later, we put our home on the market. An open house followed and within a few days, an offer came in. We accepted the offer, so I spent time at my best friend’s house during the last two weeks there. But to make it seem as if crying once was not enough, they hosted a farewell party on the eve of the flight, making my eyes as red as a red rose. 

How do I start to describe our flight? It was a 22-hour and 30- minute torture trip. Imagine lying on your bed for the entire duration. You know how you get all sticky after that long without moving. Imagine getting that sticky and then add all the leg cramps that you get from barely moving for almost a day. 

But to tell the truth the year 2019 has been the best year of my life so far. That is why God’s plan will always be better for us than our plans. The fact that I now attend a Catholic School, as I had in Singapore, has helped ease my transition. My faith definitely helped me deal with this major life change.

Daniel Mocorro is a sixth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Waterford.