Choosing a university is hard. I have always lived in London and Western has always been my number one but now that French is an opportunity for me, Ottawa is moving up on the scale. There are so many things to consider when deciding what university to go to and just thinking about it makes me confused and frustrated because I know it’s an important decision and I can’t make up my mind. This got me thinking that the four of us have always gone through everything together and that’s why this choice is so hard for me now.
I can still remember the day when I was 5 years old and my mom was preparing my last and final birthday in Colombia. I didn’t believe her when I was told I had to leave Colombia and my family and move to Canada because the “Guerrilla” would kill her, my brother, and me, if we stayed. But, we packed our bags, sold everything and after celebrating my 6th birthday with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, we began our journey to Canada.
In Detroit we were stopped because we did not know much English. They took my dad inside to be interrogated and the rest of us were stuck in the freezing cold blizzard outside. My dad refused to answer any questions unless they brought us inside with him, so eventually they did. They saw me and my brother and finally decided to help us find a place to stay that night.
We didn’t have enough money to pay for the hotel. But when we walked inside, a worker greeted us in Spanish. He told us he would put the room in his name and help us pay for it. He took us to a shelter called Freedom House the next morning, but they told us there was no room for us so we were forced to live in a motel for a week. We at least had a place to sleep. We used the bathroom sink to cook our food. It was hard but with the help of the same worker from the hotel, we got through our month in Detroit.
We finally arrived in London, Ontario. We stayed at our friend’s house for a week and then we went to another shelter. Honestly, I was just glad I at least still had the 3 of them with me. Now I’m starting another journey. I guess the real choice is not which city I want to live in, but if I’m capable of leaving my family once again.