Last summer my family and I decided to take a trip to the States for the first time since my older brother John was graduating the next year. They wanted him to visit some schools and have a feel for America before coming back next year for college.



When my parents first told me we were going I didn’t believe them, it was all so sudden and unexpected. When it finally all sunk in I went crazy and told all my American friends asking then all the places I had to go. It was so exciting and it just so happed that my best friend Zach and his family were returning back to the states because his older sister Bri had just graduated and was going to attend college there.



After about a month of anxious waiting, the highly anticipated day had arrived, it was finally America day. I still had a lot of packing to do, but still had about 15 hours before departure.



I stepped into the airport took a deep breath, nothing like the fresh smell of foreigners. Then after saying our goodbyes we started the long journey that awaited us. After going through security, bag checks, and 3 hours of waiting for the plane it was finally boarding time, and thus started the 20 hour flight.



The plane ride wasn’t so bad because the plane had ready all the latest movies to entertain me the whole way.



We finally arrive, destination, Atlanta, Georgia. The first thing I see when I step off the plane, African American, and not only that but every single person that worked at the airport, culture shock.



The car ride to the family’s house that we were staying at, I saw all the restaurants, stores, and all the other places that you’ve only ever heard about. It was really exciting. I could barely contain my excitement.



During our three weeks in Atlanta we went to the Coca Cola Museum where we learned all the history of Coca Cola and got to try all the drinks associated with the Coca Cola Company. We visited both Georgia Tech and Emory. We got to go to Six Flags where we went on ride after ride until we got sick to our stomachs. We went to every single restaurant in town devouring it’s menu and it took us awhile to work it all off.



Our next destination was Fort Myers, Florida where we were visiting a friend who we had taken care of for two weeks in Thailand. So this time it was her turn to take care of us. She took us to the Everglades which was really fun because we got to see a lot of cool animals, and she also took us to the beach where we got to watch the sun set.



Now it was finally time to go to North Carolina where Zach and his family were anxiously awaiting my arrival. But before that my family and I decided that we wanted to see Miami before we left so we took a detour and took an hour drive down to Miami. It was beautiful all the buildings, the lights, and beaches. It was stunning, a sight to behold.



So after seeing Miami we started our long drive up to Cary, North Carolina. It took two days to get there, and on the way there we were caught in a horrible rain storm but it was worth it. The moment we locked eyes he ran out of his house to embrace me like a long lost brother. That night we stayed up all night just talking and watching movies. The next day we went out to get us some new pairs of sneakers, something we were waiting to do for when I arrived; and that day I also had my first Chick-fil-A sandwich and milkshake. But my time with Zach was short lived because we had to leave the next day.



So early the next morning Zach and I said our final goodbyes and parted ways. We then headed up to New Jersey but on the way drove through Washington where we got to go see the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial which was really cool. It was a two day drive so we spent the night at the Holiday Inn, then early the next morning we were back on the road.



New Jersey was great, nice people and just a nice peaceful place in general. During our stay in New Jersey we visited Princeton, Yale, MIT, and Harvard which was really awesome. After about three days in New Jersey it was time to go to New York.



We were taking the subway so we got up early in the morning to catch the first train. New York was awesome; we got a tour of the whole city. We got go up the Empire State Building, see the Statue of Liberty, the Flatiron Building, we go to go to Broadway, and Times Square. It was so cool actually getting to seeing everything in person. But sadly we only got to stay in New York for a day because we had to catch a flight to LA the next day.



LA was a blast, the people that were taking care of us while we were there got us a place just about 5 minutes from Staples Center on foot, so I got to go there a couple of times. We got to go visit UCLA and Cal Tech and some other schools, we went to Long Beach, and even had In-N-Out for the first time.


Then after about a month in the States our time in the US was up and it was time to head back to Thailand where we had loving family and friends awaiting us. I am so glad that my family and I had a chance to go to the US and it was such a great experience, and I hope that one day I will be able to go again.