Family

         I twirled the card around in my hand, letting it catch the light. I could find practically every color on it except green. "Green card, My Green Card" I said aloud, relazing as I realized it was real and solid in my hands. All the memories of how hard my parents fought to attain it played in my head. almost eight years of stress, effort, and strain. This little card was worth it though. It gave us freedom. It would allow us to go see our family.
         Throughout the months of saving and planning, I grew more and more excited. I did not really believe it was going to happen though. Finally, around Christmas the tickets were in our hands, and we would be in another continent in a matter of days.
         The last time I had seen anyone in Brazil was when I was just five years old, and now I was coming back a thirteen-year-old teenager. These thoughts quickly turned into panic. My overactive imagination conjured up scenarios of my family not liking me, or not remembering me at all. By the time we boarded the plane I was a mess. My heart pounded furiously in my ears as I prepared to face a bunch of virtual strangers.
         All the energy and excitement that had previously been making me happy now crushed my lungs. I became a frazzled ball of nerves. Every ding or announcement startled me. Just over nine hours later the announcement I was afraid of came on "We have arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil". My parents were all smile as we got our carry-ons and headed down the loading ramp. The loading ramp at Logan in Boston had been just a small, dingy carpeted hallway with just enough light to avoid accidents, but in Guarulhos it was a completely different experience. The wide hallway was entirely made of glass. I could see Brazil all around me. There were planes taking off and landing, and beyond them a skyline to rival New York. I felt some of the tension ease as I glanced around.
         An hour later, with all our luggage in tow, we headed to the currency exchange. As we were approaching I noticed someone kind of familiar. When he turned and I saw the same eyes my father and I shared, I knew it was my brother. Next to him stood my uncle Tony. My parents rushed to them and instantly the chattering started. I was hugged and talked to, but mostly talked about. They conversed all the way to the car, while loading it and onto the highway. I looked out my window. Everything felt so surreal, like I was in a dream. The talking faded into the backgrounf as I took in every inch of the view.
         Though it was about a two-hour drive, it felt short. As we started unpacking at my brother's house, my sisters, neices and nephews came down with pizza. I was pushed away from the luggage, handed my food, and sat down. They took over unpacking and the conversation started again. As they talked, memories rushed back to me. Our old house, the room I shared with my sisters, running around with my brother, the sibling fights. It didn't take long for me to join in. I felt so comfortable so quick.
         A week later it was time to move on. We had spent some time with my siblings, neices and nephews. Now it was time to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The panic started to creep up again. It was one thing to get used to people I used to live with and see every day, and still frequently talked to on the phone, but my massive extended family? That was going to be challenging.
         We headed over to my grandparents farm. My parents, my brother, me, and all our luggage in one tiny car. Behind us, my sisters, Daniela and Vanessa followed with their kids in tow. The second I laid my eyes on it, I remembered. The huge hills in the back with the roaming cattle where I used to ride horses and help my grandfather milk cows, the chicken pen with all the little chicks my cousin and I used to play with, hidden from my grandmother's view, the huge back proch over looking all of this where we held the best barbecues and family gatherings, the entire house where there were several pictures of every child and grandchild, including me, all the way to the entrance with all the delicious fruit trees and most beautiful flowers you could imagine. It felt like my home.
         We had one night alone at the farm before everyone arrived. My grandparents made me comfortable instantly. My grandmother had tears in her eyes as she hugged all of us and rattled off the long list of things she had made for us to eat. My parents and I slept on the floor of her bedroom, and everyone else spread in between the two other bedrooms.
         In the morning, I woke up to loud horns and screams. As I looked around I realized the rest  of the family had arrived. There were now fifty-plus people there. The first four hours were a big blur of hugs and tears. My parents and I were waited on hand and foot. People argued over who got to bring us our food etc. It was shocking.
         These people didn't know me. I was just as much of a stranger to them as they were to me, yet here they were, treating me like some kind of celebrity, receiving me into their homes with open arms. It made me embarrassed to remember my worries before. They all seemed so silly now, so unnecessary. My family, including all of the extended branches and add-ons, were so welcoming, they taught me what being family really means.
         Somewhere along the way all of my insecurities just melted away and I got to know and love every single one of them all over again. The distance and time did not lessen any of the love or loyalty they had for my parents and I and vice-versa. I realized then that I had the most amazing family in the world.