During Golden Week I returned to Ohio for the first time in almost two years. Thankfully, unlike my flight over here, all of my flights went very smoothly. This was what worried me most because I only had about a week home and I didn’t want to waste a day because of flight delays.

The first thing I did when I touched down was hug my mother. She always missed me terribly when I called her on Skype so she had been waiting for me anxiously. My father gave me a strong handshake and said, “Welcome home, son.” He hadn’t changed much. We then went home to my house and ordered my favorite local pizza. Being in my home brought back many memories and like my father, it hadn’t changed much.

The next five days went by in a flash. It seemed like I was always saying, “Hello! Long time no see!” I also ate many of my favorite foods from America, including Biscuits and Gravy. It is a dish usually reserved for breakfast but I could eat it anytime. The gravy is made by mixing flour and milk into leftover grease from frying sausage. It is then poured on biscuits. It doesn’t sound too appetizing but it is great with scrambled eggs and a tall glass of milk.

I also met many of my friends that I hadn’t seen in a longtime. Some I hadn’t seen in three or four years and some even had children. Most of my time I spent with a family of three brothers and a sister who are like my second family. They took me to a few of my favorite restaurants and we also had a barbeque outside. It was almost like old times.

My trip had to end sometime though. It felt like I had just said, “Hello” when I had to say “Goodbye.” Just before going through security at the airport my mother started to cry. I knew it was coming but it always breaks my heart but there was nothing I could do. I gave my mom a hug, my dad a handshake and headed home.