The Two Boys Who Got Lost

I walked to the town beach in my neighborhood, as usual, this cloudy morning. Few people were walking around on the beach. The weather forecast predicts a winter storm warning, which will affect Rhode Island in the coming two days. Speaking of the weather, I remember an impressive scene happening on this beach.

A few years ago, in the middle of October, my siblings and their family members visited my husband and me at our new home in the United States. 11 people, including me, were staying in our house. All the rooms and the basement were occupied. I took them on a tour to see our new living place. They liked it here, a suburban area, with no tall apartments, calm ... and the beautiful town beach. It’s very different from our hometown, Hong Kong.

About time, the US is 12 hours behind HK time. They are living opposite day and night. Jet lag is a physiological reaction that can happen to everyone. On the second day of their trip, my younger brother’s nearly three-year-old son, Nick, woke up very early in the morning, just like the first day. He talked loudly to his parents and ran around in our house. The noise disturbed everyone in the early morning. So, my brother walked Nick outside for the reason of less noise at home.

This was about 4:30 am. They walked along a few avenues and roads. They felt cold because they didn’t bring jackets to go outdoors. After some minutes, they arrived at the town beach. Then, they took a rest there. It was windy and foggy. Very soon, the landscape was getting hard to see. Visibility was just about ten feet. That weather didn’t allow them to explore the path back home. They felt colder than before. They were afraid and started to panic. They were lost in a murky and cold place. My brother wanted to make a phone call to his wife.

OH NO!! He forgot to bring his cell phone. They couldn't communicate with others and continued to be stuck for a long time. They hugged each other to keep warm. And the father placated his son. They even felt they would die on the beach. At this unfortunate moment, they saw a kindly and pretty fairy with a halo on her head. She slightly walked close to the two pitiful guys. Her face felt familiar, but still not clear. Soon after,

“Lovely wife” and “mama” were spoken by the two guys. My sister-in-law found them on the gray beach. She knew her family well - where the lost persons might go ... or she got a calling? Her explanation was that she had a premonition that the two boys were getting lost. It was because her husband’s cell phone was left on the pillow, and they hadn’t shown up for more than one hour.

Finally, no one got hurt and everyone was safe at home. All the family and I woke up and heard this story. We all were so sorry for the unpleasant experience! After undergoing that, I could see Nick’s family forming a stronger relationship. Years later, when I asked Nick about his story of getting lost on the beach, he replied, “... at an extremely chilly and scary moment, my mama saved papa and I!” The story was deeply photographed in her head.

I believe in destiny. It helps people to connect with their love. Like the picture of the moment, two boys were discovered by a fairy who was surrounded by a luminous aura.

~

by Ann, 2024 02 12
Hong Kong

Living in the United States vs Visiting the Country

Coming to the United States as a tourist is so exciting. You have so many places to visit, a lot of people wanting to meet you. Your vacation time is too short to do everything that you have planned. Sometimes you have to skip invitations because you won’t get the chance to attend. You are too busy enjoying being the guest. You only see the good part of the cake.

I have been traveling to the US as a visitor since 2006 and have always had a great experience. Every trip was amazing, full of joy, but living here is completely different. I had to make up my mind to start over. People are always in a hurry. Meeting your friends and family is not so easy due to schedules.

I have no close family here other than my husband and kid. All my relatives live in other states. My close friends work different schedules. Free time is usually spent on errands and taking care of personal things, leaving no time for seeing friends, especially during fall and winter. Those seasons are the most difficult to set with them. My siblings in the Dominican Republic work in their own business and have flexible schedules. My close friends used to have the same schedule. Then, when we planned to meet, we did without too many complications. Another fact to point out is that we lived in the same city

There are other things to mention that I thought were different and now I know they aren’t. For example, I thought driving would be difficult but it isn’t. At least in this state. New York is another story. Also, food is not so cheap if you like to eat healthy, and health care is not so easy to access, it seems, and medicine is kind of expensive, even more so if you don’t have insurance.

A positive thing to point out is education. In my area it is good. There is excellent follow-up to the students. The neighborhood is also quiet and safe. This is what I like the most. We can walk at any time without fear.

Here, there are better job opportunities than in my country, but people are less supportive at work. If you are used to treating your colleagues as family and are treated the same way, change the clip!

Even though I found considerable differences, I love living here, because as The Bible says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And here are my kid and husband.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic