The ship has finally docked. It's time. It's time.

It's time to step foot in America.

I can't tell If I'm sad, nervous, or excited. I can't tell anything. All I know is I've found a new home.

Jenny let me stay with her and her Grandma (who, for the next month, would be staying at their home and not going back on board). I lied to them saying I was waiting for someone to pick me up to then take me to that place "Boston"... I'd figure that out when the time came.

"Hey, Kenji, you ready?" Jenny poked her head into my suite, her pigtails falling into her face. I glanced one more time around my room before turning around and following her.

***

As I stepped off the dock and onto the pavement, I felt like kissing someone. I hadn't touched regular cement in a while, as the journey from Japan was 2 weeks.

"Hey, Kenji... You okay?" Jenny said as she caught up to me. She must have seen my look of awe, because she chuckled. "First time in America, right?"

"Yeah," I breathed. The streets were bustling with people of different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and groups. Tourists paused to snap a picture of our huge boat, before continuing on. Other men, clearly locals, sported crisp black business suits. They talked on phones and rushed around, looking down and avoiding eye contact.

"Let's go." Jenny grabbed my hand and led me to the parking lot. Jenny's grandma rushed behind us, running to catch up and make sure we didn't have to pay for the last hour of parking (parking was complimentary for the staff on board for exactly 4 weeks -- round trip).

We reached the car just in time to drop off our things and make it the automated parking machine. The machine read 6: 58, literally 2 minutes until we would have had to paid for another hour.

The red and white pole swiped up and Jenny grabbed my hand in the backseat as her grandma drove out. "Welcome to America," she whispered.