text: ather got me a journal today. I have been practicing english for almost a year. He says writing down on paper will help me practice better. I think I am doing good so far. Teacher says I am the best in my class. I want to be a writer some day. I think words are the most important thing. But mostly I want to impress them when we get there. I am very nervous. I will write before I sleep every day to make a rootine, because consistency is important. **F**ather told me we are getting very close. I already know what I will say. "Hi. My name is Jyarykzey, but you can call me J. It is very nice to meet you. What do you do for fun?" And they tell me all the funnest parts about their lives. We will laugh and they will love us and accept us. Father tells me to stay quiet though. He says to let the grown ups handle things because it will be tents when we get there. I don't understand this. **F**ather told me we are arriving tomorrow. I am very nervous but excited! What will it look like? How do they show love? I hope they are nice. Out of my window I see a huge world with rings around it. It is so beautiful. I don't know if I will be able to even sleep tonight! **W**e arrived today. I don't like this place. I am confused. I am sad. I was told they would hug. I tried to hug and they hit me. They put me in a cage. They took my journal, but a man came to me later and gave it to me. Maybe he is one of the good ones. When we landed they circled around us with big guns. We didn't even get off the ship for hours. And I didn't see any tents. I still don't understand that. I will try to sleep on this floor but it will be hard. I hope father can convince them we are just lost and desperate so we can live with them. **F**or a while I thought I would be here forever. I spent the whole day in this dim room with nothing but my journal. A plate slid into my room with some of their food on it. It wasn't very good. The man came back and helped me practice sentences on the back pages. That was nice of him. I asked him when I can leave this place. He said "Maybe soon. We were not expecting you. Understand that we are just being cautious." I told him I don't want to hurt anyone. None of us do. We are just lost and desperate. He said "I know" and he hugged me. He is a good man. **T**oday was a good day. They finally let me out. I found my father with the others. We got into a big line and got onto buses. We drove for hours through a big, flat, sandy place. My father told me we are in a place they call "New Mexico". I wondered where all of the people are. I assumed they were in Old Mexico. We arrived at a place with many small buildings and two large buildings. The bus driver said "Welcome home". It doesn't feel like home. But if it is my home then I will love it anyway. **W**e moved our things into a small building with two rooms. It is just me and my father so it is not too little. I was just happy to have something soft to sleep on. My father spent a couple of hours reading directions for the food. He opened a bag of something square and put it in water. He used a large metal box to start fire under it and the water started smoking. After a while, he scooped out the square and it was strings now! It was magical. He put a powder on the strings and stirred them. It was AMAZING. I am so full and so happy. **T**he others don't seem happy here. I think they miss home. I miss it too but we had to start a new life somewhere, and this life is fine with me. My father told me "I'm sorry but all we have is Ramen and water". I pieced together that Ramen was the strings. I told him not to be sorry. If this is all they eat here then I am very happy to share their culture. I am enjoying this life but the others aren't. I also want to meet people. I was so excited to meet all kinds of people. **T**he others are getting sadder and sadder. It makes me sad. Tomorrow I am going to try to bring them happiness. I heard that people were good, so I will go find some good people to spread happiness to them. I see cars sometimes outside of the walls. Maybe I could get one to stop and take me somewhere with people. **I** did it. I found a loose spot in the wall and squeezed through. I waved at a car and they stopped. I told them to take me somewhere with people and they said to get in the back and don't move around too much. It is very small and dark back here. I am bouncing around and I am uncomfortable. It will all be worth it soon. **I** don't know where I am. I noticed something hanging in the back of the car and I pulled on it. The back swung open. I tried screaming but I don't think he heard me. We hit a big bump and I bounced out of the car. It hurt a lot. I have been walking all day and I don't see anything but dirt and hills. It is getting very dark. It is getting very cold. I'm scared. **A**fter walking for most of the day, I saw a big building in the distance. As I got closer, I could see more and more buildings. It's a whole city! I made it into the city as the sun went down. I walked through the streets and everyone was staring at me. I heard something loud and fun and couldn't help myself from walking towards it. I walked into a building and everyone was jumping around. Lights were flashing and everyone was smiling. I jumped around for a bit but nobody wanted to jump with me. Maybe you only jump with your friends. I went over to where people were sitting down and drinking colorful drinks. I sat next to a lady and said "Hi. My name is Jyarykzey, but you can call me J. It is very nice to meet you. What do you do for fun?" Her eyes grew very wide and she said "I don't think you're supposed to be here". I said "But it seemed like fun. Where should I be?" and she said "with the others". I didn't say anything. She was right. I don't belong. Then she said "You seem nice though. Do you want to try this? My name is Sam, by the way" as she held her drink to me. I tried it and said "I don't like that very much". She said that not many people do at first. She told me it was dangerous for me to be around people but she won't say anything and I could stay with her tonight if I wanted. She took me to her home and showed me where I could sleep. She said "goodnight, sweet dreams". I said "goodnight Sam. You're one of the good ones". Today was a very good day. **S**he told me to stay inside today and don't break anything. She told me I could look at her stuff though. Her bathroom was filled with things that smelled so great. Her shower things smelled like her, which I didn't understand but I liked it. In the room I slept in was a big black rectangle. I looked around it and noticed some buttons on the side. After pressing all of them, pictures came onto it. A man was speaking to me about the others at my home. He said one has escaped, and if you see them you should call the police immediately. I don't know what the police will do to me but it makes me nervous. Maybe they are the bad people who put me in a cage. Sam got home later in the day. We talked about what life is like here and what life was like where I used to be. She told me about her people and I told her about mine. She told me about good people and bad people and how you never know what someone is until you meet them. I told her that I'm glad I met her. She said "I'm glad I met you too" and hugged me. Sam is so nice. I showed her my journal and she said my English is getting better. I told her I want to be a writer. She said "I think you will do great things one day". She went to her room for the night. I'm glad we came here. **S**omething exciting happened today. Well, not for most of it. I spent most of the day watching the screen. It doesn't seem like many people want us here. I think if they got to know us it would be different. Sam came home and sat on the couch with me. I told her I want to learn about love. She looked skeptical but then explained to me how some people connect very well and that some people are so special to you that you will do anything for them. They make you feel better than anyone else could. She said this can be misinterpreted though. She told me stories of a man who cheated on her. I told her I don't know what that means. She explained to me how love is emotional and physical. If it is only physical then it is not love. She looked at me, looked down and giggled. She asked "how do you have sex?" I looked at her confusingly and she said "Like, reproduce. Make babies." I held up a finger and she laughed again. I couldn't tell if she was mocking me. She could tell I was a bit offended and asked hesitantly "Could you show me?" I had never done this before, especially with a person, so I was a bit standoffish about it. She said "it's okay, I won't hurt you". I held her hand up and brought my finger to hers. Her eyes rolled back and her head leaned back too. I closed my eyes and continued. Afterwards she said it was like magic. She said she knew everything I knew, everything I wanted, everyone I care for, and all of my dreams. She thanked me and told me to sleep in her bed tonight. She got in the bed and pulled out a rectangle. I asked her what it was and she said "It's a cellphone. I'm setting an alarm for work". **S**am rushed out of the house this morning shouting "I'm late! I'm so fucking late!" I wonder what she does for work. I went back to the screen to make sure nothing bad has happened to the others. While the man was talking about some crazy guy blowing people up just because he could, I heard something buzzing in the other room. I went to see what it was and noticed it was her cellphone. She must have forgotten it. I look at the screen and it was someone writing "Baby I miss you. when will I get to see you again?" She must have not seen her father in a long time. Then the phone made a different noise and it was him again but a new option popped up, "answer". I hit the button and heard someone repeatedly saying "hello?" I said "Hello!" He said "Who the fuck is this?" I told him to call me J, and that I've been staying with Sam the last few days, and that I'm sure she missed him very much. I decided I want to help her reconnect with her father. He said he'd like to meet me. I asked where and he told me he would like to take me hunting. I heard that going hunting with fathers can be a good bonding experience, and I could tell him how great Sam is and how they should see each other more. We are going tomorrow morning. I didn't tell Sam when she got home because I want to surprise her. I am so nervous but so excited! I hope he is one of the good ones.