"No. NO. There's no way I'm staying behind. I'll be fine. I'm coming too. Period. So let's go already. We're wasting time!" Never before in my 17 relatively normal years of existence did I imagine my world could be threatened so alarmingly, without warning, and in such a defenseless way. The backdrop: My folks had finally achieved their version of "the American dream." Quiet, meek, university-educated Dad had come to America 20 years prior with no connections, no money and very little grasp of the English language, to juggle three menial jobs a day and save up enough to send for his wife and … [Read more...]