I called my 13-year-old daughter and told her that we were going to California for our first family vacation. I told her, “Maggie, we’re going on a trip.”

“Where?”

“To San Diego, California!”

She was ecstatic because it was her first time going on a vacation out of the state, and stepping foot on an airplane. I told my other two children when they came home from school and they were equally as excited. I have never experienced this before; traveling with my kids.

It’s stressful being a single mother. I worked extremely hard over the last decade; from arriving to a new country as a refugee to gaining the courage to leave a domestically abusive relationship, and continuing my education in a graduate program at the University of Minnesota. I can now finally support my kids on my own. We can think about things like family vacations.

When we began packing, we didn’t know where to start. We didn’t know what to pack since California weather is so different from Minnesota. It was winter here but very warm there. We joked and said we’d just go buy new clothes when we arrived there. So we went on Google and YouTube to search for answers.

After waiting in line for a long time, we finally got on the airplane, but my son got very dizzy and nauseous. After the plane took off, he calmed down and became more excited. I think he realized that this vacation was a reality.

When we arrived in San Diego, we had a family member welcome us. She took us to visit many different places, such as the beach, sea lions, and historical landmarks. We spent five days sightseeing and enjoying the warm weather. The most memorable moment was when we arrived at the beach. We brought snacks and a mat, but forgot our swimsuits. Google and YouTube didn’t help, after all. My children were too excited so they didn’t care about what we were wearing, they just ran into the waves. I joined them. It was a very happy moment for us.

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