Amaanah gazed out the window at the palm trees and blue sky and let out a long sigh. “So there won’t be any snow?” she looked with sad eyes at her cousin. They were sitting at the dining table in her cousin’s house eating spaghetti.

“Well, not in Irvine, but we can go up to Big Bear if you want snow. See, that’s the good thing about Southern California. We’re driving distance from the beach and from the mountains; it’s a SWEET deal!” Sarah grinned.

“It’s still not in your backyard,” mumbled Amaanah under her breath.

Amaanah was born and raised in Canada. She had just moved to California with her family and was staying with her uncle and his family in Irvine. The move had been very sudden, and Amaanah was still upset about leaving her home and friends. She couldn’t imagine enjoying life anywhere else but home.

After lunch, Amaanah went to the guest room in Sarah’s house and lay down on the bed with a photo album of her friends. They were all at Wonderland, the amusement park in Toronto. Her eyes welled up with tears.

‘There’s no way this place is ever going to be as fun as Canada,’ she thought.

Amaanah fell asleep crying.

KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK!

“Amaanah?” Amaanah’s mom opened the door. “Wake up, sweetie. We’re going out for dinner.”

Amaanah opened her red, swollen eyes and looked up at her mom, “I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Her mom walked in and sat next to her on the bed, stroking Amaanah’s hair. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” She asked gently.

Amaanah’s lip started quivering and she sniffled, “I just really miss home. There’s nothing here. No snow, no friends, no Lynn Garden, no Wonderland.”

“Honey, it’s not as bad as it seems. There’s a place here called China Pagoda, and that’s where we’re going tonight! It’s not the same as Canada, but there are other things you’ll like here.”

“You don’t understand,” said Amaanah, as she got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

When everyone was ready, the two families drove to the Chinese restaurant.

“I want chicken pakoras and chilli chicken,” said Amaanah as they sat down at their table. Her mouth began to water as she thought about the food at Lynn Garden, the Chinese restaurant back home.

“What’s that?” asked Sarah, raising her eyebrows.

Amaanah frowned, “You mean there’s no chicken pakoras here?”

“I don’t think so, but don’t worry. There’s a lot of other good stuff,” Sarah tried to reassure Amaanah.

Amaanah sighed, closed the menu, and sat back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest.

When the food arrived, Amaanah was surprised to find that it smelled delicious. Amaanah watched as everyone took the food and wolfed it down. Her stomach started to grumble with hunger, so she gingerly took a spoonful of fried rice and garlic chicken. She took a bite and her taste buds tingled! It was crispy, tender, and juicy all at the same time! She filled up her plate and quickly gobbled down her food.

“See! The food is good here!” Sarah said to Amaanah.

“It’s okay. Not as good as Lynn Garden,” Amaanah replied.

The next morning, Sarah woke Amaanah up early. “Get ready! We’re gonna go to Six Flags today!”

Amaanah frowned, “I don’t wanna go. I like Wonderland in Canada.”

Sarah put her hands on her hips and glared at Amaanah, “I am sick of you whining and complaining about Canada being so much better than California. You are VERY lucky to have moved here! If you opened up your mind and gave this place a chance, you would like it. Yeah, there’s no snow in our backyard, but we can go up to Big Bear! Yeah, we don’t have chicken pakoras, but we have garlic chicken, and I KNOW you liked it! And yes, we don’t have Wonderland, but Six Flags would blow your mind if you went there!” She turned on her heel and walked out of Amaanah’s room.

‘Am I being closed-minded?’ wondered Amaanah. She thought about her behavior over the past couple of days, and realized that Sarah was right. There was no way she would like this place if she had already made up her mind without giving it a chance. She got out of bed, and went to Sarah.

“Sarah, I’m sorry. You’re right about me being closed-minded about California. I think I should give it a chance. And you’re also right about the Chinese food; it was actually really good,” Amaanah smiled. “So can we still go to Six Flags?”

“Yeah, dude! It’s gonna blow you away! Hurry up and get ready!” Sarah said excitedly.

That day, Amaanah rode every single ride at Six Flags, and admitted to Sarah that it was definitely better than Wonderland.

‘Maybe California’s not so bad after all,’ she thought to herself.