As I walked out of the terminal, I was struck by all the familiar faces in front of me. It was rush hour, of course and the Costa Rican airport security had secured the exit making it harder for those on the outside to be closer to the door. I skimmed around for my aunt in hopes of being able to escape the chaos. At last, I had spotted what was my aunts beautiful face and her eyes met with mine. “Welcome home!” she said, as tears rolled down her eyes.

Family is about the people who make you feel proud to share the same blood, regardless of the disfunction they might come with. There isn’t a membership, you can’t join, cancel or unsubscribe, and there is no monthly fee. From the minute you are born, you are inclined to a series of people who will always be there for you. As you are for them.

My immediate family is a first generation Costa Rican immigrant family living in the United States. I have two older brothers and one younger sister. My parents immigrated here in 1996, and they haven’t seen their homeland for more than 20 years. They have worked incredibly hard and continue to work to their full potential just to give us the life we live now. My parents saw the opportunity to chase the American dream and thrived for it, leaving everything they ever knew behind. In complete isolation from everyone and forced to comprehend, and speak a language they never learned, experience the world from a different cultural perspective, and get by, all for their kids.

“If I had the opportunity in front of me again, I’m sure I would choose the path I took, as a parent you do what is right for your children. I wanted them to have a good education, a good job, and a better life,” said Thomas Quesada, father of Ally. I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices my parents made.

Since my last visit to Costa Rica, I have learned and understood more things than I ever have in my life. Having family miles away is a treasure I will always carry with me. I cherish my family and my country now more than ever. I like to convince myself that having them closer wouldn’t necessarily mean better because each and every seven hour trip is that much more sweeter to me.

Of course the pain of not having them closer to us never seems to heal, and how much we wish we could’ve all started our journey in the same place seems like a broken dream. But our bonds are much more deeper. It breaks my heart each and every time I go through all the “goodbye’s” but annual trips make each year away worthwhile.