In a land that is not my own,
I dwell, a stranger alone.
The language is strange,
The customs are strange,
But I'm learning to adapt, I'm not stone.

I long for my homeland,
For the sights and sounds I hold dear.
For the people I love,
And the things I know,
But I know best I can't go back, not here.

I am alone, but I'm not afraid,
I'm surrounded by new people and new days.
I am learning to grow,
And to change, and to know
That this new land someday could be home.

I have been changed by the experience,
And I'll not forget the pain of exile.
But I'll also never forget the hope that one day,
I will find in this home a new smile.

JPGM