Rock tearfully, but joyously packed what so little he had, and left the safety of his family and home behind. He was on his way to venture into the world of the unknown, but vast with opportunities. His younger brother was already in America, again with the help of their guardian angel. He had arrived a year earlier while Rock was still finishing his mandatory time in the military.

They joyfully reunited and began to do the impossible – learn and prosper in the new land all alone, but they had each other – to make their parents, the family, and most importantly their guardian angel proud. Failure was not an option. They had to succeed or die trying.

They worked hard and lived together while going to school. But they drifted apart as by then, his brother had a wife and a newborn child to support. They stayed in touch and saw each other when they could.

The next few months were hard, but fun as everything around him was new and exciting. He had no car to drive and used hitchhiking to get around. Lucky for him, his new country was in the midst of a revolution of its own. The young had risen, demanding an end to the unjust war that was raging on in a far-a-way land. And with it, it had come many years of self-discovery and a new movement that was called “peace and love.” The young had broken away from the old and outdated traditions, building a new one that included all. They cared for each other and the strangers alike and ready to help each other whenever they could. Giving rides and getting rides to and from total strangers were as common as handshakes or as they said hello. What exciting times? That was a blessing for Rock since that was the only way he could get around.

Life was still hard. There were many sleepless nights, homelessness, and much more despairs still to come. Of course, he was never going to give up. He was proud and very resourceful in ideas and not afraid to seek and explore any opportunities he could think of or was able to find. He worked many minimal jobs and excelled at them all, but the pay was not enough to accommodate even the simplest things in his life. But he was hopeful and took each job as a steppingstone to a better one to come.

His first job in the dead of winter was changing tires on the big American cars. He was happy that he finally had a job. The days were long and cold as the snow had covered every inch of the roads. Working in and out of the cold was not fun, and handling those big snow tires wasn’t light just as hitchhiking around in the cold winter was not much fun. But the people who stopped and gave him ride were kind, and perhaps they were angels in disguise.

He worked hard and saved up a few hundred to buy a used car. He was so excited to finally have a car. But when the deal with a dear friend for a used car fell through, and the car was sold to another friend, by his wife unbeknownst to his friend, he was disappointed, heartbroken, and practically cried on the way home.