I check my watch as I race to catch my first ever Austin Metro bus home. My metro bus ride to school in the morning proved disastrous. Taking the southbound rather than the northbound bus had left me confused while waiting for the return bus and embarrassed while explaining the reason for my late arrival to school. It 's 4:33. Oh man. 2 minutes left. Channeling my inner Usain Bolt, I break into a sprint. Bolt probably doesn 't have to lug a backpack full of overbearing textbooks. I see my finish line, the green bench, and turn on the afterburners. I emerge at the street corner and expect to see the bus driver 's grin. I looked on defeated as I see "Capitol Metro" lurching away. With my head in my hands and my elbows pressing into my knees, I sit down on the bench. Why couldn 't I finish my Science Olympiad practice test faster and leave early? Why am I still going to this charter school which doesn 't provide transportation? Why couldn 't my dad be here picking me up instead of the hospital? My future seemed highly uncertain and my grades were dropping. I tried my best to power through my newest challenge. I reminded myself of a past challenge of working through and successfully adapting to America. Arriving at the age of 8 with little knowledge of spoken English, I expected trouble. School was tough. I was very talkative in India. Here, I could only manage the bare minimum: "yes," "no," and "thank you." In front of my kids at recess, a third grader teased, "Hey,