Well, I made it! I'm in the United States of America!
And as much as I am probably still exited of being here, I cannot yet tell you if I really like it here.
But to start off just at the right end of the story: When I got to the airport just two days ago (it already seems to me like ages..), I suddently was not sure at all, whether I really should go or not. I barely could tell but there was that tiny thought in my head: "What if you just wouldn't go? What if you just turned around?"
After getting just a couple of hours of sleep (as the packing still took ages) I was there, standing in front of the gates ready to say goodbye, with this ton of tears in my throught, trying to swallow it down.. And I have to admit even now, 2 days later, thousands of kilometers away from home, I still start feeling that big bulb bilding inside my throught, making it hard to breath. And yea, I just miss home incredibly... Every hour, every minute, every second... so much…
On my way to Munich, the plane was filled with many business man, all dressed up in suits. My seat neighbor was also one of these gentleman. We ended up talking. He must have gotten curious as I just would not fit into the kind of people on the plane. After finding out about my goal, he suddenly got chatty and told me about his experiences abroad. It turned out he was the head of a sales team on his way to acquire some new workers through a all-day-long-interview-session. He was even more thrilled to find out about my field of study. He ended up giving me his contact card with the words: “Write me a mail some day when you get back and tell me how you got along there. We’re always looking for people.” That’s what you would probably call plane-networking.
After a short stay on Munich and the first real breakfast of that day (a croissant and a Latte Macciato) I got on the plane to Chicago; a 9,5 hours flight. I got lucky with my seat neighbor: A young American girl from Indiana that visited some friends in Germany. There I first got to know one of the nice things about Americans: They would just start talking to you.
9,5 hours are long; which I spend sleeping and watching “17 again” and “Duplicity”, which I didn’t really get to enjoy due to the noise in the plane.. Oh well…
When we finally approached Chicago over the Michigan Lake (which is just INCREDIBLY HUGE!!!), I saw IT: the typical American streets, the big cars and even one of those yellow old school buses! My first (silly) thought was: “That’s just like in the movies!!!” (yea.. I know… )
After arriving in Chicago, I needed to get through the passport controls. This was really chewing on my nervs: Huge line, slow process and a plane to catch at a completely different gate, knowing that you would have to pick up your luggage, get through the luggage controls and giving your luggage back in…
Well, it turned out I got the plain without any further trouble. It was a bit chaotic, but eventually got there.
The flight to Cedar Rapids (it’s pronounced Ceeeeeedar Rapids) was with a smaller plane and they would let us just walk to it on the side of the roll-field… That seemed pretty strange. At that point I really couldn’t wait for a hot shower, to get rid of my sweat-soaked shirt. It was just so hot that day.
Arriving in Cedar Rapids just felt like a relief. It is a pretty small airport. I found my shuttle driver immediately … just my luggage would not show up… Both of my suitcases just got lost. At that point I was still that thrilled about actually being in the Stated that it didn’t really put off my good mood. Just when I arrived at the Hotel I started noticing what this would mean: no changing cloths, no shower, no nothing. Pretty frustrated I went to a 24/7 gas station to get something to eat and to drink, to get a tooth brush and paste. I ended up buying a 3liters can of water and some hamburger bread (the white sloppy one.. yummy… )
Tired, sad and exhausted I fell into a unpeaceful sleep. At 4, 5, 6h I woke up, having to conclude it still being too early to actually get up. When I saw the first sunlight get through the shutters at about 7, I decided to get up. First thing: Check for luggage. For my biggest disappointment, it still hadn’t arrived. Good job I washed my t-shirt a bit so I would not smell that bad.
Figuring out what to do, I got back to the room, drank some water, hate a sloppy hamburger bread for breakfast. If my luggage would not arrive by tonight, I would need to stay another night at the hotel as the dorm, where I was supposed to move in that day, would not have any sheets nor towels. In the end, after checking though all my papers assuring myself there would be some that could be provided, I decided not to reserve one of the 3 left rooms of that night and checked out packed with the few, but yet heavy things I had left.
Wandering around the city waiting for the check-in at 12o’clock for all international students. After receiving a whole bunch of information, I started wandering through the city again waiting for it to be time to be able to check in to the dorms.
My luggage still hadn’t arrived up to that point. I went back twice to check. In aid of fresh cloths as I was, I went to buy some Iowa shirt… At least that is already done. The Grocery store I found after buying a way to expensive deodorant from a small shop in downtown. One more tooth brush and paste and I headed for the next restroom to make myself feel just that little bit better.
At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, I got back to the international office to take off to the dorms. There I met the first non-Asian students. You just would not believe how many Asian people come to study here. And they would just always keep talking in their own language so that you don’t even stand a chance to understand them… Pretty frustrating, I can tell you….
The three guys turned out to also be exchange students: 2 from Germany, 1 from France. I was just pretty glad to have someone to talk to.
As we got to the dorm (the one that just is the furthest away from campus – 30min by foot), we had to fill out some more paper work. And then there was the next shock: they just cannot provide sheets & linen. There I was: With a key in my hand to a completely empty, cold room – without anything. No suitcases, no cloths, no one I know. I just felt like crying at that moment.
I packed my thing and headed immediately back to the hotel. I would need to get a room. I just would not have been able to stay at the dorm without anything. I got lucky to catch a taxi and shared it with someone else who also wanted to get to the hotel as there was a lunch set for all international students.
As I got to the reception, the guy (they already knew me there – I was annoying them just that much) disappeared into a back room and returned with a smile on his face: “Your luggage has arrived”
In that moment, I was the happiest person in the whole world!!!
I carried my luggage to where the lunch/ diner would be hosted. I got to eat the first “real” thing on that day: a vegetable sandwich. The only bad thing: There were nearly only Asian people attending, me, not knowing anyone, right in between. I sat on a table with 3 other Asian girls (all of them actually working for the International office supposed to help us newbies) who just would not really bother to talk to each other in English…. I have never felt that much left out in my whole life…
After diner I had to get my luggage to my dorm. I surely did not want to walk it up there. Calling a taxi was not possible due to me not having an American phone. So I ended up pushing both suitcases up the hill to the bus station where the cambus would stop (the bus that goes around campus). I would have needed to wait for an hour… After 30 min of waiting, I decided to try to stop a taxi just on the street. Easier said than done. This is not New York where you have taxis everywhere. When I finally got to get one (with a weird, scary driver in it), I was just too glad to arrive at the dorm.
I finally got them all up to the 2nd floor by dropping the content of the plastic bag I was carrying all over the floor. Obviously it would just have to break at right that moment!!!
I first made my bed and then took a shower. I was just ready with showering and trying to get the hair dryer to work, when a loud sound was echoing all though the building. It was the fire alarm as I acknowledged just a few seconds later. I had to leave the building as quickly as possible. As I did not want to go in my pyjamas, I put on my old jeans, left the top of my sleeping dress on, put jumper on and headed outside, my hair still half wet. Police and Firemen arrived just a few minutes later.
In the end it turned out that it just was a false alarm and we were able to go back inside.
That night, I again did not sleep well. I woke up several times, my head aching, my eyes tearing.
That day I got up before my alarm was set. I had never felt that horrible in my whole life. So lonely, so beyond of everything. I was already calculating what happened if I just got back home. I think, if someone would have offered me a ticked home… I took it immediately.
Even after putting fresh make-up on, I still looked like monster. As well, it was not at all sunny as all the other days: grey, clouded sky; raining cats and dogs – the weather just fit too well my mood.
I got down early for the bus and waited in the entrance hall. A lunch and some more information were scheduled for this morning.
The “lunch” was really great. I hadn’t had that good food within a couple of days. That just made me feel just sooooo much better.
The whole day just turned out to be so much better than I thought it would be. I got to get to know Walmart- so incredibly HUGE!!!
Well, that experience will be in the next blog. This one is already far too long!
