Once all the contracts were signed, the fees paid, the interview with the consul passed, and exams finished, all that was left for me and my friend Asel was to pack our bags and head off to a country we had never been to before—America! First, a day on the train to Almaty, where we had to spend a sleepless night at the airport... Check-in started around 5 a.m., and by 5:50 a.m., I was already sitting on the plane, anticipating the flight ahead... Since it was my first time flying, I was a bit nervous and even shaking... though I was probably shaking more from the cold, as I was wearing short shorts and a tank top) The scariest part is when the plane starts to take off... it feels like you're being squashed and everything is dropping away below you... 5 hours to Moscow, then a transfer to another plane that was supposed to take us directly to New York... But to reach our destination, we had to endure another 9 hours... It was impossible to sleep on the plane because I wasn't used to it; my ears kept popping, my feet were freezing, and my back hurt... But somehow, I managed to get a little sleep and was ready to meet the city of my dreams, New York!