We arrived at Newark a bit late, so we were there at midnight. Four of us, all Russians traveling solo, gathered together. One left, and there were three of us left—three Belarusians in a completely new country. We sat next to our suitcases talking for about 5 hours. No one dared to go outside at that hour. It was cold out there, it was much warmer in the airport, and where could you even go at that time? So we entertained each other with stories and didn't feel like sleeping anyway. Closer to 5 AM, we went to look for an exit and the way to New York. It turned out to be quite simple. At the bus stop, we met a Black woman who helped us get on the "right" bus—meaning for $1.50 instead of $5. Once inside, we met another American who told us where to get off to catch the subway and showed us everything. But we still had 2 hours left. We rested after dropping our bags. And then we split up again. And now there were two of us—two newbies in this city. I called a hostel that was nearby. It turned out to be a pretty funny place. I settled in there, said goodbye to my companion, left my bags at the hostel, and ran out to see this world-class city. At first, I was overwhelmed by indescribable feelings—admiration, awe, delight... I walked around with my head held high, occasionally closing my mouth. What struck me immediately was that everyone during the day (and it was around 12 PM) was wearing sneakers or flip-flops. And this is Manhattan!!!! Not a single girl in heels. And everyone is flying somewhere, rushing, talking on the phone... Later, while talking to a Russian girl I knew, she told me that this is normal, and that I, wearing a light dress and stilettos, didn't fit in at all and looked very "European."

In the evening, my American roommate told me that Michael Jackson had died, and she was almost crying herself. I was never a fan of his work, and I didn't really know his music at all. But what happened to New York the next day! People gathered in parks and other places, singing his songs... It was very beautiful.

In the 2 days I spent in this city, I realized it wasn't that wonderful. The air was terrible—either it just seemed that way to me after my "clean" Minsk, or it was all the heat, but it was hard to breathe. I walked all over Manhattan, took the subway once, and learned where all the public libraries were located—that was exactly where you could easily get online.

I left this city without much regret; I still had a very long journey ahead to Maryland, but back then I didn't know it would be so long!!!