Packed my suitcase, dressed as lightly as possible, and headed to the airport. I felt a mix of emotions: on one hand, the excitement of something new and unexplored—new adventures, new friends, a new life! On the other hand, panic: everything is unknown... everything is new... a-a-a-ah! What if I get lost? What if I get kidnapped? What if my luggage gets lost? What if the money I brought isn't enough? What if the officer at the border doesn't let me through?? It's such a pleasantly nerve-wracking state... Just to experience this, it's worth participating in the program =) Just kidding... not only for that. So... 9 AM... plane... takeoff... landing... waiting for a connecting flight... I transferred in Poland, Warsaw. The time between flights was 3 hours. You can walk around. But! A tip - walk around wisely =) I can say with almost 100% certainty that near the gate where the flight to the USA boards, there are other students hanging out. To make the time pass faster—you need to socialize! Don't be afraid =) Maybe they are going to the same state as you. Or even the same town! Anything can happen. Plus, it's moral support, after all. I met two girls. Although, our final destinations were in different directions.
...takeoff again... and then the thought hits that I should have brought something to chew on. And to drink. [For the future, everyone—buy drinks only in Duty Free. They will take yours away during bag checks.] Even though they feed and water you during the flight, it felt like it wasn't enough...
About an hour or two before landing, they handed out I-94 forms. If you have questions, ask the flight attendant. But even they don't always know all the answers. So you can be clever: take a few forms, fill them out differently (if you don't know where to check the box correctly—you can check one spot on one form, and another spot on the other). Otherwise, when you hand the forms to the officers upon arrival, many are sent back to rewrite them. And you—bam—have a second option. Saving nerves and time =)...
Landing. Everything inside is trembling... because this is NY, baby!! Yes!! I did it!! I'm here! That means everything else will work out too!
At the airport, you can see EVERY nationality on the planet. My jaw dropped. I had never seen anything like it. I wanted to take a photo. I did, but it was unsuccessful. Attempt number two... and then! A security guard beckoned me with his finger and said it wasn't allowed. Just like that. My first minutes in a foreign country, and I'm already trying to break something and getting scolded for it =). We passed the officer with the girls, although one of them had to fill out the form again on the spot (fill out two, you won't regret it. You can always throw one away). We went to get our luggage, which was already waiting for us... You can't get lost in the arrivals terminal. So walk boldly in any direction you like. But better yet—toward the exit.
Another tip: to save time, nerves, and possibly money, arrange in advance to be picked up from the airport to your destination city, or buy train tickets in advance. Because your head will be spinning. It's better to take care of it beforehand.
We said goodbye to the girls, I got into a shuttle, and a four-hour drive to my final destination awaited me.
