My first time in America:

• Cooked a three-course meal in the microwave
• Got hit by a car
• Met a homeless person
• Performed miracles of diplomacy to get hired
• Rented a hotel room
• Got kicked out of a casino
• Got arrested at the airport
• Saw Niagara Falls by day and by night
• Received my first paycheck
• Was invited to join a jazz band by a wonderful elderly Black man
• Used eBay
• Wandered through shops until 3 AM
• Got soaked to the bone in Times Square
• Received a questionable compliment from a citizen of Tajikistan
• Talked trash about New Jersey while in New Jersey
• Walked the wooden boardwalks of Atlantic City
• Fell in love with a street cafe
• Fell asleep on the subway until the last stop
• Took a photo of my feet against the backdrop of the Grand Canyon
• Learned to ride a bike
• Argued with an American about WWII history
• Baked a pancake
• Made an espresso
• Said about New York: "Let's go home."
• Realized that the only Superman who will never let me down is me.
• Saw an opossum
• Grew up.

America, thank you for everything you taught me. Especially for the face-plant into the asphalt—no joke, that was unforgettable!

With love, me.