Anyone familiar with R. Bach's story will understand why I named this page this way. Just like that seagull, everyone who arrives in America dives into a new world, tries out incredible things, strives for self-improvement, and feels a boundless spiritual freedom. So, the theme of flight:
Elementary (2013): Since my friend didn't get her visa and I was terrified of traveling alone, I asked my agency for the contacts of other participants who had the same offer. I also searched in parallel across all social networks, blogs, and participant groups for people who were going there or had already been. Within a few days, the agency gave me the contacts of two girls. After messaging them on VK, I found out that one of them had just arrived in Atlantic City (I asked her about our job and if she knew where we could find housing), and the other, like me, was waiting for her visa—her name is Luiza (we decided to fly together). We met at the airport in Moscow right before the flight. For some reason, I was so nervous, as if I expected to see an extraterrestrial being with a bunch of lasers in her hand... during the flight, I found out we had a lot in common, and to my great relief, SHE HAD NO LASERS IN HER HANDS!!! We slept the whole flight, unaware of what awaited us across the ocean....
And here we are in the USA. Navigating JFK quite quickly, we picked up our luggage and met a Russian girl who explained how to get to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and gave us a map. However, even with all that, plus asking passersby in the subway, it took us about 2.5 hours. This was due to two factors:
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We didn't always understand what the passersby were saying, and many of the people we asked were visitors themselves, so they were poorly oriented and gave us wrong directions.
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My mom's advice: don't take a suitcase with wheels, in case they break it on the plane, and then it would be even more uncomfortable to carry!!! (NEVER, NEVER DO THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR BACK PAIN TO REMIND YOU OF IT FOR A WEEK).
Having saved money by taking the subway instead of a taxi or bus, we finally reached the Port Authority, exhausted, bought the nearest ticket to Atlantic City, and waited calmly to board the bus and sleep for a couple of hours.
Intermediate (2014): This year I went alone. It wasn't scary to fly alone anymore, so I just asked the agency for the contacts of girls who had already been to Pigeon Forge and worked with this employer. Messaging them on social media, they assured me they loved it there and that I shouldn't worry about work, and they also gave me the contact of a girl who lives there and could help me with housing. The flight went by unnoticed. After picking up my bags, I decided not to struggle and just take the bus, as it's much more convenient and the price difference is small. Arriving at Port Authority, I printed my ticket to TN (as a rule, buying online in advance is much cheaper) and looked in horror at the travel time—it was about 24 hours and consisted of 4 transfers!!!! Waiting for the bus at the gate, I noticed a student just like me; it turned out we were going to the same city, and I immediately felt much calmer.
IMPORTANT: WHEN TRAVELING AROUND AMERICA, KNOW THAT IN 90% OF CASES, THERE IS WI-FI AND POWER OUTLETS ON THE BUS AND AT BUS STATIONS, SO WRITE TO YOUR LOVED ONES OR, BETTER YET, CALL THEM IMMEDIATELY UPON ARRIVAL IF YOUR DATA PLAN ALLOWS. AND BEFORE CHECKING YOUR SUITCASES, TAKE OUT BLANKETS OR WEAR YOUR WARMEST CLOTHES, BECAUSE IT IS VERY, VERY COLD ON THE BUSES!
