Going abroad

Chapter 2

After a long long time we hear the captain say that everyone needs to get back to their seat and put their seatbelt on cause we were about to land. I only needed to put my seatbelt on so I did. When we landed I waited a little so the biggest group of people already left the plane. I take my hand luggage and exit the plane. I go to get a sort of cart so I can put all my luggage on it. After I find a sort of cart I get my luggage and get trough security. After that I'm walking trough the airport to the exit when I suddenly see someone with my name on a piece of paper. As I remember my teacher who had her connections at the university I'm going to said to me that someone she knew was going to pick me up at the airport. She wanted for me to already know someone when I was in the country. When I reached her I said: "Miss Cohen?" "Yes. That is me. Welcome Emma to the US! Come on. Let's go to the car and I will drive you to your dorm." she answered me. "Okay. Thank you for picking me up and bringing me to my dorm." "Yeah, no problem. I'm happy to help!" We've reached her car and loaded everything in. We got in the car and went on our way to the dormitory. "You know your teacher, miss De Smet, talked a lot about you over our phone calls after you got accepted." "Oh yeah?" I asked her. "Yes. She told me how good you were at social science and how kind you were to all of your teachers. She also told me about the little things you did to help her and the other teachers." "Well, it is very kind of her to say those things about me." "Well, she was really happy to have a student like you in her classes!" After a while there came a song on the radio that I really liked. "Hey, can I turn the radio volume up a little?" "Yeah sure!" I started to sing along a bit quiet, not to loud, so Miss Cohen wouldn't hear it. It was Coldplay with Hymn for the Weekend on the radio. "You've got a great voice! Where did you get to sing like that?" Miss Cohen asked me. "Oh...you've heard me sing? I thought I wasn't that loud. I just sing for pleasure like under the shower or when I'm doing chores or something. It's nothing special" I answered her. "Well for what it's worth. You are really good!" "Thank you!" and I smile at her and look back outside.

After a while we've arrived on campus and are loading the luggage out. "How is the campus and how are the students here?" I ask her. "Well. Mostly it's like any other college or university regardless the country it is located. Campuswise and studentwise." she answers my question. "You will be welcomed here with open arms. Some of the students are always very intrigued when someone from another country comes to study abroad. So you could get a bit overwhelmed but it's going to be ok." "Ok." I say smiling and a little laugh gets out while saying it. "So. Let's get you to your dorm room."

We walk trough one hallway with dorm rooms on both sides and go trough 2 some bigger doors. There we immediately have the toilets on our right and a little common room on the left. The room next to it contains the showers and as we are slightly turning left we see that the second, a bit bigger, common room is next to the room with the showers. Next to the bigger common room we have a little study room. Now we have officially turned left and there are again some bigger doors. Behind those doors is another hallway with dorm rooms. This hallway contains a little less dorm rooms as the other hallway. We're just walking a little further and on my right there is my dorm room. We enter and put all the stuff down. "So, here we are. It's not like in the movies or in some other colleges or universities where you have to share your room with someone else. Here you have your own room with a bed, a closet, a little sink with warm and cold water, a little fridge, a desk and a chair. You can set it up like you want. Put pictures on the wall, hang up some lights, get more furniture or something. Make it feel like home!" she says to me. "Thank you! Indeed. Is it ok if we go together to a sort of store that has those things? I am new to the country and don't know my way around here." I ask her. "Yeah sure! Come on, then we go to get those stuff you want!" "Ok. Thanks!" "Yeah sure. No problem!"

When we are back from the store and get all my stuff up to my dorm Miss Cohen left so I can get settled in and put everything in it's place. I got an extra closet of some sorts, little lights, a little couch, a little wool carpet, some decorations and plants. I put everything away and see that it is 9pm. I already ate so I can just put my pyjamas on and go to sleep as it has been a very long flight and a very long day.