One Pie of Experience and Two Pies of Ecstasy

Day 9

Dear Journal,

I stayed up until 2 last night and had to wake at 5. With just 3 hours of restless sleep and a 6 hour journey ahead to NYC, I feel cranky. All I can think of is a good-lightheaded sleep and where I can get one. The most suitable place, at least involuntarily on my part, turns out to be in the bus on Mian's shoulder. Poor girl. She is about as short as I am with a beautiful Chinese face and an even more beautiful scarf to accessorize with and lives in Dubai. She is one hell of a good friend.

It is not difficult to guess that I would spend most of my journey sleeping. I would also occasionally lift my eyelids (the only part that felt heavier than my head) to catch a glimpse of a skyscraper flashing past my window and then fall back into slumber again without even realizing it. This bus ride is my savior for the day as my mass gets to relax for, you could say, an extensive period of time. However, it doesn't last long. Upon reaching St. Jones University, I am immediately required to join a long column for making a storm card. Without a storm card, I won't have access to my room or mean plans. So, I pay about 50 USD for this shit and wait about an hour or so in line to get it.

After the closure of this pathetic episode comes a good part. The food! Back in DC, we had plain food like bananas or fruit loops for breakfast and un-seasoned mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables and sometimes fried chicken for lunch and dinner which didn't suit my eating habits or my digestive tract. Americans don't use a single fucking spice in anything. They did have middle-eastern and halal food though or I should say terribly poor imitations of it. It's okay. They tried. In here, the kitchenette is a torture chamber of decision-making – ornamented all over with lip-smacking chow! Choices for main course are Mac and Cheese, five types of pizza, a million types of pasta dish, some sort of biryani-type rice, French fries and many many many more followed by dessert choices of a million flavored ice-creams and milkshake. Oh, and slush! Unfortunately, I just have a pizza slice for LGM is calling in 10 minutes! As I walk out the "Donovan Dining Hall" my tummy is probably rumbling in protest. If it had a heart, I have doubtlessly broken it not feeding it with anything all day so far except that pizza!

LGMs – That's the last thing I wanted to hear! But sure enough, it manages to make me totter a mile to the end. It has to be so far? I feel like I am walking back to DC from NYC! And "LGMs are fun," said no delegate ever.

To crown it all, upon swiping my card and entering the six-digit code to access my room 'R123B', I find myself in a bleak white room with bunk beds for 3 opening into another room of 3 with a common lavatory and shower room in between in a corridor. There is a study table and three cabinet-sized wardrobes (also white). The only merit I see here is it's on the ground floor which means unlike my friends, I won't have to struggle with my bags when checking-out. I can guarantee I am not going to have a good night's sleep tonight.

Love Always

Huda