Departure: Friday September 2nd (part 2)

When the plane landed in Philadelphia, it was 2pm. I started stressing out again, already dreading the American customs and knowing there would be a lot of people. Indeed, I had to wait for about an hour before I eventually came to the CBP officer (Customs Border Protection). The man was probably in his forties, wore glasses and did not look un-nice. No sooner had I smiled to him than he immediately talked to me in a warm way, saying “hey sweetie, how are you doing?” A good start, isn’t it?

“-So sweetie, are you all by yourself?
- Yes, it’s the first time I’m travelling all alone!
- You’ll be alright sweetie! So, what are you going to do in the USA?
- I’m doing an exchange program at Middlebury College.
- Nice! But watch out for American boys!”

What did he mean by that? That the little cute thing I am should make sure American boys do not all surround me, and watch out for them? Haha. I find it amusing that he kept calling me sweetie. As a matter of fact, he talked to me as if I were a little girl; which actually would not be too much of a surprise. Indeed, although I am twenty-one year old, I have always been said to look younger. Anyway, the CBP officer was very nice and helpful as he patiently replied to my questions. He told me not to worry, that I would be fine. And that was it, I was all set!

 

Relieved and quite amused by this episode, I then went to pick up my luggage which was already waiting for me. Carrying a heavy backpack and two suitcases is not much fun for a short person like me. I knew the next thing to do was to put the suitcase in the x-ray machine, which I did. I asked the man: “Is it ok? Can I go take my flight connection now?”, to which he nodded. So I continued being on my way, taking a shuttle so as to go to the terminal F. 

When it was time to board for the flight to Burlington, I was surprised that even the carry-ons had to be put in the baggage hold for there would be no space otherwise. Even though I already expected the US Airways Express plane to be small, I did not know it would be that tiny (width-wise, it is half the size of the Paris-Philadelphia plane). Apart from the pilots, the cabin crew was only made of…one steward who served drinks. However, if you were feeling hungry then you had to pay. By the way, while we are talking about food, let me tell you that the meals served in the previous plane were…not so good (euphemism!). I chose a BBQ chicken, and the poor meat was drowning in a sweet sea of barbecue sauce. What looked like an orange puree tasted terrible as well. The food was okay enough to fill my stomach though. 

One hour later, I arrived in Burlington, the most-populated city of a rural state called Vermont. So far, so good…until I realized my luggage has still not arrived. I waited for a little while then decided to go to the US Airways counter. Here we go again, I get stressed out, no wonder. After all, 70% of my stuff are in there! The young woman at the counter was chewing and lazily checking out her cellphone. Had I not talked, she would not have noticed me. She was slow as hell, but in the end I filled out a form for delayed bags.

I was the last one to arrive when the Middlebury College driver brought me to the group of international students. Everybody but me seemed to be excited. After all, I had my reasons. I was wondering why my luggage did not come when a thought struck me: after it had gone through the x-ray, was I supposed to pick it up to put it somewhere else? Or was the staff to do it? If I had paid more attention, none of this would have happened. I should have checked the luggage after! 

During the one-hour long trip to Middlebury, I tried not to think about it by looking at the landscapes.  The green scenery amazed me, who have always lived in an urban environment, so it was a very nice change.

As expected, Middlebury College students welcomed us in a very warm and friendly way. It was 7pm, yet we were all tired and the jetlag effects were already felt. We ate dinner at Ross, then grabbed our student ID card and keys. I went to my dorm, met my roommate and was nicely surprised by the fact that my bed was already done (I discovered later that only Exchange Students had this privilege. The freshmen were to buy their own beddings).

Overall, I was too tired and stressed out to fully enjoy my arrival and since all of this was new, I was a bit lost.

Departure: Friday September 2nd (part 1)

       The day I feared the most arrived: here it was, Friday September 2^nd. Before that, I wished the days would go as slow as possible, but my prayers were left unanswered. I tried to enjoy the most of my days left in Amsterdam then in Paris with my family and boyfriend.
It was no surprise that the last days in France were extremely stressful because of my lack of organization. Had my mother had not provided me a gigantic help regarding the packing up, I would have been quite in trouble. I will never be thankful enough for her packing skills, something that I wish I had. As she is very fond of travelling, I suppose it is normal that she gained a lot of practical knowledge in that field. Even if my mother was very helpful, the problem was that there were too many things for so little space. I ended up with the big square-shaped suitcase which is by the way, very inconvenient to carry, as you have to grab the tiny handle (instead of a long handle that makes it easier). Needless to say, this whole process was more than stressful, and I shall learn my lesson, for the evening before my departure, I was still not done with the packing-up.

Fortunately, my boyfriend was here to provide a moral support, which was more than welcome for a lot of stress was aroused by my family. He did not hesitate in comforting me and taking me in his arms while I was sighing and quite in panic.

The last night arrived. They say that before taking the plane, you should have a night full of rest. In my case, it was totally the contrary. After I was eventually done with the packing-up (after midnight), I watched the last two episodes of Pushing Daisies with my boyfriend. We basically wasted ninety precious minutes, for it was crap. Brian Fuller got us twice. The first time, he disappointed the both of us with a terrible ending in Dead Like Me. If I remember well, we slept around 5am. We actually took a nap, because we had to wake up at 7am. Needless to say, I was more than exhausted. I could not believe the day had finally arrived and that I was to leave everybody behind. I said goodbye to my brother, sister and grandparents, already feeling sad.

My parents and my boyfriend accompanied me to the airport. I already started stressing out about the luggage. Even if my suitcase is checked-in until the final destination, i.e, Burlington, I would have to pick it up again at Philadelphia, for it needs to go through the x-ray process before putting it back on the conveyer. I know, I am the kind of person who tends to worry about a bit of everything. My bad. It was around 10.15am when time to say goodbye arrived. I surprised myself by not shedding any tears, whereas deep inside me, I knew I could suddenly burst out in tears. The escalator was waiting for me, and I had no other choice than to reluctantly take it, while looking behind me one last time. I actually kept trying to see them until I went through the customs.

Here I was, all alone, all by myself.

The rest was a piece of cake though. I went to the right gate and waited. Same old, same old. Then I went into the US Airways plane. It was such a downgrade from Air New Zealand, an airline I took this summer to go to California (new plane, all comfy seats, more space, tons of new movies, etc). I was so tired I did not plan on doing anything than sleep, which I did. Time went by quickly, and eight hours later, I landed in Philadelphia.

What does it feel like to leave everything behind?

Friday September 2^nd was the moment I feared the most. Not only did it mean my exchange program at Middlebury College started but it also entailed so many other things, such as leaving France, the only country I have ever lived in. I would have to be uprooted to the twenty-one years of my life spent here, living a pretty comfortable and sheltered life, away from life’s evil traps. I have always been in a very protective family, which resulted in me not knowing a lot about the real outside world, as in, I did not know how to get by myself. This year abroad was the perfect opportunity for me to discover something new and bring about a fulfilling life experience for me.

The other heart-breaking thing for me was not only to separate from my family (although I strongly believe my departure must be some kind of heaven vacation for them), but also my boyfriend. This time, we would not be separated from each other by a three-hour-long train distance, but by an ocean with six hours of time difference. We both tried not to think about the inevitable. Since February, we tried to visit each other as much as possible to take most of what time could offer us before the ultimate moment. I therefore grew accustomed to being with him every day in Amsterdam. My times there with him were perfect. I instantly fell in love with this charming cute little city as well, which is so different from grey, noisy and dull Paris.

In addition to all of this comes the fact that so far, I had never travelled all by myself (in a plane). Of course, it is totally different from a train-trip or even a flight within the European Union. I was scared of the travelling procedures, how to deal with the luggage, the American customs, etc. These perspectives were not thrilling.

As a consequence, I obviously was not looking forward to this imminent date. Yet, some part in me liked to think that this was a unique adventure, one of a lifetime. After all, not everybody gets to go to study to the USA, let alone to a private elite liberal-arts college that covers the cost of my tuition, board and lodging, (you do not want to know how much), right? This was therefore the motivating part. I would have the opportunity to discover Vermont, a rural state I have not been to yet (and would probably have never visited it), to live on a campus, to experience American’s education and to master English.

Thus, there were a lot of exciting perspectives to come, although my heart was already in pain from what leaving would entail.

Welcome!

Hey folks,

Welcome to my blog. 


My name is Céline and I am from France. My main interests in life include travelling, photography, foreign languages and video-games. I created this blog in order to narrate an important passage in my life: that of my unique experience in the US. Last year, I applied for an exchange program at my home university and after a lot of hard work, I got selected to do my first year of Master's Degree in the USA!
Thus, this blog aims at narrating my life at Middlebury College. It will therefore naturally be self-centered, as it is the main purpose of a blog. I will tell you what it is like to be here in a totally different environment. As I am extremely fond of photography, most of my posts will include tons of pictures.


Do not hesitate to leave any comments!


Céline.