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.