The 24^th of august was a day of mixed emotions, I was excited to leave my country and be in a better place for my education, a place where I will start taking my first steps in the path of independence and responsibility.

The house was quiet.  Everyone was just sitting there doing absolutely nothing, while I was just zipping my bags closed and checking if I forget something.  Mom or Dad checked on me every once and a while and I can still see the look in their eyes when they were at the door of my room seeing me getting ready to leave.

In another spot in my city a group of ten guys and girls were gathered together getting ready to drive to the airport and meet me there.  I got in the car and started looking at everything on my street for the last time.  We weren’t talking much in the car.  Everyone was drowned in their own world of thoughts while I’m just thinking of what’s next, and what is waiting for me.

My flight was at 8:15 pm and I was in the airport at around 6:30 pm. My friends were already there, and the casual jokes started coming: “Don’t get all American on us now when you get there!” “You’re coming back here one day, so you better not get cocky.” Stuff like that, because I guess in those kinds of moments you can’t find better things to say.

The clock was ticking and my flight time was almost there. In front of the gate, everyone was gathered taking pictures with me.  I start hugging all my friends one by one and hearing their wishes that I can still hear ringing in my ears.

My mom was standing there holding my nephew as I was saying goodbye to my Dad, my brother and his wife. I had been thinking of this moment all along since I got my visa, not the whole airport moment, but saying goodbye to my mom. With some tears and pain we managed to say goodbye and the moment I wanted to walk, my nephew started crying wanting to come to me. I will never forget that moment. Everyone who was there broke down crying, but that’s life I guess.

I started walking through the gate, then security, luggage checking, and then security again. I finally got my boarding pass and ended up at the gate, waiting for it open. That’s when it all started; I was completely by myself from that point after. My brain was working so fast, things flashing in front my eyes - people I left, family, friends.  When will I see them again? When am I coming back? Then as the time was ticking and I was making my way to my seat in the airplane, I started thinking of what’s coming my way. USA - somewhere that many people dream of going to. I know nobody there. My Dad have some friends there.  I do have some friends in LA and NY, BUT, I wasn’t going anywhere near them.  My destination was a small town in Florida called Largo.

My flight was to Cairo, Egypt, where I had to stay for one night, and luckily I had a friend there from back home. We met and he showed me around, and then I rushed back to the hotel to rest before my 12 hour flight to JFK airport in NY.

I couldn’t sleep, thinking about the unknown, about this far away country that has everything. Where my favorite singer, favorite actor, and my favorite dancer come from. Who am I gonna meet? What does the university look like? How will I get along with totally random people with a totally different mentality? Questions like this were stuck in my head while I was trying to sleep, and then went on while I was making my way to the airport the next morning.

I checked my watch in the plane, and… it’s another 12 hours more to New York, where I have to wait 3 hours something and get on another plane to Tampa. In Tampa I’ll have to wait for the Super Shuttle van to take me to the hotel next to the school, because I will arrive at midnight and I can’t get to the dorms after the school’s working hours.

I met a guy on the school’s group on facebook, and he was going to be my roommate. Will we get along? Is he boring? Was it right to just pick someone online? Maybe I should’ve waited until I get there and then find someone?

I landed in New York after an exhausting flight, got out of the gate and looked around. So this is the place I see in movies? This is what the place smells like, but I think I love Germany better. That was my first impression if you asked me that moment.

I didn’t want to be late (although I had 3 hours until my next flight), so I went to the next gate to find my flight to Tampa, I checked my bags and went through security. Surprisingly, it was all simple and easy. Usually,  being Arab doesn’t help you much in the airports : D.. I mean once they see an Arabic passport, they suddenly have this look in their faces, and look at each other  as if they are saying, “We got one!” lol.  But yea everything was fine.  I was just chilling in there waiting for the flight, bought some drinks, bought a calling card and wanted to call my family.  I went to the closest phone booth, dialed my Dad’s number and: “We are unable to deliver your call, the destination requested is restricted.” Hmmm greeeeeat! What a nice start !! I mean come on .. I tried few times, but I got the same thing.  So, I called Moe and told him to call my dad and tell him I arrived and I’m fine.

That was the first time I actually sat and took a deep breath since I left my parents. It was about time to smoke a cigarette after a looooongggg flight.  I started looking around for somewhere to smoke, but I failed.  I asked somebody and they told me I have to go outside to smoke and come back in. I was like “fine”, and so I did. I finished my smoke while looking around in the airport.  I’m finally here I said to myself .  I walked back in and Damn!  I have to go through security again, and this time the line was sooooo long. Way to go.  No one told me I have to pass through security again.  I just thought it’s an exit where you can smoke and get back in. Well, I’m not in Syria anymore I guess.

I waited in the line with everyone, until a lady came and stated that for gates 1 through 16, I can follow her.  I got in the group of people who followed her, and we walked to the other side of the airport, where there was another security point and the line was really short.

It was my turn. I showed my passport.  The guy checked it for like 2 minutes then moved along, took off my shoes,  put my laptop out of my backpack and put everything on the belt to go through the monitoring machine.

Please step forward the lady said and I did. I didn’t even beep when I passed through the metal detector, but when I was waiting to get my stuff from that belt, someone asked, “Who’s bag is this,” and I said mine. She is like, “You will get it from there,”  and pointed to a corner not very far. Now someone else came and asked me to go to this glass room with them, and they started puffing some annoying air on me, then took my stuff and started analyzing it. I was done after a while,  got my stuff back and walked through.  I learned my lesson:  Once you pass the security check…No Smoking!
 

Finally, it was the time for my flight to Tampa.  I got on the plane and passed out.  I  woke up while we were touching down, got my stuff together and rushed to the baggage claim. I couldn’t wait.  I wanted to get there, but where there ?  I don’t know. Just there where I will be for the next few years.

Before I get in the van, I felt what they told me about before I got here: “it’s too hot!” I was like yea right, I come from Syria dude.  Well, they were right, because it’s not the hot that was bad, it was the humidity.

I got in the van that was supposed to drive me to the hotel. The streets were dark, it was almost 12 am, and I was checking the roads wondering when will I be heading back on this road? Back to where I’m from.

After driving for like 30 minutes, I saw the sign I was looking for, LARGO, the van made its first stop.  I thought it was me, but it wasn’t, then again, and again. Every time it stopped I thought it was me, until I saw a sign on the right that said Schiller International University, and I knew I was close because I know that the hotel is near the school. The van stopped finally, dropped my bags, and there I was, but not my final destination, because I had to move to the dorms the next morning.

I went in, got the key for my room, and there was a letter for me from my roommate saying he waited for me,  but I was late and that he will come in the morning. So here I am in the middle of Florida (not literally) in a hotel room with my computer, with nobody at all, no one to call and no one to contact.

I grabbed the phone in my room tried to call my parents, but it didn’t work, tried again and it kept giving me a weird tone. I went down to the lobby and talked to the guy at the front desk, and he told me to try the phone there. I went to the phone, trying to dial my home number, and the guy calls me.  I turned around, and he was like, “You have a call.”  Yes…it was my dad.

That phone call! I can’t forget it. It was so weird, I was holding my tears telling him it’s after midnight here and it’s around 8 am back home. I talked to him and to my mom and I went to my room. I jumped on my bed, stared at ceiling and started breathing. I couldn’t think much, cause one thing kept going round in my head…what about tomorrow ?