After several and uncountable ups and downs in the process to get the J1 Visa, after 12 weird but intense 12 months in Barcelona working hard, having lots of fun and new adventures, but also with my head and heart willing to be in the States, I made it, I finally was there. I could not believe I was at Barcelona Airport again, but this time to take a flight that would bring me far away for a little while, for a long time actually... Nerves, feelings, sadness and joy, exhausted but full of energy, I barely slept last night.
Barcelona airport was nice, as usual, I really tasted for the last time in a long time the lovely feeling of being at a known place, where you can expect what will happen, what the people will do, how they will react. I bought the newspaper, as I always do before taking a long trip or a significant day for me, check in my luggage, passed the security control and left Barcelona. Maybe I should say fortunatelly, it was bloody raining and the weather wasn't sweet at all, fact that decreased my nostalgic feeling of leaving my sunny and warm land.
The first flight brought me to Frankfurt, an enormous airport, the biggest in Europe. I had there 6 never ending hours for the next connection flight. I "Germanly" waited at the airport till I couldn't be polite anymore and I lied down on the chairs to have a nice rest. The last night party drinks and the lack of sleep started to be hard. When I woke up the gate was full of people. We were about to get in the plane. The megaphone system anounced that the plane was fully-booked so we were allowed to bring just one bag inside. I had two. Couldn't do them smaller, couldn't fit them in one. I just got in with my fingers crossed and my two bags: -"Good evening Sir", -"Good evening madame" (smiling and "good lad" face). I was in. I found my place, it was at the window, near an American man in his fifties... A pillow, headphones, book, personal notebook, and myself... Here we go America!
My friend F. was waiting for me at Boston Airport. It was one of the nicest and warm welcomes ever, not because anything amazing happened, he was just waiting there for me, but if not amazing it really was very specail for me to have someone ready to pick me up at the airport when I landed for first time in the States, and not only this, but also to host me at his lovely house for the forst three nights. That was definetelly, the best jet lack I ever had. If I landed at Boston then, Connecticut was the first State I was and when I saw the first big snow storm. There I spent Halloween with my Spanish friend, being advised, recieving some tips, and having a warm weekend.
On Monday the 31st, the official day of the Program, I took a train from New London to Boston. In Boston all the GEO Fellows met. I should mention that GEO is the organization that selected and hosted as a fellows for this Profesional Exchange. http://www.geopportunities.org/. Once we all met, we went to Worcester, where an Orientation week waited for us. The week was nice, funny and helpful. There we arranged practical stuff as paper work, forms to fill in for the Immigration offices, more forms to fill in for the taxes, some other forms to fill in for him, other forms to fill in for her, some other form to fill in for them, but most of all, we got to know each other: the fellows going to DC, the fellows going to Massachusetts, the ones going to Maine, to New York, and us, the ones going to Minnesota!
After this week, we all left Worcester and went to our destinations. The ones going to Minnesota we took a plane to Minneapolis. Once there, we stayed at a hotel while we were setting a bank account and having our cars ready to pick. Once we did that, we finally drove to Grand rapids, MN, our final destination!
I will avoid here a large explanation of facts and feelings about how we found our house, I'll just say that we spent the first 48 hours cleaning and getting rid off all the rubish! Then, we could start to think that this could be our house for some months! I long journey was ans is waiting for us!
