At 6:30 AM, the plane landed in Chicago, O’hare International Airport marking the beginning of my journey all alone to the United States Of America. My American dream had officially begun. I was extremely intimidated and at the same time, I was excited too as this was the first time I was going to do something completely independent, without the support of my family and friends. I kept reminding myself that from the time I landed in this foreign land which was continents away from the cosy, close-knit and loving home that I grew up in, I had no other choice but to be brave and resilient enough to face what the future will hold for me for the upcoming years.
I had a warm welcome from the orientation leaders who took us to campus and I was in awe when I first saw the majestic Nott Memorial, it was more beautiful than I thought it would be and loved how it was glowing, I could have stared at it the whole night. As I was an international student, we had a week-long orientation before classes began and the orientation week was one of my best weeks here, I finally got to meet all those people who I had only met virtually. I learnt so much about the culture of other countries which included Brazil, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, and Bangladesh and all about other states in the USA from where the domestic students came. We did a lot of fun activities during orientation and the one which I loved the most was the “Resources Tour”, it was designed to familiarise us with the resources that the college had to offer. I liked the career centre’s presentation the most, the staff there seemed to be extremely well-known, enthusiastic and eager to help all students. I also appreciated the vast amount of resources that they had to offer, which included resumes, cover letters and networking guides and drop-in hours for students that were designed for students who needed advice.
The 10-week term was fast-paced and as the first day began I felt like it was impossible to manage everything together. I began overthinking if I had made the correct decision about choosing a college far away from home and if I would be able to manage everything all by myself without help. But now I knew, I had no option but to go with the flow. I had made an agenda back home and one of my goals was to have an exciting fall term, and after it is over I would feel proud of myself for adjusting to this brand-new environment. Other than academics, I got involved with many extracurriculars while I took up certain activities that aligned with my interests like writing for the student newspaper and getting involved with the Model United Nations Club, I also got actively involved in theatre and dance. I was initially hesitant to take part as I had enormous stage fear. But Union’s theatre and dance department provided a perfect platform for me to get over my fear.
Now that I look back at the past four months, I can say that even though I had my ups and downs, I am proud that I persevered. Fall Term has definitely been memorable for me, especially due to all the support I received from all the wonderful people here on campus and in the town and most importantly from my family back home. I have learnt to be there for myself and I am excited to explore and expand my horizons in the coming year. My first fall taught me a valuable lesson and that is to not lose hope, as the best is yet to come.
