2. The Travel to the U.S.

It’s mid-August of 2015 and I’m about to officially begin my exchange program. How does it feel for a foreigner to travel to the United States of America for the first time? How does a twenty-hour-long jump from the middle of Europe to the West Coast of the U.S. look like? 

Leaving home is hard. At an inhuman time of 4 am, when I’m just about to go to the airport, I take the last walk around my place before leaving it for ten months, ten long months. It’s not about the time, really; what hits me is the awareness that the next time I’m here, I’m not going to be the same person anymore. The way I’m looking at certain things now, from the favorite stuff in my room to the general perception of home, is going to be different. Even though I know that the exchange will be temporary and I will be back someday, I can’t help feeling that something is indeed ending.

Farewell to Warsaw

I take off from Warsaw at 6 am and land in Amsterdam just two hours later. The capital of Holland hosts one of the major transfer airports in Europe, and this is where I depart for the transoceanic flight. Another ten hours in an airplane is a long time, the harder to bear once I imagine the unbelievable speed the plane is flying with and realize how rapidly and ruthlessly I’m being carried further and further away from home. Alone aboard Delta, I suddenly feel sad. I’m left on my own. But that’s the most exciting aspect of being an exchange student. Curious of what’s ahead of me, I somehow survive the flight. 

We arrive to Seattle, though I’m not yet in the U.S.. Along with fellow passengers who have crossed the ocean, I have to wait another two hours in a line to be interviewed and officially let into the country. Yes, I am tired. Tired with the sleepless flight, with hours already spent at the airports, with long waiting lines, with carrying heavy luggage and finding my way around the airport. But once I’m finally approved into the U.S., the excitement outbalances exhaustion.

From all the places in the United States I’ve been always curious to visit, Seattle is beyond any doubt my number one. Why? As the home of Boeing, it’s of an considerable significance in the world of aviation - and aviation is what I’m truly fond about. The first thing I notice when emerging into the main terminal of SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) is a seaplane model hanging from the ceiling. I smile, for I’ve found myself in an aviation paradise.

Exploration of SeaTac verifies my view on what’s the greatest deal for the locals of Washington State. It’s not Boeing as I’ve initially expected; it’s hard to find anything that would advertise the aircraft manufacturer. What am I overwhelmed by instead? “Seahawks”, whatever that is. An eagle’s head surrounded by dark blue and green. I’ve never seen it before, but it seems to be a big thing here.

Terminal of Seattle-Tacoma Intl Airport

After five hours I board my last flight, a short jump from Seattle to Yakima. The weather is perfect, allowing me to carefully watch the landscape of Yakima Valley passing below us. We finally touch down. As I deplane the Alaska Airlines, I’m struck; I feel as if someone opened the doors of a pre-heated oven. I’m confused, for no more than half an hour ago the weather and the temperature was just fine in Seattle.

Well, the explanation is simple. I’ve arrived to Yakima Valley.

Yakima Valley from above