I got off at Logan International Airport at about 6am with 3 big suitcases. It was a bit chill at that time and I did not feel tired at all after a long flight, oh actually I had a long layover at Los Angeles already so it turned out not too long then. I was so eager to check out my school and also the first day of orientation. I wonder all of the friends I did connect virtually, how they actually look like, it would be exciting for sure. Then I suddenly realized I should text a relative whom I have not met before about when his niece would come to pick me up and give me a ride to my school. I appreciated his help a lot because it was such an early chilly morning and it was an opening for how I have got helped in the U.S. I remembered there was a white Audi approaching terminal A and that’s it. On the ride, the niece (if I remember correctly her name is Ngan) and I were getting to know each other, I asked her what she is studying and how her life is in the U.S. She looked still young but did not talk much, probably because it was the first time we met. 25 minutes passed by very quickly, we were already at the entrance of my school and were wondering which gate to get in. The car was moving slowly up a hill with really green grass around. I was still looking around and a voice brought me back: “I think you are here”. It was different from my imagination the fact that there was barely anyone outside. Schools in my home country, Vietnam usually have lots of students running around especially on special day like first day coming back to school so this was definitely new to me. I stepped down and said thank you to Ngan. In a flash, I felt lonely and missed everything that I left to come here. A new journey began. For better or worse, I was fighting to get here and I chose this. GMAT, IELTS, sweats and tears in writing and reviewing essays, and hope and sacrifice of my family, all should be paid off by my amazing journey ahead. There are lots of halls in the campus and they were not close to each other. I was a bit worried to find the right building where my orientation was about to start. It was around 7:30pm at that time. Thoughts were spinning in my head: “which one looks more like Olin Hall!?”. This hall later on was my base at Babson, I had classes here, teamworks here. I wished there is someone for me to ask, and then immediately some students were going to the other direction. I came and checked with them where Olin Hall is. So I was right there, very close. I opened the door, dragged my suitcases and stepped in. The staffs at my school gave me such a warm welcome: “Helloo, welcome to Babson, how are you? you must be a new student”. That’s my Babson, always warm, always full of energy, diverse and authentic. After doing the check in and taking an introduction package, I was told to get to the room 201. And wow, it was the first time I got to see an actual auditorium. It was intimidating to me at first. My classmates were already there and paying attention to a professor talking about policy of school. Those guys from that day were my gang. “What’s up?” was usually what we used to say Hello to one another, rather than meaning it literally like how I thought. The first day of orientation went by very fast and I came back to the relative home to visit him and to give him a gift I brought from my home country, how, I do not remember but I managed myself and 3 suitcases very well. Then that relative booked an Uber for me to get back to the sister’s house, where I would stay for the entire my program. It was almost 9:30pm and I was worried all the sisters already slept. However, after I rang the bell, an old yet youthful sister opened the door for me, her name is sister Vita. She was surprised by how my English is very good and I was surprised by how the house looks so big and there are a lot put into its architect. I checked out my room, it was on the roof, very cozy and I had a nice window view to the neighbors. I took shower and then went to bed, I did not feel really sleepy due to jet flag but managed to had a long one. When I woke up, sister Vita called me to go down for breakfast and I never forget what she told me her melting suggestion: “Have as many eggs as you can, they are in the fridge” :)
— To be continued
