25th October, 2011.
Pune / Frankfurt / Houston.
Nice sleep in the bus. One hour before we reach the airport. Really humid. All of us are sweating but are still trying to make the most of the moment by sitting in a huddle in a corner of the bus and talking about life, about school, about Pune and about how would the US look like. Typical way of whiling away the time when we have nothing else to do.
We reach the Mumbai Airport at last. Level of excitement is really high. Most of the parents are really stressed, at least they seem so. A delay of an hour and a half occurs due to the late arrival of one of our travellers, but it was not such a big issue. People barely bothered because they were really tensed about the flight to US. At last we go inside and pass through Emmigration and the Security Check before going downstairs, passing through the Mumbai Duty Free, which has a considerably dull aura to it, compared to the jostle of the thousands of passengers upstairs. We line up, get into groups and then go to the Departure Area. Due to the building hunger level, we decide to munch on something, and I was content with a small brownie. By the time I was finished it, it was time to get into the plane. As we lined up and started moving out of the doors, it was like a dream. It is 2:50 AM, but there isn’t even a hint of drowsiness on the faces of the students.
Inside the plane. I find the whole setup really amazing. Maybe because it is my first International flight, but still it is a memorable experience. We have this screen in front of us and we can choose from movies, songs, TV shows etc. I sure liked it. After a while our backs begin to ache slightly and it is a little difficult to catch some sleep.
The flight was long! There is a stopover in Frankfurt. It is really exciting for a few of us. For me, and a few of the others, Germany is the first country we visited. This will not be forgotten. After spending about an hour at the airport, we board the flight again.
After a really long flight with quite extravagant food, typical German. Long yellow granules of rice like structures with spinach, cheese and chicken. And there is salad and dessert and a few other appetizers. I found the food really good. Watched loads of television and listened to some good music.
We arrived at Houston in the afternoon. There was a large line for Immigration. It took around three hours for the line to clear up and we to actually enter US. We took a large deep breath, barely believing that this was it. This is the United States Of America. The feeling is priceless. We took the bus that came to pick us up and hit the road to reach Pearland where our hotel, Candlewood Suites is situated. The bus journey was loads of fun. Loads of ‘ oos ‘ and ‘ aas ‘ as the bus revealed the beautiful parts of the country with each swinging turn. Finally we reached the hotel. Scaria Uncle was there to greet us.
We were alloted rooms and I was with Dad and Cheyann. After having a nice long hot – water bath in the bathtub, which may be the best bath i have ever had, I went along with Scaria Uncle to Missouri City, with he and his family live. I am to spend the night there.
I was really sleepy by the time we reached the place and I barely lasted to eat a little dinner. After talking for a while, I, with a slightly swaying brain plunked myself on the bed. I was asleep before I hit the bed. Actually, long before that.
You may think that ” Wow, this guy does quite a lot in a day. ” The reason behind it is that, as i am travelling from India to the US, so I am gaining time which has resulted in the weird body condition.
So, this is the end of the first day, the day that has been awaited for months now, the day where I travelled a lot. The day, when I am in the United States Of America.
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