The Journey : departure, emotions, flights, a new life !

So yes, I've been in the United States of America for a little over two months now, I still can’t believe it. 

I arrived in the U.S. on August 1, 2023 and I was one of the first to leave as an exchange student. I can't describe how I felt that day. My emotions were strong and different. I remember being stressed, excited, impatient, delighted but also scared.  This 1st August I woke up in Belgium, leaving my family behind, and fell asleep in one of the world's greatest cities. I remember getting off the plane in New York  with other exchange students and seeing this big "Welcome to the USA" sign. I think at the time, it was too early to realize what was really going on.

But let's start over, my flight from Brussels to Newark (New Jersey)  was pretty early so I woke up on the big day, I took a shower, I prepared my outfit and all my documents  the day before and that helped me a lot, so i encourage everybody to organize all the things you will need during the journey the day before you leave.  I ate a little bit of breakfast but I was too stressed to eat more. I remember that the atmosphere was so strange and I didn't realize at all that I was leaving for a year. My parents and my brother came with me to the airport, we went to the check in together and then we went to the “goodbye hall” . I said goodbye to them and I won’t lie saying that it was one of the worst moments in my life. I felt so sad but at the same time my dream experience was starting. We found the gate and flew for more than 8 hours. I was so happy when we landed.  I had the chance to travel with 3 other exchange students from Belgium to New York.

Visiting New York was incredible and if you want to know more about that, go check my article New York City. 

So August 3rd I flew from Newark to Denver and then to Sacramento. I didn't have any kind of problem with my flights but the most  important advice that I can give to a future traveler is to ask to the stuarts if you are in the right place, if you have any kind of concerns of any questions, their job is really to help you so don't be afraid to ask. 

When I met my host family at the airport, I remember feeling like I already knew them. I must say that I had my destination and my host family very early in the program. Our exchange of messages allowed us to get to know each other. I was living a moment that I dreamt so many times, that was magic !!

So after a long journey and several flight hours  I was finally in California, my home state.