DAY 1
Where one of
us gets into unexpected trouble, and we all make a new friend after stuffing
our faces with red meat.
Touchdown in the City of Angels
After the longest plane ride we’d ever taken, we touched
down at the LAX feeling weary but excited. It was our first time in the United
States, and we hardly knew what to expect. After queuing up at immigration for
about 20 minutes, I was finally ushered to a counter where the officer
requested to see my I20 form.
Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. I couldn't
find the form—it wasn't where I thought it would be. So the officer took my
passport and told me to step back and wait as another officer came and took me
to a room marked ‘Admissibility Review’. There I sat and waited for a solid
half hour, watching as more officers behind booths interrogated
visitors/immigrants with lacking documentation or suspicious travel histories
about their backgrounds and reasons for travel.
Some of the interrogations were
not pretty.
The longer I waited (and the more interviews I witnessed)
the more nervous I felt. I rummaged through my carry-on and, after seeking St
Anthony’s intercession, found my I20 form lodged in a compartment I forgot
existed. I debated whether or not to approach one of the officers with this new
development, but decided they’d just ask me to wait till someone called me up
for an interview. So I sat, waiting, paranoia creeping its way into my head
(What if they decided to perform a bag-check? What if they confiscated my
laptop? Were the others still waiting outside for me? They’d never let me live
this down…). Some airline representatives came down and told me where I could
get my bags once I was cleared—others stayed to help translate for passengers
who couldn't speak English.
Finally, after the gruelling wait, I was called forward and interviewed by a (surprisingly) friendly female officer. She asked why I couldn't find my I20 before, and I told her. Satisfied with the answer, she started asking me about school, and we even chatted about DigiPen's admission policies (she didn’t like how other universities were overly-particular about their admission criteria). Finally, after providing some advice on how to apply for a US State ID, she returned me my passport with a smile. I’d never felt so relieved in my life.
LAX International Airport
I updated the others (Kenneth, Jieqi, Moses and Shaun) about
what had just happened and we hopped on a cab to our hostel. We arrived at the
Banana Bungalow—an unassuming little building sitting along Fairfax Avenue—at around
8pm local time, incurring a cab fare of almost $60. After checking in, we
settled into our dorm—a six-man room with bunk beds, a TV, a toilet and some
really old lockers.
The dorms at Banana Bungalow West Hollywood
We got ourselves unpacked and set off to find dinner. The
hostel was organising a free BBQ in their outdoor lounge, but there wasn't much
space so we decided to go out and explore (much to Jieqi's chagrin). We walked
for a bit before discovering Swingers’ Diner, which served up some pretty
awesome burgers and steak. I ordered the Patty Melt—a nice medium-rare beef
burger tucked between crisp, toasted rye bread—along with a side of gargantuan
onion rings and a cup of hot cocoa. Moses and Shaun ordered the diner’s
signature burger, and Jieqi did the same but with extra cheese. Kenneth got a
steak with a side of soup.
Dinner @ Swingers
The portions were huge, and long before we could take our
last bite, we were stuffed. The nice waitress kindly educated us on America’s
tipping culture (upon our request, mind you) and what we could do around LA.
We returned to our dorm and found another surprise waiting
for us. Apparently, our six-man dorm had another occupant, a student from China
called Ying Long. He emerged from the bathroom after hearing the ruckus we were
causing.
Day 1 was a pretty exciting and unexpected start to our
adventure here in the USA, culminating in good food and bloated stomachs. Stay
tuned to find out what happens in Day 2…
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