After about a year and a half I'm back, and I was surprised to see how many things about this country I had forgotten. The flight went surprisingly well, given my intrinsic dislike of transatlantic flights; to get me in the mood for my week in the States, before leaving London I had lunch at the airport with Stefano and Anya and had a "no-bread sandwich", which in the old days was also known as a salad. The English can be incredibly American some times. The girl sitting next to me on the plane was reading this massive book titled "7 attitudes of successful people"...God bless America!
I landed in D.C. and Irina, Anya's friend I had met at graduation, picked me up. We went to get my rented car, but as they had run out of small cars they gave me this massive red jeep! We stopped at a grocery store and for the second time (after the car) I was surprised at how huge everything is. I spent the night at Irina's place which is really nice and central, and I'll be back there monday night. As I was getting ready for bed I realised I had lost my glasses, probably forgotten them in the bathroom at the airport...sometimes I wonder how I manage to travel the world alone...
I tried to get in touch with Lorenzo to tell him I'd arrived, but of course he was unreachable. Yesterday morning I managed to talk to him and left Irina's house in my jeep. I drove to Virginia Tech and, surprisingly for anyone who's seen my driving or had to deal with my sense of direction, I managed to get here withouth getting lost or crashing. My trip was full of surprises about this country I've apparently forgotten everything about: first of all the speed limits! It's safe, I know, but it took me for ever to get here! Also, the cost of gas: I went to fill up and pre-paid $40, only to realise that the jeep gets filled with $26! "Sweet"! (I'm working on getting my American accent back ;) ). The drive was beautiful and I learned to appreciate country music on the drive...or it might be that jet lag and the tiredness from driving significantly impaired my judgement abilities!
I thought I was going to come to the warm South: wrong! It started snowing on my way here, and hasn't been above 0 C since I arrived.
I arrived to Virginia Tech and met my brother Lorenzo. I'm so happy to see him and his school. He lives in the international dorm, of course, and I met some of his friends. These southerners are quite friendly and the students here look very different from UNH (not so much of a greek population). The campus is beautiful and last night I had the honor to eat at a College dining hall! Then I slept 12 hours to recover from jet lag...
This morning I went to a proper American diner and had a lovely breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup...downtown Blacksburg is very nice.
I landed in D.C. and Irina, Anya's friend I had met at graduation, picked me up. We went to get my rented car, but as they had run out of small cars they gave me this massive red jeep! We stopped at a grocery store and for the second time (after the car) I was surprised at how huge everything is. I spent the night at Irina's place which is really nice and central, and I'll be back there monday night. As I was getting ready for bed I realised I had lost my glasses, probably forgotten them in the bathroom at the airport...sometimes I wonder how I manage to travel the world alone...
I tried to get in touch with Lorenzo to tell him I'd arrived, but of course he was unreachable. Yesterday morning I managed to talk to him and left Irina's house in my jeep. I drove to Virginia Tech and, surprisingly for anyone who's seen my driving or had to deal with my sense of direction, I managed to get here withouth getting lost or crashing. My trip was full of surprises about this country I've apparently forgotten everything about: first of all the speed limits! It's safe, I know, but it took me for ever to get here! Also, the cost of gas: I went to fill up and pre-paid $40, only to realise that the jeep gets filled with $26! "Sweet"! (I'm working on getting my American accent back ;) ). The drive was beautiful and I learned to appreciate country music on the drive...or it might be that jet lag and the tiredness from driving significantly impaired my judgement abilities!
I thought I was going to come to the warm South: wrong! It started snowing on my way here, and hasn't been above 0 C since I arrived.
I arrived to Virginia Tech and met my brother Lorenzo. I'm so happy to see him and his school. He lives in the international dorm, of course, and I met some of his friends. These southerners are quite friendly and the students here look very different from UNH (not so much of a greek population). The campus is beautiful and last night I had the honor to eat at a College dining hall! Then I slept 12 hours to recover from jet lag...
This morning I went to a proper American diner and had a lovely breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup...downtown Blacksburg is very nice.
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| Virginia Tech |
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