In the spring of 1996 I had the idea that I wanted to spend the summer over in the States. I had just turned 17 and was ready for an adventure on my own. Sometime in late June I arrived over in Augusta, Georgia and was greeted by the family I was going to stay with.
It had been a long flight and nerve recking start to my entry into the United States. As I’d gone off the plane and walked towards immigration I’d been chatting to a British man and we’d been talking about the Olympics that was starting a month later. The excitement about the months ahead had started to rise and I was really looking forward to my stay. But it changed when we reached immigration and I was called forward to the immigration desk. The officer behind it questioned me thoroughly about what I was going to do in the US on my own for 2 months. I told him my story but he didn’t believe me and kept asking more questions. I didn’t have the answer to all of his questions and made up some on the spot to sound more convincing. But that only meant that he asked me even more questions. Eventually he gave me a folder with his notes in, pointed to a glassed room and told me to go in there as they wanted to ask me a few more things. I waved to the British man and shook my shoulders as to say “I’m not sure what’s happening.” And I didn’t. But I realised that I might be sent back and not let in to the country.
I wasn’t alone in that big room but I was the only 17 year old girl in there. An immigration officer came up to me as I waited to be called forward, took the folder and asked me the same questions as the previous officer had. I started to get nervous and I tried to remember the answers and explanations I’d made up in the heat of the moment to the other officer. He listened, looked in my folder and asked me more questions. After a while he closed the folder, handed it back to me and told me to wait. A few minutes later I was called forward to a woman with kind eyes and for the third time I was asked why I was going to the States, what I was going to do, how long I was going to stay for etc, etc, etc. But this woman was a lot nicer to me than the previous two officers and she put me at ease. I answered best I could and eventually she looked at me, smiled and said “Welcome to the United States and enjoy the Olympics”. I got my stamps and my passport back and walked over to the gate where I sat down and waited for my flight to Augusta. The sun was shining and I was happy and relieved but also very tired. A wait and a flight later I arrived in a very warm Augusta and was greeted by a woman called Pam and three kids. Heidi 3.5 years old, Hannah, 2.5 years old and David 11 months. Four people I’d never met in my life before but only spoken to on the phone. And I’ll never forget how little Hannah walked up to me, thumb in mouth and put her hand in mine and led me to the car.
That summer I really got to know and trust myself. Over the months ahead I travelled with the family across the South East of the United States. For the first time I learnt what it felt like to come to a new place, meet strangers who were incredibly welcoming and feel that you could call it home. Everything was new to me and everything was an adventure. The States was big, Atlanta was the first city with sky rises that I’d been to and with the Olympics being on at the same time I felt incredibly privilege and proud. Proud of myself to daring to go and for mastering this adventure on my own. I’d been a bit nervous before I said goodbye to my family in Sweden and jumped on the plane. As a kid flying to Stockholm for the first time I’d cried. Take offs and landings had been scary. The night before I left for Augusta I remember standing over at dad’s crying because I was nervous that something might go wrong and worried that I might not see them again. What if something went wrong. And what if the family wasn’t nice and I hated it. I was sad because I wasn’t going to see my family for the whole summer but I knew I had to go. As we said goodbye in the doorway my middle brother Johan gave me a toy seal to take with me and that toy sealed travelled with me to Augusta and on later travels.
2 1/2 months later I returned home and was greeted by my family at Copenhagen airport. All of my 4 siblings had grown over the summer, so much that I could see it. I was thrilled to be home and thrilled to have gone and mastered my first big adventure abroad. I’d experienced and learnt so much and having done that trip I knew that taking a leap out into the unknown, no matter how scary and big it may seem, will always reward you and give you memories and experiences you’ll never forget. I’d grown as a person and had also become fully fluent and comfortable speaking English. Over those 2 1/2 months I’d developed an american accent and I said ‘awesome’ and ‘like’ a lot. Something my english teacher with a posh British accent soon made me get rid of.
Tomorrow – Day 211 | Week 30 summary
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/hyekab25/4456939129
