From the moment I stepped into the Hilton conference room for the program’s first official gathering, I panicked, of course, because I was in a room full of unfamiliar individuals. But seeing Mr. Park there reassured me so much. I was never more delighted to see him!
After a briefing on how the program works in Italy, during which Mr. Park showed off his great sense of humor, we proceeded to the check-in area. On the way, I broke one of the wheels of my brand new carry-on, but I always break my bags (so whatever).
I tend to travel light, a fact to which people who went to the Fringe with me can attest. But it seemed that I was the only one who checked only one bag. In fact, a future classmate asked me if he could check one of his THREE bags under my name, due to the absurd amount of fees involved. What an interesting first impression he made.
To be quite fair, I may be spoiled by the expediency of the Incheon-Seoul airport security, but going through Boston Logan airport security was definitely not to my liking. On top of that, I was randomly selected for an inspection for the first time, and they took samples from my hands. It was not a big deal, but I still felt very uncomfortable.
I must admit that within the first hour, I feel like I have made so many friends already. I sense that there are a lot of musicians in this group, and we are already talking about starting a band, which I am all for. I even got to know an Italian guy, whose name (Andrea) is the same as my host brother’s. He sat next to me on the plane, and we just talked and talked and talked. He taught me some crucial phrases, such as "Dov'è il bagno?", and also some bad words!
As of the hour I am writing this post, I am very excited for this new adventure. Though I am nervous about the fact that I basically know 0 Italian, it is comforting to know that all the students are in this together.
