13 Feb From Windmills to Skylines: Navigating the American Lifestyle

Written By: Bo Geven

Not able to sleep the whole night as I was waiting for my alarm to ring so that my journey to San Francisco could begin. I found myself panicking about how I will be able to make friends in a foreign country since I decided to do this journey on my own. On January 20th at 4:30am my alarm rang, and I hurried to the shower. I decided to give myself a good shower before getting on the plane for 11 hours. After arriving at Amsterdam Schiphol, I had to say goodbye to my parents and sister very quickly. I was hoping to have them next to me for a little longer, but this was not allowed. I was at the gate too early but that gave me time to soak all the emotions in. I was seated at an aisle seat but the woman who paid to sit at the window seat soon found out that there was no window, just a wall. She was claustrophobic, so I gave up my aisle seat for her. The whole plane ride, I was able to sleep, and I luckily felt comfortable the whole time. After many hours, we finally got off the plane and a huge line for immigration control was waiting ahead of me. I stood there for more than an hour and I was about to burst in tears. It finally got to me that I was in a foreign country, all alone with a 9-hour time difference. After getting through immigration control, I got my suitcases and checked my phone. My soon to be roommates at SFSU were texting me if I landed safe and this made me feel a lot better. Finding the pick-up location for an Uber was more difficult than I thought but the employees at the airport were helpful. In the car ride I felt nauseous, not knowing if it was the jetlag or the horrible driving skills of the driver. I arrived at my apartment knowing that no one will be home but that gave me time to adjust to the whole situation. I felt happy to get the experience to live the American dream but sad about the fact I knew I was alone and had to start my social life from scratch. The fact my roommates kept messaging me about how I felt or if I got to unpack made me feel so welcomed. The day after, I met my roommate who I will share a room with, and she brought me to Target to buy the heavy stuff so we could put in her car. Her bubbly and social personality made no room for awkward silences and all the scared feelings about not having my own room left my mind. She is an American girl that I had the chance to get close with and she explained everything that needed to be explained. The apartment is clean, and the girls are nice so there was no reason for me to be sad anymore. I decided to explore the campus and I was amazed by how big it is. Dutch universities are a lot smaller, so I was surprised to see that a campus had a gym, restaurants to eat at, everything. On January 24^th, all international exchange students were obligated to join their orientation day. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be a couple weeks ago but was still scared for what to expect. I walked into a huge room with round tables and already a lot of students were seated. I began to feel very nervous on where I should sit since I was all alone. The orientation day had free breakfast so I decided to slowly get some tea and look around on where I could possibly sit. Next to me a girl asked me where to get the tea and her accent sounded familiar. After asking where she is from, we found out we were both raised in the Netherlands and spoke the same language. I was so happy to not be alone anymore and to find someone who I can speak the same language with. We decided together to sit with a group of girls. We began talking and made an Instagram group chat. This reminded me how easy it is to make new friends/connections because all of us in that room were going through the same thing. We are all international exchange students trying to navigate the American lifestyle. Some of us are together and some alone but you will never be alone for long if you be social and get yourself out of your comfort zone. Before I knew it, I was not alone anymore and making plans with girls from France, Mexico, and Germany. After the introduction day we started to hang out more and went to explore the mall. We all experienced the same things with the jetlag, tired at 8 PM and finding yourself waking up at 5 AM. It felt nice to get to relate with other people. Looking back, the trip from the Netherlands to the US was not just a physical move but also a significant emotional shift. The fear at the beginning was replaced by courage, and the sense of isolation was replaced with long-lasting relationships. I am so grateful for the trip that got me here that it is overwhelming me to write these words. The early friendships have grown into a network of support. The difficulties served as stepping stones, while the unknowns presented chances for development. San Francisco is now more than simply a place on a map; it’s the beginning of a chapter in my life’s story. Knowing that I still have 4 months here makes me feel joyful and excited for what the future holds for me here. In a few days, my first class in a real American college will start and new connections will be made. I am excited to hold these memories in the form of words and show my experiences in the twice a month blogs for my IEEC commitment.