First night in the United States

People have the events in their lives, and so do I. Some of them are forgotten, some of them stay in my mind very clearly. Those moments always remind me of the people, the places and the feelings that I had experienced. Specially, the moment of my first night in the United States, in a winter night of February, a few years ago. The moment when I left Viet Nam, a country of tropical weather, to come and live in the U.S. That moment became the most special one that I ever had, and it made a big change in my life as well.

My husband and I arrived to the airport around 7pm on a winter night. The temperature was around -10 degrees at that time. That temperature was not a problem for a person who was born in a cold place like my husband, but it made the person who never had any experiences of the cold weather like me to be shocked although I had been told that the weather is very cold here. And even though I was prepared myself for that, I was still very shocked!

Two friends of my husband came to the airport to pick us up and took us to a restaurant for dinner. At the moment when I got out of the car and made the first steps on the snow, I felt the cold wind flow across my face, I saw my breath came from my mouth like I was smoking. It took us only five minutes to walk to the restaurant, but it made my hands and my body become numb. I wondered how I could live in the place where it is freezing like here. I knew that it is very cold here but I could not imagine how cold it was. The U.S “impressed” me by its cold weather like a refrigerator.

We were inside the restaurant and ready for our dinner. I’ve heard that the American burger is very good, so I ordered it for myself. It was the first time I tried to eat a burger. It was not easy for me to bite a little bit of a piece of burger since it was so thick and big for my mouth. I still remember that I had to open my mouth as large as I could, but I did not get much of the burger. The vegetables and the sauce were running down my hands and dropping on the table. I realized that it was a very messy business. So, I decided to use a knife to cut the burger into smaller pieces and enjoyed it that way. I knew it was not the right way to eat the burger but that was the best way for me to try a new food.

After we finished dinner, our friends drove us home. On the way home, I noticed that everything on the road looked so much different from the city that I had lived. It was so quiet, not busy and noisy like the way I used to see in my city. One more time, I wondered how I could live in the place where has different culture, different weather and different language with the place I was born and lived in.

Another thing I’ve experienced at the first night I was in the United States was the way I dressed when I went to bed. Although the temperature was 80 degrees inside the house, it was so hot for my husband but I still felt so cold. So, I had to warm myself up by wearing many layers including a jacket. I also wore a hat and gloves to bed. I never ever dressed like that for the bed when I was in my country. My husband said that I looked like the rock star Michael Jackson. Each time I think about this, it always makes me laugh and feel how silly I was.

My first night in America was the most special moment that I will never forget in my life. The moment that changed my life, made me feel that I have to change myself to adopt in a new environment. The moment made me feel puzzled (such as when I ate the burger for the first time), and it also made me laugh each time I think about it. The first moment in the United States gave me a chance to learn a few experiences that I never ever had in my country.

KateKN