Whew!

Hello Everyone!
Well, I made it safe and sound after a long day of traveling, and I am so ready to crash for the night! But of course, as promised, I will update all of you on my travels before heading off to bed.

I didn't sleep at all last night--I kept falling asleep and instantly waking up to add more things to my list of "to-dos" for the morning. I finally just got back up around 2am and kept packing/downloading photos/etc. Mom and Martin dropped me off at the airport around six, and I had such a hard time saying goodbye! It really hit me that I was actually LEAVING by myself to have this adventure and they wouldn't be there to share it with me. After a short, and tearful goodbye, I gathered my things and headed off to security. Of course I had forgotten that people are making explosives out of hair gel these days, and had to surrender some lotion and hair product (although they were almost empty, so it wasn't a complete loss).

I got to the gate just fine, and boarded almost instantly. I sat next to a young couple who didn't seem to even really like each other that much--they didn't speak for much of the ride, and when they did, they were pretty curt with one another. I decided my time would be best spent napping. I slept the whole way to Denver. Once at the airport, I ran into the bathroom quickly, and as I was washing my hands, someone in the ladies room stole the neck pillow mom had given me for the trip! I had it looped through the handle of my carry-on, and I turned around for a second to grab a paper towel, and when I turned around it was gone! I couldn't believe it. So much for the sisterhood, huh?

I slept most of the way to NY as well, even though it was pretty bumpy. It was funny that I could immediately tell the difference in the people getting on that flight. All the women were wearing huge diamonds, Chanel sunglasses, and perfectly planned outfits (all designer labels). Even the men were dressed to the nines. Among the label-worshipers was an eclectic group of all cultures. The woman sitting next to me at the gate spoke loudly on her cell phone in a distinct Brooklyn accent: "You want me to go wheya?", she shouted, "oh my gawd, I would NEVA!" I have no idea what or where she was talking about, but it all seemed so....New York.

After the plane landed, I gathered my things and headed for baggage claim. I got a cart, and piled all my things up onto it while I waited for the car. The driver turned out to be from Panjab, India, and we talked about my friend Niha who is from Nepal. "Does she look Chinese?", he asked with a laugh. I didn't really know what to say other than that no, she doesn't. He cautioned me to be careful walking around at night as we drove through some seedy parts of town. Eventually, we came out on Broadway, and the Columbia campus with its trees and large pathways sprawled out in front of us. "Oh, this is a great part of town. You'll be safe here. Just don't wander too far by yourself," he warned. He agreed to stay with some of my things while I ran in shifts to get all my bags to the check-in desk. I figured I could trust him because I hadn't paid him for the lift yet (don't worry--I also took down the car number and his name just in case).

I got to check in around 8pm, and a great guy behind the counter oriented me, and signed me in. He told me I'd be living in Hogan Hall, just a block or two down the street. A kid in skinny jeans and a trendy t-shirt was waiting behind me, and as I gathered all my bags, I heard him say that he needed a new room key to his room in Hogan. I asked him if he was going that way, and he said he'd show me how to get there, and even took two of my bags for me! He was really nice, and said he was visiting from UCLA, where he goes to school during the year. He even carried my stuff up to my room (after commenting that I must not be a minimalist)! He had to go somewhere, otherwise I would have asked if I could get him a coke or something for helping me so much. I hope I see him around, he seemed like someone I could really be friends with.

My "suite" has a locked front door out onto the hallway, and opens into the lounge and kitchen area. The bathroom is on the hall, and leads down a narrow hallway to the five doors where all my suit-mates live. I met one almost immediately--her name is Kelley, and she goes to Brown during the year. She wasn't too welcoming at first, but she's warmed since then. Then I met her friend Kimberlynn, who is from San Francisco, and is really nice. I like her a lot. They warned me that one of the suite-mates, Cat, is really stand-offish and that I should probably try to avoid her. Ouch. Cat emerged from her room a while later and half-barked a greeting at me, "You're the new roommate?" I said "yes" and introduced myself, and she just said, "I'm Cat," and walked out. After she left I noticed a sign on a cabinet in the kitchen that said, "Cat's stuff--DON'T TOUCH." I don't plan on it. Melissa came in next, and I guess she's a thirty-year-old grad student who Kelley says is really great, and very motherly. She was in a hurry, but she seemed really nice when I met her. Lastly, I met Valerie, a visiting architecture student from Montreal, and we spoke a little French together! She seems very interesting, and down-to-earth. We're probably going to have dinner tomorrow night. She seems like the one I could most connect with in the house.

My room has an eerie likeness to a prison cell--no, not really, but kind of. Right now, it's just a white box with a horrible florescent light, and the window looks directly out onto a brick wall. Ah, how New York is that? I plan to liven it up a bit tomorrow with all my wall hangings and photos of home.

Then I walked around the area a little bit, and poked into some stores. There's an adorable artisan food store down the block with fresh pasta, a great bakery section, and some hot food. It kind of reminds me of a tiny Whole Foods. Then I ate at Chipotle (thought I'd stick to something familiar for the first night), and then, the best thing of all happened: I stumbled upon the diner from Seinfeld! It's right down the street from my dorm, and you can eat there in the booth where they always sat in the show. I went in and asked the guy at the cash register if this was the actual Seinfeld diner (i know, a very touristy thing to do), and he said, "Yeah, so you gonna eat here or what?" hahaha. I guess I learned my lesson.

I came back and visited with the girls for a while, and now I'm getting ready to sleep. Tomorrow I have to get my Columbia ID, buy my books, and find my classes. I also have a bunch of reading to do for the first day of class, so I better get to bed!

I miss all of you so much already, and I do feel very far from everything I know. I'm struggling a little to feel comfortable with all of this, but each minute, I feel a little more confident that I'm in the right place at the right time. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to take this adventure--I know I will look back on it as one of the most exciting times of my life.

Peace and Love,
Rachel