A Newbie In New York

Walking into a new world, I held tightly to my trolley luggage’s handle for comfort. I waited for this day since my childhood. Yet, I notice myself feeling scared, terrified, and to the extreme side, my intestines folding. My breathing was ragged, sweat beads forming on my temples. I walk out of the airport wearing a blanket of confidence not-so -successfully hiding my feelings. Even the fast-paced Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India was of no match to the elegance of the bustling New York.

I was a confident young girl growing up, now I find myself searching for words. My throat is dry and itchy. I feel like running back to the comfort of home. I was used to the giant buildings, usual traffic and fluent English spoken by us in the city, I thought I would be comfortable here. I sighed. I was wrong. I could see that my legs were trembling under my flowing, floral skirt. I tugged my coat and walked towards the vehicle waiting for me at the entrance. I boarded the car in a cool and tranquil way, trying to stop the shiver of my legs.

I felt like a kid in the cab, waving my head to my left and right, absorbing this new feeling, this new place. That calmed me a little. I got off the vehicle and waited for the chuckling cab driver. "He didn't judge me!" I thought. This was my first time out of India, the first use of my passport. I came to the United States of America to earn my degree of Digital Communications and Media at New York University.

I was delighted when the acceptance letter came home. I was upon cloud nine the moment I read the good news. I was jumping with joy and screaming "I got in! I got in!" That day's sequence of events was roaming around in my head as I climbed the stairs up to my dormitory. We celebrated that day. My mother made my favorite meal and almost everyone I knew congratulated me on hearing the news through audio or video calls. I knocked on the door searching for the keys I was given before.

A girl with brown hair tied into a messy bun opens the door and she was apparently my roommate. Mustering all of my courage and gearing up for my college years, I mystically say with a smile " Hi! I am thinking that I am your new roommate."