Day 1 (September 16) - Our journey to Boston (L.B.)

Today was an incredibly exciting day: we finally flew to Boston! We’ve been awaiting this day for over two years, and it has finally arrived. The flight was quite lengthy and somewhat dull, as we didn't have much to do. But still we managed to get through the eight-hour flight by watching movies and chatting with our classmates. Just before we landed there were a few turbulences and we were very pleased when we landed smoothly in Boston. Mia and I had to wait in a separate line for customs because we are both American citizens, which was quite interesting. We also didn't need to take our fingerprints and thus we were the first to arrive at the baggage claim. Once we had collected all our baggage, we were greeted with loud cheers and colorful welcome signs from our host families. There wasn't much time for goodbyes, as everyone was eager to get home.

Upon arriving at my host family's home, we ordered pizza for takeout and made a quick stop at a 7-11 for some snacks. I also had the chance to meet my host family's dog, which was a delightful experience. Afterward, we went out with Sofia, Ladina, and Elena and their exchange sisters to enjoy some ice cream. It was a lot of fun to see each other again after all the new experiences, and it was also enjoyable to truly get to know some of the other American students. It was indeed a very long day, and we all left feeling quite tired and jetlagged but all in all, it was a fantastic start to the exchange. I'm eagerly looking forward to tomorrow!