My Move to the United States #013

I took the bus from my city, in the interior of the state, to the capital of Espírito Santo, around 10:30 at night. I arrived around 5:45 in the morning. I slept fitfully, I can't sleep well on buses. I wore a heavy coat, but it didn't keep me very warm. I got off the bus freezing and shivering.

The bus stops at a stop closer to the airport, but for safety reasons, I preferred to stop at the bus station. Because if I couldn't find a taxi quickly, I would be very vulnerable with a backpack and suitcase full of personal belongings at a time when there isn't much traffic on the streets.

I didn't really feel like worrying about it at the bus station. I took a taxi, which was more expensive, but since my suitcase was heavy, the taxi driver helped me out. Uber/99pop is harder now, if I asked for help with my suitcase, sometimes the driver wouldn't like it. I discovered that you get a rating and now I'm slightly obsessed with it, I don't want to keep getting a low rating (very Black Mirror). I paid R$70 for a taxi, but Uber/99pop would have cost half the price. My money was just right, I had exactly that amount in cash.

At the airport I asked about check-in at the entrance. I had to wait a few minutes, so I sat around, did some French questions on Duolingo, and walked around to pass the time. I bought an iced tea from a machine, because it would be cheaper than buying it at a little shop in the airport. The proximity of my international card isn't working, only the chip works. I don't know if NFC only works internationally or if I changed some setting in the app to disable the function.

I checked in to check my bag, the machine printed a label, since it was the first time I checked my bag, I didn't know how to put it on, so I let the lady at the desk put it on for me. I was a little embarrassed, I admit. It's like I was in a fancy restaurant and didn't know how to use the cutlery. The attendant looked at my documents and visa, and scanned it into the machine.

I was a little worried about the X-ray, that they would ask me to open my things and that I would hold up the line and everyone would look at me with a bad face, because it was the first time I had carried my backpack with me. I was worried about the issue of liquids and metals. I had gel deodorant, a Kindle, a razor, a tripod for my cell phone and some coins. These are things that our minds create, even though I have been on a plane a few times, the airport is not an environment that I am 100% familiar with and I am still afraid of embarrassing myself in something.

I was analyzing people, and I still feel inferior, as if everyone around me was successful and I was not. But I think, I am going to the United States with a visa, what makes me worse? Now I have to work, study and do my part, each one on their own path. Will I ever be rich?

It's wrong to think about it, but I don't understand why rich women get these procedures that project their faces forward, like a "duck's beak". Do they like this style to show that they are rich or are there few professionals who can deliver a more natural result?

I'm short, 1.70m tall, and in my daily life, I see a lot of people taller than me, but at the airport, it seems like people are much taller than the average person I know. Maybe that's something that makes me feel inadequate at the airport. I'm writing this at the airport in Vitória, now I'm going to sit around for a while, do some more lessons on Duolingo, watch some videos on TikTok and wait for my flight to Garulhos, which will be my first time at this airport.

Later: An Indian man sat down next to me (I assume he was Indian), the perfume smelled different, something like baby powder and musky, very different from our Brazilian perfumery. I arrived here in Garulhos, the flight was very quick, about an hour, the Latam flight is much poorer than the Azul flight. They served a small round tapioca biscuit and had Coca-Cola, some guarana soda and coffee. I don't understand why the drinks are always hot, Brazilian airlines are enemies of cold drinks. The flight doesn't even have a screen to keep you entertained, it's really simple. The onboard service was excellent, the flight attendants were very friendly and did the best they could considering the conditions. On the last flight I took with Latam, the staff was ruder. I found the plane very hot, I sat by the window and the sun's rays were burning my leg (I closed the one I had access to, the other window was more towards the passenger in front, it would have been rude to close it or ask for it to be closed). In the middle of the day on hot days, it's better to sit in the aisle. For those who have already flown by plane and the view is not new, it's more comfortable to travel at night.

Arriving at the airport, I followed the flow of traffic and saw a sign that said "International Connection". I asked an employee if that was really the case. She helped me out, very helpfully. There were already people complaining behind me, because a passenger was complaining about the ticket that was not being processed through the machine. She said he had to contact the airline. There is a lot of traffic here, so you have to think quickly and not be afraid to ask questions.

I almost got in the priority line. If you are not qualified to be prioritized, go left. Then I had to go through another x-ray machine. A man who was in front of me complained because he wanted to check in some drinks he had bought at the Duty Free counter. The employee said he could not check in the goods. He tried to argue that there was a Duty Free counter at the airport. She said that if he wanted to take the drinks with him, he had to contact the airline to check them in. He insinuated that they would take the goods home. She said that they would go in the trash (which I highly doubt, but that was all she could have said at the time). He got carried away and said he would give the purchased goods to airport employees. She simply said he could do it, while his wife had already checked her things and said he had time to go to the airline's area to try to check them in. The employee was already stressed, said she couldn't take it anymore and needed to take some medicine. The people seemed very tired, working at an airport, especially in São Paulo, doesn't seem easy. Anyway, I did my part, even though I was a first-timer on an international flight, I tried to do my part, asked if I needed to take my laptop out of my backpack, the answer was yes, I took everything out quickly, put my belongings on the tray and tried to follow the flow as quickly as possible so as not to bump into the employees and people behind me. I saw several discarded bottles, because you can't take liquids over 100 mL on international flights. If people read the rules beforehand, it would save them a headache.

After the x-ray, I went through the Federal Police, they checked my details and released me to travel. It's a bit of a walk to get to the gates. You can use the conveyor belts to get ahead.

I paid a lot for the food, R$70 for scrambled eggs with bacon, toast and cranberry Italian soda. The eggs were good, something I could never make at home. The bacon was dry, but nowadays it's hard to find bacon that's moister. The toast was just right. I got an Italian soda, because I hadn't had one in years and wanted something different. Good thing I don't eat much, it was well-stocked and will last me a few hours. Now I have to wait a few more hours. At around 9 pm I'm going to find my boarding place, I found a corner with a plug-in for my laptop and cell phones.

Boarding: It was very smooth, I exchanged my ticket issued by Latam for one issued by Delta. The plane was at an OK temperature, I always heard that international flights are very cold, but I didn't think it was that cold. I sat next to a nice lady. I saw that no one opened the windows, I was embarrassed to open them, but after a few minutes I saw that two people had opened them, so I opened them too to take a look at the takeoff. Dinner was mashed corn polenta style, chicken with tomato sauce, cream crackers, a block of cheese, green beans and white beans. For dessert I had a brownie. The food is not as seasoned as the Brazilian version, but I found it tasty and it was warm. Their cream crackers are much denser, I think they fill you up more. The brownie was also very doughy (I feel like the Brazilian version is more airy), but I didn't eat it, it's a personal thing, I don't really like chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream, it was very bitter, if you like dark chocolate, you would like it. I got an orange juice, the juice was very bitter, it seemed like they had blended the pulp, with the seeds, peel and everything. In Brazil, since we are more used to sweet tastes, it was a "shock" to the palate. There was also alcoholic beverages (the first time I saw alcohol being served), as well as soda and water. I found the flight attendants interesting. In Brazil, the flight attendants on the planes I flew seemed to be in their 20s or 30s. On Delta, the flight attendants seemed to be in their 50s or 60s, very well-groomed and looked great for their age.

I slept fitfully, just like on the bus. The flight took about 9 hours. In the morning, they served bread, a dough that looked like baked pastries. The bread had cheese (which I avoided eating because I am lactose intolerant) and bacon (the bacon, finally). The same drink options, but without the alcoholic beverages.

Arriving in the United States: disembarking was very smooth. I waited in line for immigration, which took a while because there were a lot of people in line. The government agent just scanned my passport, took a photo, asked if it was a student visa. I said yes, and let me through. He was very polite. The people here are very polite and helpful. I can say that the quality of government and customer service is better than in Brazil. I have never been mistreated at the airport in Brazil or anything, but the people are not very friendly either (I am speaking from my personal experience in general).

At immigration here, you have to take off your shoes. I recommend wearing black socks. I came with white socks. They must be dirty on the soles of your feet by now. The same procedure as always: no liquids, no belts, no electronics, no perishable food (fruit, vegetables, etc.). Then you go to the area to collect your luggage.

My suitcase had a broken wheel (the quality was terrible too, I wasn't even upset, I know the suitcase is bad), the man said I could use an airport cart, a lady helped me use it. I asked for information when I left, and the staff were very friendly. Then on the way I put my suitcase back in to check it in.

What did I think of the Americans? Most of the people who work at the Atlanta airport are black, I found it interesting, I've never seen an airport, store or restaurant in Brazil where all the employees were black (even though Brazil is one of the countries with the most black people in the world). I'll say it again, I found the staff very friendly, we'll see how it goes in our daily lives. I was afraid of the English, but since they have to deal with foreigners every day, their English is easy to understand.

In my city, Montanha, in the state of Espírito Santo, it's very fashionable to have very voluminous eyelashes, but I saw that here there are women who take this issue of eyelashes to another level, eyelashes 4 or 5 times bigger compared to the biggest eyelashes I've seen in Brazil. I saw that there are many elderly people in the country. Middle-aged white women like their hair style curled inwards.

I thought there would be many black women wearing lace, because I had heard a lot about it on the internet, but I saw many women with natural hair or braids. I didn't see many women with lace like that.

The first impression of the United States that stuck in my mind was the smell of the carpet on the floor, which also reminds me a bit of the smell of an older hotel.

The information guy gave me the directions to where I should go, and I walked around the airport. Now I have to wait for my next flight to my final destination. I can say that this change of scenery was a positive experience. The airport has a simpler structure, a lot of people flow, it could just be a little cleaner, but then it would need the collaboration of the people too.

You think it's very different, but in the end, people are people everywhere. You are just one person among billions, each one following their own journey in this life.