CHAPTER 1

I spent almost two hours at the immigration office because I didn't know better. So, apparently, if you're a student coming to the States to study, the earliest you can enter is 30 days before the university's opening date. But I arrived 38 days before. The officers needed to know where I'd stay since the dormitories were closed, and that was a bit complicated.

Jonathan had spoken to a female friend of his to allow me to stay with her until the Res Life office at the university gave me the key to my dorm room, that was, to stay with her for 8 days. She was a Tanzanian, so I think she just agreed because she didn't want to seem selfish towards her countrymates. Back then, I thought every person was nice. The villains I saw in movies, I doubted that they existed in real life. Point to note; I'm not calling the female friend a villain. I'm just saying I was naive.

My first meal in the USA was a KFC chicken bucket with a Grande cup of Sprite. It was December, and Illinois doesn't play when it comes to winter. I was so fascinated when I saw my own breath. We arrived at the friend's apartment, and she wasn't around. She called to make sure we got in and after I settled in, my brother left.

…

The place was actually too small for two people. I'm sure she rented it with just herself in mind. But she was kind enough to welcome me to her humble home. And yes, she was actually cool about it for a few days. 

But _

I had no key to the apartment, which meant if I went out, I had to be careful not to close the door or it'd lock itself and I'd have to wait outside in the cold until she came back. Usually she came back after 9 pm, which meant I'd have to stay outside for whatever hours it took. That was new. Things worked differently in Tanzania. Yes, some houses had gates, but we usually don't lock the doors until we go to bed, or unless there's a serious case of crime in the streets. 

I had to remind myself every single day,

"Jenara don't go out or the door would lock itself and there's nothing you can do about it.".

But I'm human, and humans forget.

***