(Tong’s first letter from the United States. It took 20 days to arrive.)
Dear Dad and Mom,
August 16th was such a long day. Zhouhe walked me right to the plane's boarding gate. Since this flight goes to Tokyo first, most of the passengers on board were Japanese. It takes over two hours to fly from Shanghai to Tokyo, and once we landed, everyone had to get off the plane. I walked around the Tokyo airport for a bit. Even when I ran into Asian faces there, I didn't dare speak Chinese because they were most likely not Chinese! It's really hard to understand Japanese people speaking English! Around 4:00 PM Tokyo time, I boarded the exact same plane, sat in the exact same seat, and headed toward L.A. This leg of the trip took over ten hours. I ate two Japanese meals on board (sushi, sashimi, salad, etc.) and was really happy with them; I also watched two movies. After flying for a while, it got dark, but then just 5 or 6 hours later, the sun came up again. I was sitting right in the middle row, so I couldn't see the view out the window. By the time we landed in L.A., it was already past 10:00 AM local time. I only had a little over an hour before my next flight was scheduled to take off. The customs line was very long and slow, and because my gate changed at the last minute, I almost missed the flight. On the flight to Minneapolis, I was so wiped out I couldn't even manage to eat lunch. The final plane to Austin was very empty, with only about half the seats taken; I got a window seat this time, and the scenery was quite beautiful.
After getting off the plane, I met up with the classmate who came to pick me up at baggage claim—his name is Hai. He found a temporary apartment for me to stay in, and then took me out to get some groceries. Things are cheap here, especially bananas, eggs, milk, and orange juice. After shopping, we went back to Hai’s place to call you. Their home is in the university's married student housing; it's really nice and incredibly affordable at less than $300 a month. The place where I’m staying temporarily is also great and has everything I need. That night, I took a shower and finally went to bed around 2:00 AM. I woke up around 10:00 AM this morning and had some milk, bagels, and a banana for breakfast. After noon, jet lag hit me and I felt so sleepy that I went right back to bed, so I didn't get much done today. I plan to head to the department tomorrow morning to find the secretary. This trip was basically like taking 4 separate flights, which was truly exhausting, though I actually felt pretty energetic right after getting off the plane. My initial impression of America is very good. Austin isn't hot at night at all, and with the air conditioning inside the house, I've actually put on long pants. I’m going to sleep now and will write more tomorrow.
Tong
Evening of 08/17/95
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I woke up at 5:00 AM this morning and couldn't fall back asleep. In the morning, I took the university shuttle to campus. In Austin, students get to ride the bus for free. I went to the department's Graduate Office, and they handed me some materials and forms to fill out. It really is a bit hot outdoors in Austin. In the afternoon, I called to schedule my oral English exam. Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, so I can finally relax a bit.
Tong
08/18/95
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Last night, I rode with a classmate to the supermarket to buy some groceries. Usually, people here buy a whole week's worth of food at once. The supermarket is massive; it feels like they have absolutely everything. I bought 13 items for $12, which still feels very cheap. I will probably stay at this temporary apartment until the 24th, and then move to another place nearby. When I got up this morning, it took several hours before it suddenly dawned on me that today is my birthday! For lunch today, I baked a frozen pizza, so I guess that counts as my birthday celebration. Tonight, I'm heading over to Hai's house to eat dumplings.
Once I move into my permanent apartment, I will let you know how to write to me.
Tong
08/19/95