Day 1: America Here We Come - The AIS Takeover

PART  1: THE FIGHT WITH CUSTOMS

Waking up at 2 o’clock in the morning is obviously something I looked forward to. It’s not like I have a set sleeping schedule like most normal human beings, who usually sleep from twelve to at least five in the morning, but nevertheless it was challenging. I started packing my bags, taking only the necessities and leaving space for all the new things I’m hoping to purchase in the United States. In between putting clothes and presents into my suitcase, I would snapchat and text Katie and Harsha to solidify our plans – it is not everyday that you get to go see your best friends who live all the way across the world. I finished at around four and took a nap. I was to be out of the house at 6:30 and I gave myself half an hour to get ready and finish up packing. The second I woke up,  I remembered that I had to register for the SAT Subject Tests – because there is no better time to register for an exam than in the midst of one of the most important trips of your life. Anyhow, that failed and I scrambled to get out of the house in time to get to the airport at seven.  

Good news in the morning is wonderful and nearly impossible. At 7:15 we found out that there would be a one and a half hour delay. This happened because of the plane’s previous route – wonderful isn’t it? Our layover in London was already barely enough to get to the connecting flight to Baltimore, now we literally had no time. Mr. Smalley, who always has every single detail planned out six weeks in advance, was on the verge of a breakdown. A breakdown on the first day would be one of the least favorable outcomes, so thankfully he made everyone believe that he was O.K, and that everything would end up fine. Everyone went along, except for me, because I have known Smalley for too long, and I am accustomed to his moods and changes. He called our tour company and settled some issues that we might have if we were to miss our flight. Registration began at 10 and it seemed as if things began taking a turn for the better.

Maybe for some people they did, but I was not destined to have a wonderful morning today. Customs in Kazakhstan is usually very relaxed and almost nonexistent. I guess I haven’t traveled in a long time because now they are extremely meticulous. I turned 16 a little over a month ago and apparently according to the Kazakh law, within a month after a child turns 16, they have to permanently register in the country. Passport control took about fifteen minutes and after it I was taken to the administrators office. My heart started beating faster and faster because I wasn’t even supposed to go to passport control until everyone was registered for the flight. My inner rebel self went back into hiding, and as I was escorted into the dark hounds of the airport, Jasmin and the team all had eyes as big as those of owls.

I spent another 20 minutes with the customs administrators filling out my name and date of birth on ten different forms. And then they told me I had to pay a $100 fine. I was “16 and responsible for my actions now.” Being old and responsible sucks. I called Mr. Smalley to explain the situation to him and so the customs officer, Smalley and I went to the bank to pay the fine. We decided to pay with the emergency money on Mr. Smalley’s credit card, but that didn’t work. The woman working didn’t understand that there was absolutely no pin on the credit card and that the transaction could go through if she just pressed “enter.” The lack of communicational methods between Smalley and the locals is astonishingly low, so he just started laughing in the faces of the customs officer and bank woman. I got tired of trying to negotiate anything that would wave the fine and paid the $100 in cash.

Surprise surprise. I was not the only one who had problems at passport control. After I paid my fine, my boarding passes were stamped and I was granted my freedom On my way back into the main hall of the airport I noticed Nastya and Mrs. Lawrence standing waiting for something. That something was Smalley, He is needed everywhere 24/7. It turns out that Nastya’s Kazakh visa was in her mother’s passport, and since she only had a digital copy of it, customs wasn’t letting her out of the country. After some “peaceful” discussions and yelling, she was let through. Mr. Smalley probably had a couple heart attacks, but he looks stable enough, because there are many more to come.

Customs was not the only meticulous station at the airport. Everyone seemingly went through security without trouble. Everyone was in the waiting hall or roaming the Duty Free, except Mrs. Lawrence. Another 20 minutes passed and she comes out of security with the most annoyed face I have ever seen. “They thought I was carrying steroids,” she exclaims. Of course, how could she not pack a couple pills to go?

Finally, four hours later they announced boarding. We were off to London. I got on the plane, stuck my bags on the top shelf, yelled “AHHH I AM SO EXCITED,” and passed out into deep sleep. A Wonderful morning that couldn’t get any more wonderful!

PART 2: THE RACE WITH TIME

Landing in London was pretty great until they opened the doors for us to get out of the plane. The opening of the airplane doors marked the beginning of the most important race of the trip. We had less than an hour to get to our connecting flight to Baltimore, which British Airways was holding up for us. We ran down the stairs and through the airport to security, getting angry glares from the passengers that had just gotten off of the Shanghai flight. We had no time to worry about that, our greatest obstacle was the security line and procedure. Boots and flats were flying everywhere and laptops and liquids were being taken out of bags. It was hectic to keep track of our passports and not losing our belongings. I ended up getting ahead and met up with Mrs. Lawrence and Sophia to finish our last sprint to the plane. We were in the wrong terminal so we had to take a train to get to the one where our plane was leaving from. Scurrying through duty free and escalator, we got closer and closer to our gate and there was hope that we would actually make it to our final destination. Mrs. Lawrence, Sophia, and I were the second group to make it on the plane. The flight attendants warned us that if Mr. Smalley and his group didn't hurry up, the plane would leave without them. Thankfully, they hopped on right before the doors closed and we were set to go. Our adventure through Heathrow came to an end but the trip and all the fun was only about to begin. I knew that there was no way I could survive three days of intense journalism sessions without being properly rested, so I decided to sleep a little more, some 8 hours.

PART 3: THE GREETING WITH AMERICA

Finally! We made it! I never thought I would make it this far. There are no words to express how happy and excited I am to explore the WEST. We got off the plane and that is when my happiness level started decreasing. First off, the line to passport control was like the last level of the game snake. Not only was it infinite, but it was also full of very many rude people. Everyone was pushing and shoving and when everything settled down, the guard yelled at us for using our phones. Then, we found out that our luggage was lost. Every single bag was left in London and we would only receive it the next day because there is only one flight from London to Baltimore. This really sucked because I was going to a pre convention workshop at the Newseum the next day and I wanted to look professional. We had to file baggage descriptions so they could find the right bags, which took about an hour and a half. I wanted to get out of the airport. I was exhausted and jet lagged and dirty. My friends were scared to approach me because I had such a horrible and mad face. British Airways gave each person $50 to get all the necessities for the night so the plan was to go to Walmart.

Walmart is a surreal place. Anything you could ever want or dream of is sold there for an unrealistically cheap price. Jasmin and I united forces and in 30 minutes we had half of the store in our cart. We got everything from clothes and underwear to orange juice to sharpies. We felt as if we had just participated in an episode of the show "Extreme Couponing." Mr. Smalley was super happy that Walmart was my first real American experience, because it is the nations greatest and most popular store.

The bus ride from Baltimore to DC was an hour long and when we got to the hotel we were relieved. We toppled into the hotel with our Walmart bags and the first couch we saw, we conquered. Smalley checked us in and apparently we were registered in the system as Almaty, Missouri. We got our room keys and the second we made it to our beds, we fell asleep. The next day was set to be magnificent and everyone had a countless amount of plans, activities, and places they had to be at!