The year was 2016, as I neared the completion of my O-levels. The moment arrived – the decision between studying abroad or continuing my education in Jakarta, the dilemna of making the big move.
My dream, at this point in time, was to become a Clinical Psychologist. So, the thought of moving to the United States became irresistible as I envisioned a future brimming with promising career opportunities. Fueled by this ambition I started on the journey of moving. But, with only 4 or 5 months left before the College starts in September, I found myself navigating this life-altering decision within a tight timeframe.
Fortunately, my parents and I had guidance from an experienced agent well-versed in the intricacies of the process. Following their counsel, the suggestion was to start my academic journey at a community college and transfer into a 4-year College. This path would allow me to complete and obtain a GED, and given my age of 16, this choice promised a smoother transition.
With this insight, we set our sights on a community college in Seattle, throwing ourselves in a whirlwind of paperwork, visa applications, TOEFL exams, and the daunting task of condensing my life into three suitcases. Despite the rushed nature of the preparations, we succeeded and made it to the starting line of this chapter.
Until today, I am so grateful my mom was able to accompany me to Seattle and help me set up my life: Creating a bank account, meeting the host family, setting up class schedules and all the fun stuff. However, when meeting the host family, we learned that they could not accommodate a vegetarian. Boy oh boy, I had to search for a host family in a few days! Stressful was an understatement, calling the college and admin to figure things out, but they don’t have any more host families.
Luckily, a friend told me that their host family had another room and was able to accommodate me. What was crazier, was the family is also Indonesian. It seemed like the universes aligned and luck was on my side.
I don’t think I can ever thank that family enough. First year in a new country is tough, especially at 16 years old. They provided so much guidance and helped me acclimate to the US, either through advice, sharing their personal experiences, to little things such as offering me rides to the store or inviting me out with their family.
It was overall a great first year and I wouldn’t change anything.