@globustrotterin

_{@ Old Town, Warsaw, PL}

Tracing back to the time where I finally landed my feet in my dormitory. I took out my documents and took out my guidelines for the new coming students. Here I am with hundreds of unfamiliar faces who are going to be my potential neighbour and eeh, roommate. Correct, I had to share my room. This was the biggest fear that I had been preparing myself since the beginning. But yes, here I am with two suitcases. Hesitantly I went to the lady at the front office. She was unfriendly and can’t speak English. She was mumbling in a presumably angry tone and pointed to the corridor as I showed her my paper. Yay! So much for a welcoming party for me – duh.I went to the corridor that was filled with a lot of lining up students. I patted the shoulders of a blonde girl in front of me. She looked at me, friendly – thank God and explained that we had to line up for our dormitory keys and rooms here. I hope my roommate will be as nice as her. I asked her where she is from. ‘’Ukraine and ooh I also can speak Chinese, in case it is more comfortable for you,’’ she replied. ‘’Thanks, but I can’t speak Chinese,’’ I said. She looked confused and smiled. Haha… Gee, I guess I really should have learned Chinese.

My line was up and here I was in the middle of the dean’s office for International Students and being asked whether I have a preference for my roommate. ‘’Hmm. Maybe a nice one and clean?,’’ I answered without thinking. Seriously, when you are far away from home and haven’t been living with other people from another country and now you were asked for your preference, you don’t know what to answer. The lady in charge looked at me and said, ‘’I’m gonna find you an Indonesian girl to live with.’’ What a surprise! I thought I am the only Indonesian here. So I said yes and took my keys.  

As I entered the room. She was messy. Never have I ever seen a girl’s room with rubbish all over the tile. Her clothes were literally everywhere. She was watching movies on her tablet and didn’t even bother to say to me. Great! But wait… She is not Indonesian, I heard Chinese. So I asked her and she nodded. I needed a good rest. It had been a tiring day after that trip. My mom came with me luckily. She and my uncle (my father’s good friend) waited for me in the car in the parking lot and we went to Piotrkowska Street. A hip street full of bars, restaurants and good things in Lodz. That night I slept in a clean hotel bed and I had a nice dream.

The next day I had to go back again to the dorm as my orientation will be starting in days. I said goodbye to my mom and my uncle. And she told me to study well and take good care of myself. I know we have had this convo way back when I was 15, as I was heading alone to fly to Jakarta in the means of pursuing a better education. But this time, it felt different. We didn’t cry, but I’m sure she cracked a bit and more inside. After she hugged me for the last time, I went back in, trying to control my mixed feeling and preparing myself for that messy room.

I went in. But it was not as I expected, it was quite empty. I saw two suitcases and one rice cooker, but there was nobody. Oh well, I was hungry, so I took my Indomie, the proud of Indonesian – hail MSG and went to the communal kitchen. I ate my noodles while looking at the view in front of me, the other faculty and some grasses. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but I enjoyed it. Not long, I heard some footsteps and I looked behind, there was a girl. She was looking at me and smiled. Her face was half wet as well her hands and feet. I noticed  the rolled up sleeves of her blouses, trousers and her white hijab. I assumed that she wanted to pray soon. Is she also from Indonesia and more importantly and is it my roommate?
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”Okta,’’ she said smiling. ‘’Helen,’’ I replied, smiling back. I am glad that she is my roommate. A little sign such as how one organises their stuff temporarily can already be a first impression. She is like me, she brought only the necessary stuff here and put it in a way that wouldn’t disturb the walking way in the room. I said to her that this is my first time to share a room with a stranger and that I am an organised person. If I am too organised to her likings and she doesn’t feel comfortable, she should tell me directly. She said to me that she starts her prayer early in the morning and would need an alarm for that, and asked if I would be awake because of it. I said that I am a heavy sleeper and she doesn’t have to worry about that hehe.
Just like that, my first day in Poland officially began 🙂