I am in Jet lag. 35 hours Journey from Bangladesh to USA
Typically when someone from gets US visa for to do PhD or masters make a post in two most helpful Facebook community in Bangladesh- Next top USA and Higher Study in Abroad. Basically for getting all visa related information and how to take preparation for visa interview following those two groups are enough. But here I am writing this blog to experience my first time US admission.
Mainly, my visa interview was very short. Although I was very anxious if I will be able to schedule an appointment. As due to Covid-19 protocol US embassy in Bangladesh were strict in protocol and visa interview slots were very meager. So I felt that I have to apply for an emergency. In that case I opened a telegram group ( Emergency Fall 2022) so that people like me from Bangladesh can know the procedures and steps for emergency as I was desperately focusing on it. More than 3 thousand people joined in the telegram group and actively discussed about emergency visa slots procedures.
To get an emergency visa slots at first have to make a normal appointment then apply for Emergency in Business category, then have to explain why my Emergency Application should be accepted. And the Tentative date in the application form should be the same date as DS-160 form. In the Upload Documents I uploaded my i-20, sevis fee receipt, current visa appointment date pdf, admission letter, DS-160 form.
On the due date I arrived at US Embassy in Bangldesh and it took 5 seconds to issue my visa. Only question asked by visa consulate officer was- First time in US? I didnt hear it properly, requested to make a repeat, then as soon as I said yes, visa officer responded- Collect your passport in two weeks. Visa officer just checked my passport and i20. Before facing visa interview I bought air ticket, cause price was increasing. And my flight is 6th August 03:20 AM.
Baggage:
I bought a Qatar Airways ticket Economy class as a student privileged passenger. Hence there should be two check in luggage and two hand in luggage. check in luggage shouldn’t exceed 23 kg, and hand in luggage should not be more than 7Kg. A backpack where laptop can be carried and it could be stowed under the seat front of you. So what should I bring troubled me most?
As I am comfort with mainly casual outfit and mostly I wear shirt, t-shirt, flat pants (Gavardine type), I packed 4–5 items of them. My mother then packed a coverture and a pillow in the 1st luggage. As I will stay in south part of the USA that is warm so for Fall I brought some light warm clothes. When I weighted my first luggage in the Dhaka Shahajalal Internation Airport, it shows 15 kg. My mother biggest concern was about food as I am not good at cook. So on the second luggage she packed rice, lentils each one of around 1 kg, onions, gingers, some spices. All of the food items made weight of around 7kg. Then I packed some jeans side of luggages so that my bags dont tear off with only heavy weight of foods. I also packed two shoes in there. Total weight of the bag was 20kg.
Trouble happened in my hand luggage, in the hand luggage my wife and mother packed some dry food like cookies, chanachur, biskuts, fruits to eat in the airport and transits. I packed some notebooks for writings and some books in the hand luggage. When I left home I felt that it wont cross 7 kg, but when I was to collect my boarding pass, immigration officer found they are more than 7kg and the amount is 14 kg. On my backpack I only carried my laptop and documents along with print copy of air ticket, Covid-19 vaccination certificates with booster dose. I had to eat all fruits in the airport and transferred some weights to the backpack. Now the hand luggage is around 11 kg. Special consideration as a student, I was exempted as my hand luggage was filled with books and writing notes. Forget to mention that there was a frying pan in the hand luggage. I was tensed about the hand luggage in the transits.
My transit in Doha Hamad International Airport was 2 hours. As soon as I landed on Doha, I was looking for a giant screen where all departures are showing. On the screen I found my flight number and with the assist of airport officers I lined on the related gate. Just 30 minutes before the departure I completed the boarding procedures. As usual I had to put my backpack and hand luggage on the conveyer belt. I had to put all my electronic devices including laptops from my backpacks, watch from my hands, put off my belts for scanning. When my backpack and luggage was scanning officer asked me to make a side and said I have to check your baggage once again. I think the frying pan in the hand luggage made the suspicious, so I unlocked my bag and showed them. Then I was cleared out for the wait room.
After 14 hours of long flight, I landed in the John F Kennedy International Airport, New York. During both itinerary, I was listening to audio books. In the Dhaka-Doha route I was listening to Big Answer to Big Questions but I fall sleep. Same thing happened on the next route, I was listening to The Moon then I was so bored to look at the small screen of me. I fall asleep when I woke up I found that I slept more than 8 hours. Then to pass times I started watching Titanic, last 40 minutes of minutes without headphones. My Doha-JFK journey ended in terminal 8 of JFK airport. The next route is to Albuquerque from JFK. I will board from terminal 6 to Jet Blue Airways for this route and I have to exit from JFK terminal 8. In immigration when I submitted my passport to the officer, he also asked for my i20. I suddenly realized that I am failing to find my i20 print copy. Then told the officer if I may show the i20 in my laptop. Officer replied- What happened to my phone? Basically it shut down due to the wifi use during the flight. I also failed to charge my phone in Dhaka airport as almost all port were malfunctioned in there. In Doha due to rush didnt get time to charge. I explained the situation to him. Then officer asked where I will stay in US? I said last week I rent a space, he asked for street address. I only said it is Lead Avenue. Then he asked about zip code, I said my apologies I rented the house last week I only know it is nearby UNM campus and it is in the Leas Ave., then I told him the apartment name and manager name. He cleared me with saying that next time when you travel from Bangladesh to USA you must keep the i20.
Two documents are the license to stay in US, they are i20 and passport
Then to catch my next flight to Albuquerque, I was looking for a way to arrive at terminal 5. I found in JFK, there are trains to move from one terminal to another. I boarded one of them. I think in JFK, there are designated airlines in designated terminals. For Jet Blue Airways it is terminal 5. When I reached at terminal 5, I found there are kiosk to print my boarding pass. I inserted my last name, email address, number of carry-in baggage, number of hand luggage all those related information in there. Then two baggage tagline printed out along with boarding pass with no mentioning of seat number. To get seat number from the kiosk, I had to pay 75 dollar. Its a long line to cross the immigration and the same procedures, put out all my electronic devices out of bags, then watches, take off my shoes. Then I arrived at my designated gate of Jet Blue Airways. It is important to mention that gates are subject to changes. After crossing the immigration at terminal 5, I was waiting at gate 1, then I a change occurred to there and next I waited in gate 2. My flight was delayed. A US family (Molly and Terry )should host me and receive me from airport, using free wifi in the airport I emailed them about the 2 hours delay. Finally after 4 hours journey when I landed it was 1:05 AM in Albuquerque. In the baggage claim area I found the couple was waiting for me in this mid night. After few moments I collected my carry-in baggage, Molly and Terry helped me to board my luggage in the truck they brought with them. Then we arrived their home. My first impression to them is they are so nice and they did some study about Bangladesh. When we were crossing Rio river Molly said I think rivers in your country is so streamed and it is the biggest delta in the world. They filled their fridge with cokes, drinks. And here I am writing the blog.
I am going to tribute this articles to my parents, some of my mentors, seniors: Tahmid bhai, Shehab bhai, Saki bhai, Srabon bhai, Sudipta bhai, Hritesh bhai, Adnan sir ( Sometimes I wonder why they are so nice to me!!!) and my wife Namni.
