A Foreign Education

I had never been more alone than at the top of those steps, yet my inner sense was one of total contentment. I turned to marvel at the view from my new home – a vast expanse of lush grass surrounded on all sides by buildings with matching red tile roofs and resplendent sandstone bricks. To my left was the arresting sight of the Rocky Mountain foothills. Their countless peaks were glowing orange from the intense rays of the late-August sun, providing stark contrast to the deep blue sky. The air was bubbling with the aroma of pine trees, while the only sound to be heard was the playful warble of finches in their branches.

It had taken years of hard work and careful planning to reach that day, and yet the past felt so much further away than a twelve-hour flight. Exactly what would the coming year have in store for me? More hard work? Undoubtedly. Good times? Certainly. Great friends? Absolutely. Promiscuous sex with a bevy of hot, young American girls? I could only hope so.