Author: Silu

It was a bleak morning; after the 4-hour flight, I arrived at Boston Logan International Airport. The flight was delayed for half an hour but landed half hour earlier. I was wondering how this one hour got missed. Plus the time difference of 3 hours between Boston and Los Angeles, I just felt like being messed up by the time.

12/17/2012, journey begins

          It was expected to be a modern airport; Boston is a historical and modern city, like Beijing. Since Beijing Capital International Airport is modern, so why not Boston? Therefore, the moment I saw the Logan Airport, I was so disappointed. Low ceiling, sleepy incandescent light, and simple signs and indicators, this was the “modern airport” in Boston.

          Yet I didn’t have enough time to explore more of this airport because I had to catch the 8 o’clock bus to Providence. As I ran out of the arrival hall, freezing wind blew up my hair, which was like a wake-up call after an over-night flight. I should catch a person to ask about the bus stop in case not to waste time in losing my way. The nearest person was a black guy and I was trying to pass him to ask the white lady next to him. When I realized it, just in one second, I “took” myself to that black guy directly and asked him where to take the bus to Providence, Peter Pan Bus, specially.

          Peter Pan, a big boy. Two weeks later, I met a guy in youth hostel in DC. When we decided to see a movie in the living room, he chose Dumbo without hesitance. He told me that he had watched it for tons of times. One evening when I came back with a big burger from Fuddruckers, he stayed around me and kept saying his hometown has the most wonderful buffalo burgers in the world. However, when I said I couldn’t finish this big burger, he ate up the leftover. He said happily that although it was not as delicious as the burger in his hometown, he still like buffalo burger a lot. Looking at him, I said, “You know, you remind me of Peter Pan, a big boy. In that story, Peter Pan says he does believe in fairytales.” Just my voice faded, “yes, I do believe in fairytales!” he said, with lost eyes, sparkling.

          However, I didn’t know I would meet this big boy when I first saw Peter Pan Bus. This is the magic of a journey. You will never know whom you are going to meet and what kind of scenery you are going to see.

The black gentleman was talking to the Peter Pan Bus driver.

          This black gentleman told me that the place we were talking was exactly the spot to wait for the bus. I felt released that I didn’t lose my way. What’s more important, I felt proud that I didn’t miss a good guide because of my fear. I thought I had seen too many movies, in which strong black guys often act as the FBI detectives or the gang boss, while in the reality, neither FBI detectives nor gang bosses were easy to be found and not all the black guys are FBI detectives or gang bosses.

 

          Boston was totally different from Los Angeles, where I came from. I tried to open my eyes as wide as possible, to contain everything I saw, and tried to remember all of them. White sky, red bricks, huge smokestacks, busy streets…I even didn’t have time to take any photos except sticking to the window. Having been in the States for 4 months, it was the first time I felt I was in the States. “Of course. Here is New England. Plus, Los Angeles is just nowhere.” Later I met Kate, and this was her response. She also said that Providence is the village version of Boston, after I told her as the bus went all the way from Boston to Providence, the urban color became greyer, and there were less people.

 

Written in November 2013

 

 

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                2-The photos in this articles are provided by Silu.

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The link of this article: Bound for the East, Journey Begins