It was the first time I was landing in the United States. I was happy but nervous, happy for stepping into the land of my dreams, nervous because this country was new and full of strangers.

I was supposed to be received by a friend of mine at the airport. I completed the arrival formalities after landing at the airport and waited for my friend to pick me

up. I might have waited for over two hours at the airport. I tried calling my friend's number and to my dismay, my friend wasn't home. I tried calling a few contacts I knew, and couldn't do much as they were busy too. I had unwittingly landed in the middle of a busy working day.

Fortunately, I saw a few Indians. I approached them, explained my situation, and requested them to help me reach the nearest hotel. Though initially reluctant, they came forward to help me.
I started feeling relaxed after getting out of the airport. My happiness was short lived. Once I reached the hotel, I was asked to produce two identities for getting a room. The identities could be a social security card, credit card, driving license or a passport. At that moment I was only able to show my passport, as I did not have the second identity. I finally managed to convince the hotel manager to provide me accommodation for the day, after explaining my position. After a nerve racking two hours I managed to heave a sigh of relief.

That night I called up my friend, he was so happy to hear from me. He was stuck up somewhere and could not turn up to the airport. He seemed to be very much worried about my safety. Thanks to those Indians, I was safe. They are very good friends of mine and we do meet each other on most weekends.