BRYANCHEN.COM

I arrived in Ann Arbor, greeted by a gust of wind so cold that I almost hopped back on the plane! =P When I reached the house on Jorn Court, I was more worried than excited. It appeared quaint at first glance, and from the outside, it almost seemed like the perfect match of my human character. I had reservations about the place and feared that I would “suffer” for the next 5 months had I made the wrong choice. Taya, the landlady greeted me at the driveway. We entered the house and the first thing that struck me was that it appeared that things were falling apart. Honestly, at that very instant when I stepped into my room, I was very disappointed and feared that my nightmares living there were about to begin. Mind you, this wouldn’t have been the first time that I’ve made the wrong decision on something so important and necessary.

Looking back now, I think Taya sensed my initial distaste towards the house. She didn’t try to hide anything from me and reflecting, I think she even appeared embarrassed about certain parts of the house. It was an old place – maintained, but only just. I was introduced to Matt, the other person staying in the house. It wasn’t long before I grew tired from the lack of sleep on the flight to Detroit, and I retired to my room to lay down and call home. I told Candice the situation and we both tried to come up with ideas to end my lease and find a new place ASAP. I left a message on MSN for Keith to let him know I had arrived in Ann Arbor… I was expecting to go out with him over the weekend. Later that evening, Keith sent a reply asking if I wanted to go out to the store. Excited about being able to see a part of the city, no matter how dark it was by that time, I said “yes”.

Keith took me to the Meijers where I bought loads of stuff that I thought I’d need in the next few months, and a slab of beef so large it could’ve fed an entire army (exaggeration of course)! We cooked a simple hot dinner at Keith’s, and I felt welcomed by his hospitality. It definitely made my first day (and the next few days) more comfortable and less worrisome. Even though I would have stayed all night catching up with him, I was already semi-conscious by the time dinner ended. He graciously drove me home and I fell asleep the moment I laid on my bed.

I awoke in the wee hours of the morning. Afraid to make the slightest noise to disturb Taya and Matt, I crept around my room and whispered on Skype to Candice. For some reason which I still find amazing, I decided that I would make the best of my stay. Candice encouraged me in my efforts to make my room comfortable and to my liking. That morning of Day Two, Keith came to pick me up and we walked around campus. We walked around a bit till the mobile shop was open, where I quickly got my mobile line sorted out with the help of the meticulous and extremely helpful staff. We walked around a little more, and while I cannot remember most of the places we saw, I was grateful and I knew no matter what I could do, I’d never be able to repay such kindness and generosity. Buying lunch for Keith and Xin Yi (his girlfriend) was the very minimum I could do to try to repay him. I hadn’t had an appetite since I left Singapore, and couldn’t even finish the sampler platter that I had ordered. One thing I had noticed though is that here in the US, waiters actually split the bill individually. I wish this would be a habit that would, in the future, catch on in Singapore. Nothing is more complicated and awkward than trying to collect money from friends at the table to pay for the bill in its totality. Keith and I then went to the Krogers nearby and to an Asian minimart that sold all sorts of stuff from Asia. Keith invited me to dinner at his place again, but I felt I had intruded enough for the day, so I declined his generous offer. In addition, I had wanted to make it home on time to meet Taya’s son, Luke, who would be driving in for a couple of hours. I missed him – when I came home, he was already gone.

Day Three – Saturday, started very early again with the routine call from home and Candice. The plan for that day was simple – go to the outlet mall at Birch Run and stay there for as long as possible, with a possible intermission at the mall’s A&W. It was a trip out of Ann Arbor that would take close to an hour, but it was well worth it. I bought stuff that would make my stay a warmer and nicer one. =P On the way back, it was getting dark, and by the time we arrived at Kerrytown for dinner, the sky was black. We ate at Zingerman’s, which was a little expensive (my meal was $11), but well worth it. I bid my hosts good night, and I forced myself to stay awake till 11PM before I allowed myself to drift to sleep. Like the previous night, however, I woke up at 2:30AM, and then again every hour. It was getting colder, and while I didn’t have to break another heat pack, I had to lie under three layers with my laptop running on full power to act as a makeshift heater. Also like the previous night, I stayed on Skype with Candice. It was the one thing that made me feel less homesick.

Finally, day four, which is today (Sunday here), I woke up intending to do the laundry and clean my room a little more. I also wanted to walk around the neighbourhood or take the bus to campus to check it out some more. Well, I came out of the room to be greeted by Taya, who was just leaving for a breakfast appointment. I poured myself a bowl of Apple Jacks and downed it with some water and raisins. Next, I decided to be adventurous and attempt to use the washing machine and dryer myself. I had a pail semi-filled with clothes that I wanted to wash, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to hand-wash all of them! After an hour or so, intermittently watching the Manchester United game live on internet streaming, my clothes were done. After an extended while, I decided that it was a little late to be exploring campus, since it was already almost 2PM. I put on my thermals and jacket to take a walk around the neighbourhood. This time, I bumped into Taya coming home. I stepped out of the door and immediately slipped on the ice that had formed on the walkway. Thankfully, I didn’t fall, and I managed to regain my balance. I slipped a couple more times during my route as it was difficult to differentiate ice from pavement at certain points. I was delighted to find out that there was a pizza place, Marco’s Pizza, just round the corner, and two blocks down was a coffee shop, Carribou Coffee, and a small grocery/prepared food store. I bought some Ghirardelli chocolate to make hot chocolate, and Folger’s instant coffee. I got a bowl of Greek salad for lunch and a can of carpet cleaner. The walk back to the house seemed longer than the walk out. I don’t know why, but it did really seem longer. When I did finally arrive, however, Taya presented me with a music CD by her daughter, Lila, titled “Letter Home”. I was surprised yet thankful for such an unexpected gift. It was also nice to see a mother who was so proud of her daughter. I immediately put it on and found that the music suited my taste and was perfect for how I was feeling. I ate my salad outside in the breakfast room while Taya showed a potential tenant around. I felt like telling them not to judge a book by its cover. I felt sure that the would be filled with the same thoughts of negativity that I had felt when I had arrived on the first day. I wanted so much to tell them that it was a wonderful house to live in. Somehow, the place just grows on you. It has a wonderful rustic charm to it, and the atmosphere is one of warmth (despite the freezing temperatures) and dare I say, love, which was almost certainly imparted to it by a generous, kind and motherly land lady.

I have just finished setting up my laser printer, which was generously offered to me by Matt, and while I started writing this post more than an hour ago when the sun was still out, I am still anxious and excited about the prospect of living here and sharing my experiences as much as possible with my friends and family.

Well, it’s only 5:30PM now, and it’s already dark. Tomorrow will be a busy day at school. I wish the weekend was just a few days longer.