Among this group of 60 people, almost none of them had ever been on a plane. The excitement of boarding a plane for the first time surpassed everything else. Even Chen Ming was touching and looking here and there, his eyes full of amazement and curiosity.
There is no official flight between China and the United States yet, so they have to transfer in Paris before they can reach the United States.
After more than 20 hours of flight time, everyone went from initial excitement to fatigue, but when the plane landed, everyone was excited.
They really went abroad!
After picking up our luggage, we walked out of the airport under the guidance of the tour leader, got on the vehicle arranged by the embassy, and went to our temporary accommodation.
Although they have gone abroad, they cannot start school here immediately. They have to undergo 20 days of language and cultural etiquette training at Columbia University before being assigned to various schools.
Moreover, you have to go through several rounds of exams in the early stage. Although you are sent abroad by the government, the school will also conduct screening.
People are very efficient nowadays. Within a week of arriving, the schools we were assigned to were announced.
Xu Manman was assigned to Columbia University's Business School, while Chen Ming was assigned to the Department of Computer Languages at the University of Wisconsin.
Columbia University is in Manhattan, New York, and the University of Wisconsin is in Madison, Wisconsin. The two schools span four states and are more than 1,500 kilometers apart. Even in today's United States with developed transportation, it is not easy to meet in person.
After Xiao Jin learned about the school assigned to the host, he immediately bought an apartment in upper Manhattan.
This group of students is exempt from tuition fees. When they arrived, the team leader gave each of them $50 in "pocket money". The school also provides free or cheap meals, but if they want to eat better, they have to take care of themselves.
Moreover, this group of people coming here is a public-to-public exchange, so the school can provide free accommodation. The accommodation environment may be better than that in China, but to be honest, the free accommodation is limited in quality.
If you have the conditions and want to live outside, the school will not stop you, and there are many people who go to school as day students nearby.
In order not to appear too high-profile, the apartment Xu Manman asked Xiao Jin to buy was not too luxurious, but not too bad either. After all, the housing prices in the upper city were there.
Their luggage when traveling abroad was inspected, so the team leader and the people above knew that Xu Manman brought a lot of money with her. Renting an apartment like this - a room - was within her affordability.
Moreover, they can work part-time to earn money while studying, and the school does not prohibit such behavior. Of course, it is impossible for Xu Manman to work, but it is also reasonable for her to use the living expenses she brought with her to invest in the stock market and earn more living expenses.
The 20-day training is about to end, and the 60 comrades will soon go their separate ways. Although they have only been in contact for a short period of more than 20 days, the comradeship seems particularly deep in a foreign country.
While Chen Ming was reluctant to part with his classmates, he was even more reluctant to leave his cousin.
"Manman, you have to take good care of yourself. Don't run around if you don't have anything to do. I'll write to you after I call the school. Call me if you have any questions."
The training period was not completely closed. Knowing that his cousin was assigned to this school, Chen Ming spent this time with his classmates and cousin to familiarize himself with the school and its surroundings. Compared to other places he had been to where he was unfamiliar with the place, he felt more at ease here.
"I understand, cousin."
When they finally parted ways, Xu Manman still secretly stuffed 500 US dollars into her cousin's suitcase. He gave part of the money he earned from making radios in Beijing to Zhang Wenjun and exchanged part of it for US dollars. He did not ask for support from his uncle and aunt when he went abroad.
So he probably has only a little over 500 US dollars in his hands now. It is still a bit difficult for him to live a better life. Moreover, the most important tool in the computer department is the computer. Although he cannot buy it, he can rent it with the money.
It’s not that Xu Manman doesn’t want to give more, but it’s too much, and Chen Ming is worried. This is just enough, and even if it is discovered, he will not return it to her immediately.
After seeing Chen Ming off, Xu Manman was also preparing for her admission. Because she had obtained her graduation certificate from Peking University and Tsinghua University in advance, and her GPA in all subjects also met the standards, the application submitted for her was for graduate studies. Before officially enrolling, she needed to take the TOEFL language test organized by the Educational Testing Service of the United States. Only after passing the score could her application be approved.
She was very confident in herself and applied for the exam as soon as she arrived. Two other people applied at the same time, and even the registration fees were reimbursed by the government.
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