“No alarm. No phone. No laptop. I overslept!”
After 32 hours of flying across continents—Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul, Istanbul to Munich, and finally Munich to Denver—I arrived in Colorado feeling like a wrung-out sponge. The journey was long, my body was aching, and my brain was somewhere between time zones.
At Denver International Airport, I met Jane (Co-Director of the Fulbright TEA Program) around 7:00 p.m++. She greeted me warmly, and at the same time, I get to know Arnoldas (Fulbrighter) and Canaan (Fulbrighter) who was here. After that, we headed to Fairfield Inn & Suites near DIA, stay a night at here. By the time I checked into my room, it was late. I was ready to recharge—literally and figuratively.
But then came the first hiccup: I had forgotten my universal adapter.
Suddenly, I couldn’t charge my cochlear implant, my smartphone, or my laptop. I stared at the wall sockets, hoping they’d magically fit my plugs. No luck. The panic crept in slowly. I was jet-lagged, disoriented, and completely disconnected.
And then, another blow—I realized my Apple Watch was missing. I retraced my steps in my mind and suspected I might have left it behind at Munich International Airport during the transit. That tiny device, so essential to my daily rhythm, was gone.
I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know what to do. I just lay there, wide awake, until around 4:00 a.m., when exhaustion finally took over.
And then—everything shut down.
No alarm. No phone. No laptop. I overslept.
……🚪A Knock That Saved the Day
When Kate (Co-Director of the Fulbright TEA Program) knocked on my door, it was like a lifeline. I was groggy, disoriented, and still in disbelief that all my devices had failed me. But thankfully, I hadn’t removed my cochlear implant with very low percentage (%) of battery. I heard the knock. I answered. And I was told the bus to UNCO was leaving shortly.
I rushed. I was 17 minutes late. But I made it.
That morning ride to campus felt surreal. I was physically present, but mentally still catching up. I kept thinking about the Apple Watch I’d likely left behind in Munich, the adapter I didn’t pack, and the exhaustion that had swallowed my first night in the U.S.
……🌟 What I Learned from a Chaotic Start
That experience taught me something unexpected: even when everything seems to go wrong, we find a way forward.
I was reminded that adaptability isn’t just a skill—it’s a mindset. As a Deaf Neurodivergent educator, I’ve faced many moments where the environment wasn’t built with me in mind. But I’ve learned to navigate, to advocate, and to improvise.
This rocky start didn’t define my Fulbright journey—it strengthened it. It reminded me that resilience is built in the quiet, messy moments. And that sometimes, the most important thing is simply hearing the knock and choosing to answer it.
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” — Rikki Rogers
One response
Who needs a universal adapter when youve got sheer panic and the ability to oversleep on demand? 😂 This Fulbrighters intro to the U.S. was more of a reality show than a cultural exchange. Running late because *everything* died? Classic. But hey, at least the Co-Directors knock was the highlight of a power outage-induced night. And kudos to missing the Apple Watch – maybe it was suffering from Fulbright-induced wanderlust too! Seriously though, the lesson here is that if your devices and sleep schedule desert you, someone will eventually knock. Just hope its not to tell you the coffee machine is broken. ☕🚪