Within a week we had booked train tickets to Michigan instead of Iowa.
My feelings were abruptly shifted from anticipation to apprehension. I conjectured what Michigan would be like as contrasted with Iowa. What kind of a town would name itself “Kalamazoo”?
The cleanliness and convenience of the train by comparison with the Indian railroad was incredible. We were able to walk from carriage to carriage through the entire train, going ultimately to the dining car for dinner. It was an amazing experience.
Mother and I rode first to Detroit. We changed trains there and then took the railroad directly to the small town of Albion, where the train stopped for less than five minutes. Dr. Wayne Fleenor, the vice-president of Albion College, met us there and was indeed a gracious host.
The abrupt transition from the untidy Indian culture to the orderly American ways was bewildering. It also made me giddy to keep up with the seemingly sudden changes in the future of my student life in the United States…
