Excerpt
…people going in and out, and the waiter was busy taking orders from
the customers. After finishing his coffee and not knowing what else
to do, he decided to go out and find the proper bus to the university
he was about to attend in about three weeks. He’d better go and see
what it took for the registration and that. Someone helped him find
his bus stop. He boarded the bus and noticed there was nobody to
collect the fare; there was a box where the driver told him he must
put the money. He realized he didn’t have any change for the fare
other than a twenty-dollar bill. The driver was very understanding
and took a quarter from his own pocket to put in the box for Hermes.
Amazed, Hermes thanked the driver and sat close by, expecting him
to tell him where to disembark, but soon he realized it was the end
of the bus route at the UBC grounds, which they reached in about
twenty minutes. He liked the surroundings very much. The weather
was good, and he was able to see clearly for a good distance. Green
grass was everywhere, and the houses along the road each had its
own property, with lawns, gardens, passageways, and pavilions for
the cars. The houses were built in a medieval style, like mansions
in the most exclusive neighbourhoods back home. The streets were
wide and nicely landscaped with trees on both sides. It was a world so
different from the one he knew up to now: much more beautiful, elegant,
and filled with green. UBC grounds covered a large area. There
were many buildings, lecture halls, laboratories, swimming pools,
student residences, a huge parking lot, and a stadium spreading over
the huge area of the University’s grounds. He couldn’t believe what
was unrolling before him. He had never seen such a beautiful place
anywhere before in his life. He spent a long time walking around the
campus until he found himself on a small hill. A student passing
by could tell him where he had to go to register for his program. He
followed a hallway and arrived at the registration office.
When his turn came, he handed his papers to the clerk, who
read them carefully and sent him to the director’s office next door.
Hermes entered hesitantly, but then the director welcomed
him with a warm handshake.
