Yn to open student exchange program
The Enlightened Psychotopia of Yn would like to open up slightly to the nations of the world, through the beginning of a student exchange program. We suggest welcoming one student to Ikyef University, and sending one student of our own (randomly selected from applicants) to study for a year in one of your universities. This program can only be established with one nation - so it'll be the first who accepts. ;)
Conditions would be negotiable, but these are our initial terms:
* the exchange student welcomed by Yn and Ikyef University would benefit from the full protection of the state, and would not be killed or eaten by any Yn citizen. [We're cannibals. But don't worry.]
* the nation welcoming an exchange student from Yn would agree to the following: the Yn student is to reside in the host nation for one year only, after which he or she will return to Yn. The host nation agrees not to allow the student to remain beyond that period. The host nation also agrees not to allow any request for political asylum from that student.
Few people ever visit Yn. It would be a rare and enriching experience for your student...
Wonderful! Just let us know who your student is and what he or she would be interested in studying.
Letsee...
Marrisa O'Connor, 19, Intrested in Law.
You student has the following options open for attendance
Imitora Technical University in Luddock (Specializes in Technical and Engineering, however, also offers Political Science, Theology, Psychology, and other majors).
Imitora University in Ausdon (Specializes in Political Science, but also offers technical majors)
Ikyef University does indeed offer courses in Law, and looks forward to welcoming its first ever exchange student! There is on campus accomodation if Ms, O'Connor should be interested; if not, the University can help her find accomodation.
We have randomly selected student Aya Sez amongst applying Yn students. She is 20 years of age. Does either of your universities offer courses in Architecture, as part of your Technical and Engineering programs?
The taxi drew up outside the open but barb-wired gates of the small airport ground. Aya took a deep breath, slipped the required amount of ynits into the driver’s hand, and stepped out. The weather was good in these early hours of the morning; nearby, the sun was still rising above the village, lighting the sky with pale reds, pinks and oranges. Aya walked through the gate. The place seemed virtually deserted, but two soldiers appeared almost the moment she entered.
"Ticket and passport please, miss."
She fumbled in her pocket and drew them out, handing them over nervously, without a word. Equally silent, one of the soldiers checked them and handed them back. She walked across the paved space leading to the airport building, and inside, and looked round. She had never been here before. Few people had. Lenoc International Airport was the country’s only airport servicing international flights, and only rarely did anyone fly in or out of Yn.
The arrivals board was dark. The departures board showed but one flight: flight YN-001, bound for Imitora, departure at 07:11 through gate one. Her gaze travelled over to the departures waiting lounge, a small room with a few comfortable chairs, a television screen broadcasting the morning news, and what looked like a stack of magazines on a table. There were also automatic food and drink dispensers. No live shopkeepers, though; there was no real business to be conducted here... She saw a soldier standing by the row of check-in posts, though, eyeing her as though watching her every move.
She gave him a hesitant smile then walked over. A lean man with a thin greying moustache stepped out from a door behind the check-in posts and motioned her over.
"Ticket and passport please?"
Again she handed them over dutifully.
"Thank you," he said, giving them back to her. "Come with me; we need to scan your baggage."
She stood by and watched as he checked her bags, first scanning them then going through them manually, thoroughly. Satisfied, he lifted her suitcase onto a weight measure, tied a notice round it, and pushed it out of sight.
She headed to the departures’ lounge next and sat down, picking up one of the (government approved) magazines. Time passed slowly, and she began to feel strangely stifled in this all but empty airport. She leaned back and half-closed her eyes, resting a little after her early rise. She had slept only briefly on the train that had brought her to the village of Lenoc... Finally, a voice sounded seemingly out of nowhere, startling her back to full awareness.
"[i]Ladies and gentlemen, boarding is now commencing for flight YN-001, Yn to Imitora. Please proceed to gate 1. I repeat, all passengers for flight YN-001 to Imitora, please proceed to gate 1 for boarding.[i]"
She stood, and shook her head. It was surreal. Ladies and gentlemen indeed... As far as she knew, she was the only passenger. And there was only one flight departing today... She slipped her cabin baggage over her shoulder and back, and proceeded to find gate one. It wasn’t difficult. All the other gates were unused, and cordoned off. She presented her ticket and passport a third time, and was on board the plane moments later.
She felt her heart beat just a little faster. This was it... She had never been out of the country before today; in fact, she didn’t know anybody who had. She was going abroad... She could barely believe it.
Her seat number was C1. She walked past the four business-class seats and reached the sixteen economy-class ones; Yn’s one and only international plane was not a big plane. She took her seat and tried to calm her breathing. Going abroad... She listened as the captain welcomed her, and watched the safety procedures explanations on a screen, then they were lifting off. She was indeed the only passenger. In a few hours, the plane would be touching down in Imitora, her home for the year to come. She grinned, an excited shiver coursing through her. Perhaps she would meet the student who would be coming to study at Ikyef University; no doubt the Imitoran student would be taking this same flight to Yn as it returned from Imitora.
Aya sank back into her seat with a happy smile, though trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach, and looked out through the viewport at the spectacular sights offered by take-off...
We wish to also send a student of our own.
Giles Champvert, age 21, Junior at St-Croix University in New Antioch. Majoring in Psychology (applied) with a minor in Psychology (theoretical).
The Patriarchal College of New Montreal (the best university in the New Montreal States) has extended an invitation to the nation of Yn to send over a student of their choosing.
Yes, Imitora Tech does offer architectual courses.
Marrisa walked briskly through the crowded airport, her messenger bag pulled over her shoulder. It was funny that, despite a civil war, Hoston International Airport was still crowded and busy as ever. She waked past several memebers of the Imitora Home Gaurd (Army), smiling at several of the rahter attractive soldiers, their CAR-21s hung across their chests.
She found her flight, and was able to bored early. She didnt have a first class seat, but her father's Gold Advantage Platinum Bling status with Dasi Air allowed her to bored as if she was. She sat back into her seat, pulled out her CD player, and looked out teh window as two F-15Js (Imitora modified version of F-15C) shot off from the runway, running a Combat Air Patrol. She hope she did well at this school, and that the Imitora Air Force would accept this as her freshman year, so that she could one day fly the fighters.
New Montreal States, we apologise but our exchange program is limited to a single exchange. We do not want to send any more students out of the country at this time (OOC: Yn is a tightly controlled dictatorship which severely restricts departures and has outlawed emigration).
We will bear in mind your proposal, however, should our policy come to change.
Imitora, we hope Marrisa enjoys her flight. She is no doubt the only passenger on board flight YN-001 bound for Lenoc International Airport, unless any other of your citizens are flying to Yn for some reason. Upon arrival, she will be required to submit her luggage for a thorough check; we regret that this is necessary for all persons entering Yn. Any weapons will be retained and returned to her upon departure, as will any material susceptible to be used as anti-state propaganda. Not that we would suspect her of such activities.
A taxi will be waiting to ferry Marrisa to the city of Ikyef for a reasonable fare.
The aeroplane touched down smoothly at Hoston International Airport, in Imitora. Again, a thrill coursed through Aya’s body. A few minutes later, she was steeping out of the plane and into the airport. She looked round, gaping with undisguised curiosity. Having never travelled to another country, she had been utterly unsure what to expect, and she took in everything with almost child-like delight.
She noticed several people looking out through the great window pane at the Yn plane, and taking photos. She smiled. The plane was after all unique and a curiosity in itself. Not only was it Yn’s only international aircraft – proudly displaying the national flag on its tail fin – but it also symbolised entry into a country which few people entered... and very few nationals came out of.
Shifting her bags upon her shoulders, she made her way to customs and baggage claim, her eyes wandering all the while in the bustling airport. She noticed the soldiers, but they didn’t surprise her. She was used to seeing soldiers everywhere, after all. Many of them did look handsome, though, proud and manly in their uniforms...
She bit her lip as she neared customs. Beyond this point lay an entire nation. What would the university be like? She planned to work hard, of course. Her government expected her to come back with good results. In fact she shuddered to think what they might do to her if she let her homeland down... No, she would do well.
She readied her ticket and passport.
I bet they’ve never seen an Yn passport before... she thought, amused, as she stood in line and waited her turn…
"Miss," a voice called, motioning Aya'a over. A man stood behind a glass window, and took her pasport. From behind teh window, he examined teh booklet, and compared it to Aya'a. He stamped it, and handed it back. "Right over there miss," he said, pointing to to armed gaurds, standing proud in their fatigues and rifles. The looked over, and smiled at Aya'a.
"No worries miss," one of the larger ones said. "Standard security search."
Aya returned the smile hesitatingly. Was everyone put through this kind of check, she wondered? She took a moment to glance down at the stamp on her passport - something few Yn passports could boast - then walked over to the guards obediantly.
"Hi. What... do I do now?"
The soldier stepped back, and let the rifle fall across his chest, non threateningly. "If you can just open your bags miss, and step aside."
___
Marrisa sat back in her seat as the plane, empty, lifted off the ground, the lyrics blazzing in her headphones.
"Oh. Of course..."
Cautiously, she opened her bags as ordered, then took a couple of steps back, standing well out of the way. She bit her lip and waited. She knew so little about this country, its people, its customs...
= = = = = = = =
Flight YN-001 touched down on schedule at Lenoc International Airport. Night was just falling. Inside the airport, no passengers waited for any flight, and there was no one waiting to welcome inbound passengers. Airport personnel, soldiers and, outside the airport grounds, a taxi driver, were, however, all standing by as the plane's lone passenger stepped onto Yn territory...
A youngish customs officer looked up at the young woman. When she reached him, he gave a half-smile.
"Welcome to Yn, miss. May I see your ticket and passport?"
The two soldiers stood as a Customs agent carefully went through the bag, and zipped it back up. He handed it to Aya, and smiled. "Feel free to go on miss, Im sure you'll be able to find a taxi out side."
OOC: Sorry I cant get a good big post in, kinda writtin a paper atm.
Aya gathered her bags and and smiled back, then proceded past and, before she knew it, she was outside the airport. For a few moments, she stood just outside, looking around, taking in the sights, hustle and bustle. This was nothing like Lenoc Airport. There were people here... lots of them. She felt small, and more than a little lost...
She started walking aimlessly down the length of the builing, until she spotted a taxi line, at which point she hurried over. Even the taxis looked strange here...
"Do you go to... uh..." She hesitated. "Imitora Technical University?"
OOC: Good luck with your paper!