In January of this year, I came to the United States for my exchange semester. My father and I took a plane from Paris to New York. But just before boarding, I realized that I didn’t have my DS-2019 form—the visa document. I asked one of the flight attendants if it was okay to have it only on my phone, and she said it was fine.

After landed in New York for a transfer flight to New Orleans, there was a problem with the plane's door so we were stuck inside the plane for 40 minutes. My father and I were already stressed because our next flight was scheduled only an hour and a half later.

At the border control, an officer asked me for my DS-2019. I explained that I had it on my phone, but she didn’t seem satisfied. She sent me to a special room filled with many other travelers who had visa or document issues. I waited there for about 20 minutes without being able to use my phone, while my father was waiting outside, worried about what was happening.

Eventually my turn came, and the officer told me that it was okay this time but warned me to bring a printed copy next time. I ran out to find my father, who had already picked up our luggage. We rushed through the airport, but unfortunately the boarding gate was already closed, and we missed our connecting flight to New Orleans.

I was extremely stressed, almost to the point of crying. I had never missed a flight before and didn’t know what to do. We went to the airline’s customer service desk. Thankfully, the woman there was very kind. She found two options for us: either wait until the next morning for a flight from JFK, or take a flight in two hours from LaGuardia Airport, about 20 to 30 minutes away.

My father preferred the second option because we didn’t have a hotel booked for the night. We took a taxi to LaGuardia. The driver drove very quickly, and we made it in time. After checking in, we found out the flight was delayed by about 40 minutes, but we didn’t mind—we were just relieved to be on a plane.

The airline reissued our tickets for free, and everything worked out in the end. It was an incredibly stressful experience. We had never missed a flight before. I kept thinking, "What do we do if we have no hotel?" But thankfully, everything turned out fine.

My father, who gets mad easily, was also stressed, which made things even harder. He kept calling my mom, who told me not to worry and that everything would be okay. In the end, it really was.