#firsttimeflyingsolo

Changes ensue that we try out new things. Enter anew phase or swish into a new time. New entails that there will always be afirst time to these things and my small change occurred when I was to board thefirst flight ever on my own.

I was around 15 when the long summer break at schooldirected I pay a visit to my grandparent’s house. Travelling by air has neverbeen my favorite mode of travel. The only thing good about flights are thepretty airports one gets to while their time around. Trains for me are far more comfortable and lively to be in. So for these very reasons, I insisted that travel by train. My overtly protective parents considered and completely obliterated my suggestion out of the emphasizing how I was not competent enough to be on my own, and I might get down at wrong stop or for that matter take the wrong train. They made various arguments that I could have easily fought of but then they threw in the idea of me being allowed to travel by air. I was lured into this only and only because of those airports.

So my big moment? Was me being able calm my jumpy nerves down about being able to travel on my own. I was nervous. What if the flight took off without me? What if I got on the wrong one? What if  air-sick with no parent to help me? And most of all, what if the plane fell down? I know, I was being paranoid. But I had never travelled alone, and to do all of this all by me self was an intimidating prospect. I was a cushioned kid who had next to no experience with the real world, of course I was weirded out. So much so, that I started making excuses of cancelling the trip.

The day of my flight, I was packed and I had made my parents come with me till the airport(as far as I could cling under their shadow being my carefree self) and then I was time for me to go solo. My father gave me piece of paper in my hands, shoved the passport and my papers in my hands, and laughed at me as I was gulped down, put my “this is a piece of cake” face and headed inside.

Delhi airport is beautiful. Once I entered, I knew I had a lot of time on hand. I looked around and took the business in. nobody was bothered what the other was doing. There were people at every fifth step offering assistance. Basically, nobody cared how inexperienced a traveler I was, and that situation worked well for my nerves. I was calming down and realizing that this was going to be fun. So I turned around a as expected found my parents watching me through the glass panels, waved at them with a big excited smile and headed further.

I opened the paper that my father had handed to me and it was laced up with directions at every step that I needed to do so, I could reach my way smoothly to my seat. I read them twice. And started following them one by one. It was almost like following a cooking recipe. Only the results here were neater. The final security check was left when my father called me to know how everything was. “Yes” I said. Then he asked me if had got the tags on my cabin bags. I looked down and there were no tags. I told him “yes, I have the tags”, he couldn't see me, he wouldn't know. So I got out of the line, rushed back to the counter, took my tags and got back in the line. I was smiling at me by now. Every formality was done. I was now roaming inside checking out the various showrooms inside reeking of a seasoned traveler. I waited for my flight with a book in my hand, like I do this every day. And then I boarded my flight, all the while smiling because, now I was feeling like this was easy. This must be all the fuss that adults make such easy things out to be. We had taken off and now I was reading and sleeping and eating and sleeping some more. Realizing and noticing various small details about the sky, the people and the flight. We landed; I got out, into the cab straight to my grandparent’s house. Gave them the surprise they hadn’t anticipated and told them the story of my journey. They were impressed by my first time journey (I might have exaggerated my heroics a bit far) but I was pretty impressed by myself too!