It was the second last paper of our 10th board exams. Loosened ties, messy hair, scorching heat and tensed discussions about important questions, a very usual scene prior to any paper. But not for me. I secretly smiled in my head, fully aware that the board examinations were nearing it’s end, and my much awaited trip to the United States was just around the corner.
Came the last day of the examination. I hadn’t seen more excitement and happiness around in the entire month. Everybody had a reason to rejoice, but I had TWO.
Back then, my parents thought that I was old and wise enough to travel all by myself. Little did they know that they were about to give me the best experience of my life and help me grow as a person. It was my first solo international trip. I was packing, mindlessly though. Half my heart in the glamorous streets of Manhattan and political lanes of Washington DC. Even 24 hours seemed a light year away.
The big day finally arrived. As repeatedly instructed by my father, I kept all the important documents in my side sling, for easy access. Like every Indian mother, mine too had packed a box full of ladoos and Indian snacks for my cousins. With another two bags full of love, I departed for the most awaited dream vacation of mine.
I had a direct flight from Mumbai to New York and then a connecting flight to Washington. I had travelled international before, so I was pretty confident about managing myself and my luggage. After 16 hours of covering 7796 miles, we finally landed at John F Kennedy International Airport. I did pretty well for the first leg of the journey, or at least I thought I did.
The airport was humongous, like no other airport ever seen before. Must say, it was pretty intimidating. Not very difficult for an individual to get lost in its awe.
Like every other passenger, I moved towards the luggage belt. Everybody seemed in a hurry, but I stood there appreciating the little details, until I realised that the last lot of luggage was taken and I was standing in front of an empty luggage belt. I suddenly panicked. I didn’t know what to do, since I hadn’t handled a situation like this before. After speaking to a couple of people, most of whose accent I didn’t understand, I decided to go approach the lady at the counter. After trying to explain my situation, she immediately checked and told me that my luggage was checked in for the entire journey and I had to directly collect it at Washington. After all the negative thoughts about my lost luggage, this was a relief. I was happy that I handled it well, not knowing that I had another situation coming my way.
I left for the air train to get to another terminal for my flight to Washington. The American accent being different from the Indian one, communication seemed a problem. After multiple stops, and spending an hour in the train, I still hadn’t reached my terminal. In the fear of missing my flight, I got down at one of the terminals and started crying. Understanding directions in that accent still posed a problem. An Indian couple who saw me crying, came and approached me. After making me comfortable, they gave me exact directions like nobody else had. I couldn’t be more grateful to them. After following their directions, I settled in and waited to reach my terminal. Amidst all this, I hadn’t realised that I had left my ticket with the lady at the counter. Another wave of panic struck me. That’s when I remembered of the multiple ticket prints that I had carried. I fetched that and felt a sense of calm.
I reached the terminal and boarded my flight just in time. Few sweat beads down my face, I realised that I had panicked in the moment, but seeing my flight take off for the final destination, brought back my composure. Even more so, I was smiling ear to ear seeing my cousins wave at me, at the pick-up. I was brimming with happiness.
The journey taught me a lot and helped me grow as a person. I learnt some invaluable lessons – on how not to panic in any situation since there’s a solution to everything. I couldn’t be more grateful to my parents for believing in me.
The rest of the trip was even more beautiful, all captured in pictures!
