From Luxury to Routine

 I'm sitting at the airport, in front of my plane's gate, waiting for the boarding call alone. Suddenly, my mind travels back to my first time taking a plane when I was a kid with my family.

I remember the first trip; it was about my initial visit to my father’s town. I recall how excited I was, given that it was my very first time taking a plane at around the age of 10.

When the plane took off, my little brother shouted out of excitement, "Look, we're flying!" I bet all the passengers could hear my brother's voice. I remember feeling a little ashamed. Little did I know, it unlocked a core memory.

It was years until I retook a plane to Bali for a family holiday. I was always thrilled about going to new places, knowing the world was larger than my hometown. The different accents, varied weather, and distinct appearances all excited me.

Years later, I'm taking a plane abroad for the first time. I'll always be grateful for my campus, for allowing me to travel to another country, and for having my very first passport. After a few years of not taking a plane, it feels like the first time again, especially since I'm taking a big plane. The travel is tiring but exciting. Experiencing other countries' airports is also something.

Fast forward, I'm here now, taking planes almost every month, going to new places more than I could've imagined. I'm getting used to flying, but I'm still always excited about meeting new faces, feeling new weather, and witnessing other wonders of the world.

I know the 10-year-old me would hug me tightly, crazily happy knowing that the 26-year-old me has been to new places she didn't know existed.

Sometimes it's tough.

Sometimes it's tiring.

Sometimes it almost feels hopeless.

But I owe it to that little adventurer, to that little dreamer, to that little girl; to the little me.

[Source: personal collection]

Makassar, 27th Aug 2023

With love,

D