One step. That’s all it takes to change your life. Without that one step, I would not be who I am today. This step sends me into a whole new world, into a different dimension. With this step, you can achieve your wildest dreams.
It starts with an empty suitcase.
Then a shirt, some pants, and toothbrushes. The moment you head down the stairs, lugging your cases behind you is the most nerve-racking moment. Everything has to be perfect. Are the passports there? Did I forget the camera? You don’t need to be nervous. You are ready.
We load the cases into the back of the taxi, checking once more that everything is there. We finally pile into the back row of the car. The night sky wraps us up in a warm blanket as we drive off to the building that will change our lives forever.
We say goodbye to the driver as we roll our suitcases into the airport. It’s hard to describe the feeling. The transition from peaceful navy sky to yellow light bulbs and noisy machines is odd, yet amazing at the same time. You know something good is about to happen. Suitcases taken away by the kind front desk ladies, we quickly head through Security and find our way to the lounge.
The lounge: the color ‘red’ is the first thing that comes to mind. Red ambient lighting, couches, pillows, glasses; it feels cozy and warm. But laughter also comes to mind. For a family who doesn’t laugh together that often, the delicious menu options and comfy couches are a haven for hugs and fun.
Then the moment finally comes. They call our flight on the loudspeaker. We dash off towards our gate. After minutes of searching, we come to it and run in. Passing our tickets to the employee at the desk, we’re permitted entry onto the greatest man-made item on Earth: The passenger airplane.
The tube connecting the air-tight airplane and the airport is small. Almost unnoticeable. But it is important. Showing our passports to the tall air hostesses in red lipstick, red hats, and red dresses, we’re given our seats, and we take the step.
For most people, this step would have been taken quickly, trying to get to their seat as quickly as possible. Not me. This is the most important step of the whole journey. I would take it as slowly as possible.
I jump across platforms, and I know from here on out, my life will change forever.
After what seems like hours of waiting, the time has come. Our small television screens switch off as the captain tells us exactly what will happen next. We taxi, trying to find the perfect opening to take off.
Many people prefer aisle seats, for easier access to the toilets or the food. I’d rather be right up next to the window, viewing everything from miles above. The blinking lights of the buildings, the enormous wings of the planes, the now toy-sized cars speeding around the lot. It seems so surreal, yet it is completely true, no imagination required.
As we take off I feel weightless. I create a list of every bad thing that could happen. The pilot could lose control and crash; we could lose our landing gear and not be able to take off; they run through my mind as I nervously turn in my seat.
We take off perfectly.
We curve around the airport, its size decreasing, getting smaller and smaller until finally, it disappears from view. I check the stats. We’re thousands of feet in the air. And I love it.
Morning comes, and as we fly over what seems to be Cork on the digital map, I see sheets of ice below. I check the map again. Yes, we are in Ireland. Where is this ice coming from? I ask my parents, and they give me a “you don’t know this?” look as they explain the ‘ice sheets’ are clouds. I look again, staring in awe. I realize that this is the only place in the world where ordinary people can see extraordinary things. We are humbled by the fact that we can’t see the tops of clouds. Here, we are looking down at these floating puffs from above, and I feel like I’m on top of the world.
After seven hours of impatient waiting, we have arrived. The sky looks bluer here. As the other passengers rise from their seats, I race to be one of the first, vying with thirty other people to say hello to London, capital of the United Kingdom, and the only place that truly feels like my home.