Airport...
The first time I flew alone was in 1999, October 3. It was a flight from Madras (India) to Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada). I had transit stops at London and Toronto. I didnt quite realise that travelling alone at the age of 17 years would be a big deal. I have had cousins who have travelled alone at ages smaller than 17. So I thought it would be more fun than disaster. How wrong was I...
Mom and Dad advised me a lot on what to do in case I missed my flight. I didnt even listen much to them coz I knew (more believed than knew) that nothing was gonna happen to me and that I will have a safe and unadventurous flight. Everyone around me were more excited than I was. It was a great thing for them that I was travelling alone, at that age, for the first time. I didnt feel anything. I had had another big disaster the previous week and I was still recovering from it. All I wanted was to board the flight and be on my way. And also, I used to go to school on my bicycle all alone, so going on a plane alone was no big deal.
The flight from Madras to London was uneventful. About 8 to 10 hours journey I think. I was awake the whole time and I was exhausted when we landed there. A two-hour stop, which was mostly spent in walking from one gate to the other so it passed by. An airhostess helped me board the flight so it was cool. I feel asleep as soon as I took my seat. I slept through the whole trans-atlantic flight to Toronto - big mistake coz I didnt have anything to eat. The problem with me is, if I dont have anything to eat, and am hungry, I either get angry very soon or I get disoriented. Lets say this time it was disorientation.
We landed in Toronto. I had to take my baggage and reboard again to go to Halifax. My luggage was not directly transferred so I had to do it at Toronto. My luggage was the last to come, which meant that I spent almost 30-45 minutes waiting for it to come. The disorientation part comes in here. I thought that I still had a lot of time to take the next flight coz the time of boarding on my ticket was 20:45, which according to me was 10:45. It was past 20:30 already when I picked up my baggage. I took my own time to load it onto the trolley, and walked out, asked for directions to dump my luggage and get my boarding pass. I didnt even realise the mistake I had made when the lady at the counter told me to rush to the first floor to get my flight coz I was late. I thought she was kidding me!
This was my first time in Toronto, or to any other big airport, for that matter. I didnt have time to look around in London, so I took it liesurely, slowly walked upstairs, gaped at all the eat-outs and chocolate stalls and bookstores. I finally went to the gate anyway, a slight uneasiness in me because of what the lady at the counter told me. The area around the gate was empty, except for an attendant near the gate. That further made me think that everyone is fooling me. I went to the attendant anyway. He told me that I was a minute late. BANG!
The first thing that came to my mind was, "Its happening! I actually missed my flight! WOW! I will be put up in a five-star hotel! I will get free food! I will stay in Toronto! I can visit Toronto!!!!!!!!!!?!*$?#*#!?????". The attendant didnt stop with that sentence; maybe he got prompted to say this when he saw the smile on my face. He said that he can't open the doors of the plane for me! That got me out of my disorientation to anger. And when I get angry and there is no one to yell at, I cry. That's what I did - I cried.
I cried a lot, and then he cooled down and suggested I go to the offices of a few airlines and find out if they can get me on the next flight, which was available an hour later. Disorientation and Anger put a solution in my head, I had to find something to eat first. I did go to a few airlines offices, but they said the planes were full and I had to contact the BA office, whose flight I had used to come to Toronto. So, when I realised I cant fly that night, I decided I might as well find something to eat first before doing anything else. So I went to a stall and got myself a pack of M&M peanut chocolates, ate up the whole thing, crying inbetween and then I cooled down to stop crying. I found the BA office and they put me on a flight for the next morning.
The best part is, I got to stay in The Sheraton for the night! This hotel was just opposite the airport and I just had to cross the road to get there. I didnt get to go around anywhere; I was still very disoriented to think about going around in the middle of the night. I spent the night wide awake, in fear that sleeping will make me miss my flight again, watched a show about Ricky Martin that the TV fellows broadcast again and again and then got ready in the morning and left for the airport 2 hours earlier than my actual flying time. I got into the flight, flew 3 hours to get to Halifax and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my uncles and cousins waiting for me.
Mom and Dad advised me a lot on what to do in case I missed my flight. I didnt even listen much to them coz I knew (more believed than knew) that nothing was gonna happen to me and that I will have a safe and unadventurous flight. Everyone around me were more excited than I was. It was a great thing for them that I was travelling alone, at that age, for the first time. I didnt feel anything. I had had another big disaster the previous week and I was still recovering from it. All I wanted was to board the flight and be on my way. And also, I used to go to school on my bicycle all alone, so going on a plane alone was no big deal.
The flight from Madras to London was uneventful. About 8 to 10 hours journey I think. I was awake the whole time and I was exhausted when we landed there. A two-hour stop, which was mostly spent in walking from one gate to the other so it passed by. An airhostess helped me board the flight so it was cool. I feel asleep as soon as I took my seat. I slept through the whole trans-atlantic flight to Toronto - big mistake coz I didnt have anything to eat. The problem with me is, if I dont have anything to eat, and am hungry, I either get angry very soon or I get disoriented. Lets say this time it was disorientation.
We landed in Toronto. I had to take my baggage and reboard again to go to Halifax. My luggage was not directly transferred so I had to do it at Toronto. My luggage was the last to come, which meant that I spent almost 30-45 minutes waiting for it to come. The disorientation part comes in here. I thought that I still had a lot of time to take the next flight coz the time of boarding on my ticket was 20:45, which according to me was 10:45. It was past 20:30 already when I picked up my baggage. I took my own time to load it onto the trolley, and walked out, asked for directions to dump my luggage and get my boarding pass. I didnt even realise the mistake I had made when the lady at the counter told me to rush to the first floor to get my flight coz I was late. I thought she was kidding me!
This was my first time in Toronto, or to any other big airport, for that matter. I didnt have time to look around in London, so I took it liesurely, slowly walked upstairs, gaped at all the eat-outs and chocolate stalls and bookstores. I finally went to the gate anyway, a slight uneasiness in me because of what the lady at the counter told me. The area around the gate was empty, except for an attendant near the gate. That further made me think that everyone is fooling me. I went to the attendant anyway. He told me that I was a minute late. BANG!
The first thing that came to my mind was, "Its happening! I actually missed my flight! WOW! I will be put up in a five-star hotel! I will get free food! I will stay in Toronto! I can visit Toronto!!!!!!!!!!?!*$?#*#!?????". The attendant didnt stop with that sentence; maybe he got prompted to say this when he saw the smile on my face. He said that he can't open the doors of the plane for me! That got me out of my disorientation to anger. And when I get angry and there is no one to yell at, I cry. That's what I did - I cried.
I cried a lot, and then he cooled down and suggested I go to the offices of a few airlines and find out if they can get me on the next flight, which was available an hour later. Disorientation and Anger put a solution in my head, I had to find something to eat first. I did go to a few airlines offices, but they said the planes were full and I had to contact the BA office, whose flight I had used to come to Toronto. So, when I realised I cant fly that night, I decided I might as well find something to eat first before doing anything else. So I went to a stall and got myself a pack of M&M peanut chocolates, ate up the whole thing, crying inbetween and then I cooled down to stop crying. I found the BA office and they put me on a flight for the next morning.
The best part is, I got to stay in The Sheraton for the night! This hotel was just opposite the airport and I just had to cross the road to get there. I didnt get to go around anywhere; I was still very disoriented to think about going around in the middle of the night. I spent the night wide awake, in fear that sleeping will make me miss my flight again, watched a show about Ricky Martin that the TV fellows broadcast again and again and then got ready in the morning and left for the airport 2 hours earlier than my actual flying time. I got into the flight, flew 3 hours to get to Halifax and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my uncles and cousins waiting for me.
posted by Grace at 10:10 AM
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