Travel Alphabet History (A) Airport
In 1996, when I was 12 years old, I went on my first trip. At least it was the first trip that I could recall. My dad took me to Vietnam to meet my family. I was so excited and nervous to fly on an airplane. I had never gone anywhere let alone flown out of the country. I remember wearing my nice church clothes, a button down dress shirt and a long skirt. I wanted to look my best to meet them. I had no idea that it was a 20 hour flight and I'd be so uncomfortable for so long. It was February and freezing cold. We ate at Boston Market before our flight. Back then I think it was still called Boston Chicken. While walking into the restaurant, a freezing cold wind blew up my skirt and I could feel the cold through my shirt. I wondered if perhaps I hadn't dressed appropriately. My mom got me some gum and told me to chew it. She told me it would help relieve the pressure during take off and landing. I found out that wasn't true at all.
We flew Singapore airlines. The flight was long. I don't remember much except they passed out hot towels. I wasn't sure what to do with it until I saw my dad wipe his face. They also gave us a little pack with socks, toothpaste and a toothbrush in it. During the flight one of the stewardesses spilled something on my blouse. I think it was coffee. She apologized profusely and tried to clean it with club soda. She kept calling me Miss. When they passed out the dinner trays they asked me if I wanted beer or wine with my meal. I thought it was odd since I was 12 but I just said "soda." The stewardess seemed confused by this. She walked away and then returned with soda water. I had meant coke, but I felt so bad ordering the wrong thing that I tried to drink it even though it tasted awful. We had a stop in Germany even though we didn't need to change planes. Dad wanted to get off the plane and stretch our legs. I didn't really want to leave the airplane but I was slightly excited to see Germany. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't going to see anything at all. The area we could walk around in was very small, right by the gate. We weren't allowed to go beyond that sitting area because we didn't have boarding passes to get back through. I wanted to tell everyone that I had been to Germany, but it didn't really seem true.
Our next stop was in Singapore to change planes. The Singapore airport was so big and pretty, like nothing I'd ever seen before. There were long stretches of stores with all kinds of goods in them. I asked my dad if I could get a dress, the same kind the flight attendants wore and he bought it for me. I remember really liking the airport and feeling like I could actually say I had been to Singapore. When we were landing into Vietnam, I had the worst earache of my entire life. All I remember is how painful it felt and that chewing the gum didn't help at all. It was excruciating and I couldn't wait to land. Funny, how that is the only time I've ever experienced an earache flying. Walking out of the airport was an experience. We landed outside, not connected to the airport, and there was a blast of heat as we got out. Once we got through customs and out of the airport, I saw people everywhere calling out, reaching out, crying on the other side of a fence. It was almost like a mob. Eventually dad found his family members that came to pick us up. They had rented a van to take us to his village far south.
The van ride took all day. I got to sit in the front. The driving is what scared me. It was a two lane road with traffic going in opposite directions. The driver would go over into the other lane with a car approaching to pass someone, and then swerve back over just before a head on collision. We stopped by the side of the road for lunch. I had a bowl of rice that had what I thought was a snake in it. It was actually an eel, but I remembered the slinky black body and the sliminess of it. They gave me warm coconut juice out of a coconut. I didn't really like it warm at all.
The next month I was in Vietnam is hard to remember. I know I traveled all over to relatives' houses. It was quiet and boring. There was nothing to do. I ended up reading the 3 books I had brought 3 times each. Going into the village for groceries was the most exciting part of the day. My sister let me pick out fabric and had 2 custom Vietnamese dresses made for me. I picked one purple fabric and one pink fabric, both had glittery designs on them. All the kids from all over would come just to stare at me and often brought me presents. I guess they'd never seen a half white person before. There was a kitten in my grandmother's house that I named rice because that's what they fed it. My aunts boiled water on the stove so I could wash myself with warm water. I couldn't talk to anyone except my dad since no one spoke english. We went to church on Sundays and the month went by. A week before we were leaving I got sick, probably from food poisoning. I was only allowed to eat fish and rice after that and nothing else.
We rented another van to drive back to the airport. We stopped for lunch and missed a huge storm. We were actually pretty lucky because the storm was very bad. When we got to the airport our flight was cancelled. We ended up staying the night in the city. I can't even remember what city it was. Probably Ho Chi Minh. My dad made me take a shower even though I didn't want to. He rubbed the back of my hand to show me how much dirt was coming off. I took a shower and the water was cold. It made me thankful that my aunts took the effort to boil water for me all those times. We woke up very early to catch our flight. The sun was barely up but there were already a few people bustling around in the street below. I don't really remember the flight back. Only that we were flying over a lightning storm above the dead sea. At least I think it was the dead sea. It was amazing to look out the window. All was dark above the clouds except you could see the lightning light up right underneath them here and there.
We got to JFK airport in New York. I was tired of flying and excited to get home and rest, but our flight was delayed and we had to wait. It was horrible. We were stranded in the airport for hours. I don't recall how many but it was a long time and I was starving. I feel like it was 8-10 hours. They gave us food vouchers, but the only food that we could find in the whole airport was a hot dog cart. That's what we got, but it didn't taste good and made me feel worse. Eventually they gave us the option of putting us in a hotel and getting a flight tomorrow or taking the bus back to Philadelphia. Dad asked me what I wanted to do and I told him, "I just want to go home." So, we took the bus. I think I fell asleep. It seemed like the ride didn't take very long at all, but then New York isn't more than a few hours from Philadelphia. How silly to be trapped in an airport that long when our destination was so close. Somehow our suitcases had made it to Philadelphia before us without getting stolen. Finally, we left the airport and I saw my mom pull up in the van. My brother jumped out and gave me a big hug.
I told everyone about my trip. It was great to have that experience and be able to talk about it. And ever since that first trip, I found one of my true passions in life. I even wanted to be a flight attendant for a couple years because I loved flying so much and wanted to travel. Now, 16 years later, I've been to 10 different countries and I have more travel plans next year. The things I've seen and the experiences I've had are priceless. I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do and excited for everything that I will.
We flew Singapore airlines. The flight was long. I don't remember much except they passed out hot towels. I wasn't sure what to do with it until I saw my dad wipe his face. They also gave us a little pack with socks, toothpaste and a toothbrush in it. During the flight one of the stewardesses spilled something on my blouse. I think it was coffee. She apologized profusely and tried to clean it with club soda. She kept calling me Miss. When they passed out the dinner trays they asked me if I wanted beer or wine with my meal. I thought it was odd since I was 12 but I just said "soda." The stewardess seemed confused by this. She walked away and then returned with soda water. I had meant coke, but I felt so bad ordering the wrong thing that I tried to drink it even though it tasted awful. We had a stop in Germany even though we didn't need to change planes. Dad wanted to get off the plane and stretch our legs. I didn't really want to leave the airplane but I was slightly excited to see Germany. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't going to see anything at all. The area we could walk around in was very small, right by the gate. We weren't allowed to go beyond that sitting area because we didn't have boarding passes to get back through. I wanted to tell everyone that I had been to Germany, but it didn't really seem true.
Our next stop was in Singapore to change planes. The Singapore airport was so big and pretty, like nothing I'd ever seen before. There were long stretches of stores with all kinds of goods in them. I asked my dad if I could get a dress, the same kind the flight attendants wore and he bought it for me. I remember really liking the airport and feeling like I could actually say I had been to Singapore. When we were landing into Vietnam, I had the worst earache of my entire life. All I remember is how painful it felt and that chewing the gum didn't help at all. It was excruciating and I couldn't wait to land. Funny, how that is the only time I've ever experienced an earache flying. Walking out of the airport was an experience. We landed outside, not connected to the airport, and there was a blast of heat as we got out. Once we got through customs and out of the airport, I saw people everywhere calling out, reaching out, crying on the other side of a fence. It was almost like a mob. Eventually dad found his family members that came to pick us up. They had rented a van to take us to his village far south.
The van ride took all day. I got to sit in the front. The driving is what scared me. It was a two lane road with traffic going in opposite directions. The driver would go over into the other lane with a car approaching to pass someone, and then swerve back over just before a head on collision. We stopped by the side of the road for lunch. I had a bowl of rice that had what I thought was a snake in it. It was actually an eel, but I remembered the slinky black body and the sliminess of it. They gave me warm coconut juice out of a coconut. I didn't really like it warm at all.
The next month I was in Vietnam is hard to remember. I know I traveled all over to relatives' houses. It was quiet and boring. There was nothing to do. I ended up reading the 3 books I had brought 3 times each. Going into the village for groceries was the most exciting part of the day. My sister let me pick out fabric and had 2 custom Vietnamese dresses made for me. I picked one purple fabric and one pink fabric, both had glittery designs on them. All the kids from all over would come just to stare at me and often brought me presents. I guess they'd never seen a half white person before. There was a kitten in my grandmother's house that I named rice because that's what they fed it. My aunts boiled water on the stove so I could wash myself with warm water. I couldn't talk to anyone except my dad since no one spoke english. We went to church on Sundays and the month went by. A week before we were leaving I got sick, probably from food poisoning. I was only allowed to eat fish and rice after that and nothing else.
We rented another van to drive back to the airport. We stopped for lunch and missed a huge storm. We were actually pretty lucky because the storm was very bad. When we got to the airport our flight was cancelled. We ended up staying the night in the city. I can't even remember what city it was. Probably Ho Chi Minh. My dad made me take a shower even though I didn't want to. He rubbed the back of my hand to show me how much dirt was coming off. I took a shower and the water was cold. It made me thankful that my aunts took the effort to boil water for me all those times. We woke up very early to catch our flight. The sun was barely up but there were already a few people bustling around in the street below. I don't really remember the flight back. Only that we were flying over a lightning storm above the dead sea. At least I think it was the dead sea. It was amazing to look out the window. All was dark above the clouds except you could see the lightning light up right underneath them here and there.
We got to JFK airport in New York. I was tired of flying and excited to get home and rest, but our flight was delayed and we had to wait. It was horrible. We were stranded in the airport for hours. I don't recall how many but it was a long time and I was starving. I feel like it was 8-10 hours. They gave us food vouchers, but the only food that we could find in the whole airport was a hot dog cart. That's what we got, but it didn't taste good and made me feel worse. Eventually they gave us the option of putting us in a hotel and getting a flight tomorrow or taking the bus back to Philadelphia. Dad asked me what I wanted to do and I told him, "I just want to go home." So, we took the bus. I think I fell asleep. It seemed like the ride didn't take very long at all, but then New York isn't more than a few hours from Philadelphia. How silly to be trapped in an airport that long when our destination was so close. Somehow our suitcases had made it to Philadelphia before us without getting stolen. Finally, we left the airport and I saw my mom pull up in the van. My brother jumped out and gave me a big hug.
I told everyone about my trip. It was great to have that experience and be able to talk about it. And ever since that first trip, I found one of my true passions in life. I even wanted to be a flight attendant for a couple years because I loved flying so much and wanted to travel. Now, 16 years later, I've been to 10 different countries and I have more travel plans next year. The things I've seen and the experiences I've had are priceless. I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do and excited for everything that I will.