Walk down the aisle. Find my seat. Sit. Over the speaker, a flight attendant asks everyone to fasten their seatbelts. At first, I barely comprehend, but it sinks in, as I sink into my seat. I swallow, following my mom’s suggestion, as the plane takes off. “I really did it,” I think to myself as I look around the cabin. Though it is full of families, about to fall asleep, I am alone, excited and awake.
Before this summer, I had never been on a plane. But I had always wanted to travel abroad, so I fundraised the tuition for a service trip and went. I chose Thailand to volunteer and explore. I knew I would be fine once I was there, but the flight would be a challenge. As I hugged my parents goodbye, I felt overwhelmed. I was about to travel half way across the world by myself at seventeen. I was about to navigate three airports and tackle two layovers. I was so nervous. But I took a deep breath, walked through the airport to my terminal, and then, finally, down the aisle to find my seat.