It’s about the journey, not the destination. Many people would probably agree with that statement, unless they knew that journey was a five to twelve hour plane ride. If you really want to go somewhere like Japan or Italy, then you’re going to have to deal with the fact that you have to go to the airport and sit on a plane for a very long time. For me, hearing the wheels on luggages roll smoothly across the moving walkways and the sound of planes taking off and landing is like music to my ears. For me, I don’t know what it is but there is just something I find so appealing at the airports. It’s just so organized because everything has a certain place and it’s spacious. Aside from going through security and everything at those shops being around $4+ more expensive than they should be, I like the airport. However, what I think impacts the trip and the experience at the airport is the people you’re travelling with because I have had quite a few experiences where that has affected my airport experience.
My mom is the senior associate for an airline which means that we get discounts on certain flights. My family likes to take advantage of that opportunity, so I practically grew up at the airport. I was very young when we did a lot of our travelling, so I wasn’t aware of how lucky I was to go to all of these places. I was like four to eight years old when we went to places like Germany, Italy, France and Japan. Since I was just a little girl, I did not like going to these places at first. We went to a bunch of monuments and landmarks that made places in Europe or Asia famous and being a little kid, I did not really care about those places. Being that I was only a kid, I only remember seeing what little kids found interesting like this colorful vending machine that sold a variety of Japanese soda. I did not learn this when I was a little kid, but as I started to grow up, I finally realized how lucky I was to go to all these wonderful places. When I started to get older, I started to look more closely to the people around me and as my family and I continued to travel I saw them around the world. What I saw was kids in the Philippines living in squatter areas and even though they did not have much, they were still happy. Some of the kids did not even have flip flops or shoes and they still continued to happily play and run around the muddy and dirty ground. I had more reasons to be happy than them and I still was not pleased, so watching them enjoying life in an area like that made me realize how grateful I should be for what I have.
One special memory that I have of the airport was when I went to New York “alone.” I put alone in quotation marks because I was not alone I was with nine other kids and eight adults. However, I considered it an independent trip because it was the first time I travelled without my parents. The people I travelled with were already close, they developed a strong bond over the many years they grew up with each other. At first, I was not excited about travelling with them because they saw me as a stranger and I knew that in the next few hours I would spend with them, I would never develop a close relationship like they have. The eight adults were mainly the people I talked to and out of the nine kids that I travelled with only two talked to me and even though it was only two people that was more than enough for me. I did not develop a close relationship with them in like twelve hours, but I did make a connection with the two girls that talked to me and ever since then we have been friends.
What made that trip different and special was the fact that I enjoyed the five hour plane ride and waiting at the airport with the part of my family, that I didn’t know very well, more than exploring New York with my other family. I am an only child so I am alone a lot. This trip was not what I expected, it gave me a chance to experience being apart of a big family. Travelling around the world made me realize how grateful I should be for everything that I have. Going to the airport with those eight adults and nine other kids made me realize how fun spending time with family is. Back then, I was some spoiled brat who got everything she wanted and always complained, but now that I have seen people less fortunate than me, I’m this slightly less spoiled brat who tries not to complain. I also like to keep in touch with my family now because I learned that when you need someone to talk to or something, your family will always be there for you.
Regina Cruz 
