What a gift to have been able to fly home for the holidays! Here are some random thoughts along the way. I like travelling. In fact, I don’t even
mind the long layovers between flights. Of course if it were possible to
teleport I’d avoid airports altogether, but there’s something about the long
journey that is of value. Kind of gives you a chance to end off one chapter and
begin another. And travel grants the space to think, if you will allow it.
Aeroplanes have a weird culture of their
own. If you’re flying alone, it’s a guessing game as to who will be next to you
on the plane. Someone you’ve never seen before, and then you get to know them
pretty well. I mean, their sleepy face, and what they like to eat or drink, and
whether or not they snore. If you’re lucky, they might even fall asleep on your
shoulder! For the most part on this trip home I’ve had great neighbours. A lady
from Estonia (I didn’t even know there was a country like that!) and a South
African student returning home after a visit to the UK. And now a fellow
Canadian student from Botswana. We both had a long layover and so we shared
coffee at the airport… surprise: an instant friend! Our stories merge for a few
hours, and I discover again that people are perhaps the most interesting part
of travel (and life in general).
There are more things of interest. Here’s
an extract from my journal on the way to South Africa: “I have been struck by
the individualism and consumerism so prevalent on planes and in airports and in
life. I am flying alone, across the world on a “whim.” I choose my movie, maybe never
speaking to the person next to me. Even duty-free goods sold on the plane! The
airports are so lined with exotic goods at exorbitant prices. Maybe we’re
getting over gender and racial divides, but money is a huge factor for
discrimination… Sucks you in and spits you out. Pride in the veins, If they had
pride-detector x-ray machines we would all have splitting headaches from their
constant screaming. Pappa, I’m sorry I’m so proud! I’m sorry we’re so arrogant.
We wouldn’t recognise you if you came to us today…” Sweet will be the day when
we really get it, when we really see that all humans are equally astounding,
when our arms are open to embrace the very “least,” and when our hearts are
able to learn from the very unexpected.
What else can I say? I like the sounds of
different languages and accents you come across in an airport. I like focusing
on one thing and seeing how different they are, for example people’s shoes or
the shapes of their noses. I like imagining stories about the people I see… why
they’re late and now running to catch their flight, who they’re going to visit
and where, or what they love in life. To know all of this would be absolutely
overwhelming. But a cup of Mocha with one random person today was a gift. I
hope she thought so too.
