“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury
They say traveling to somewhere unknown, far from the comfort of your current reality ;can change you in ways beyond your wildest expectations. The experience that you will gain from the entire endeavor is considered priceless. A milestone. In fact, the memories culled from that experience is part of your life story which can be retold countless times and would still send you feelings of nostalgia.
managed to own a passport and found myself lining up at the US Embassy rushing to get my US Visa. I was more than fortunate, let me rephrase that; blessed to have been given an opportunity to travel half way across the world for free. Yes folks, you read that right. For free. Thanks to the role which I was hired for by this global bank, Big Apple was no longer a dream.To say it was unbelievable at the very least was an understatement. My parents' reaction included.
So with my giddy heart,coat, passport and luggage in tow, I flew to Columbus Ohio for a workforce management training with the the US Global Command Center Team. Flying for the first time sent butterflies in my tummy. It was nerve wracking, heart pumping and mind blowing at the same time. As exciting as it sounds, admittedly; I was really reluctant to fly.Scenes of "Final destination" kept flashing repeatedly in my head. The thought that I will be in the middle of nothingness for almost 20 hours didn't help much either. I couldn't sleep during the first few hours after we did our lay over in Japan. I was even thinking; will I'll survive should the plane crash on water? ( read : paranoia ).3 movies and 2 meals later, I finally let go of paranoia and felt a sense of ease as I dozed off for the remainder of the flight. Key is to shake off any negative thoughts. Relax ( breathe in, breathe out ).
Home Security ( Immigration )at the Detroit Airport was one of the dreaded parts when traveling to United States. Surprisingly, mine didn't take long. The officer was kind enough to extend the number of days I was supposed to stay and made a side comment that I looked young to be working for a well-known bank. ( The braces and fringe must have been the give away ). Twenty hours and 3 lay overs later, I finally reached the cold, peaceful,amicable state of Ohio. It was almost the end of winter and this was what I was specifically excited about. To actually see and feel snow for the first time. Okay, back story - this may sound absurd to others but when I was little I'd play around with pieces of Styrofoams; rubbed them together to create white little foams;tossed them and pretended they were actual snow showers (insert silly emoticon ). When I stepped outside of the airport and felt the snow under my boots for first time; I whispered and sent a prayer of gratitude to the big Man up there for granting my silly childish wish.
Columbus, Ohio - is the home of the Buck Eyes. I got a chance to roam around by myself on my first day. I had all these expectations of what United States would look like. Though Ohio may not be your favored destination ; it sure does have a lot to offer. I was there for St. Patrick's day and I got to celebrate with my colleagues over green beer and steak. We even played bowling ( which was first a for me ) and I failed miserably. I even slipped several times and broke my newly bought camera. The night was filled with laughter, funny anecdotes and just merriment.
To have traveled thousands of miles across the world by myself was one of the major turning points of my existence. I found courage and boost of confidence I didn't know I had. I embraced a new side of me which I was oblivious of. It is true as they say, once you ventured into a foreign land, the wanderlust ache will sink in and your thirst for adventure will linger that only a plane ticket or a bus and ferry ride to some place new will suffice.
♥♥,
Jhesy
No comments:
Post a Comment