The eleven hour layover
“Are you sure you want to go so far away from us?”, an unasked question on my parents’ faces stared back at me as I sat killing eleven hour layover at the London airport. I had left home before to go to college the first time at the age of fourteen and then again at the age of sixteen. Each time I went farther from home within a radius of 200 miles. As I sat at the airport in an unfamiliar country, it hit me all of a sudden that this third move would take me farther away from home than I had ever been. Everything about this trip was a first for me. I had never flown in an airplane before setting foot on the plane that would take me away from my family, friends, and the country of my birth where I grew up to a strange foreign land.
I landed in London as the day was breaking with the gentle rays of sun softening the hard concrete runways, planes on the tarmac, airport staff bustling around the tarmac loading food, luggage, and service items onto planes. Buses were on hand to take passengers to the main terminals. I landed in London disoriented after an overnight flight from India. I followed my fellow travelers to the main terminal. As we entered the main terminal checkpoint, I noticed a few passengers were being asked to open up their suitcases for security check. Clothing, accessories, medication, and other items spread on the table to be searched. I was hoping I wouldn’t need to go through the hassle of repacking if they were to pull me over for additional screening. I was relieved when the security office waved me in after checking my passport and other papers.
After the security and border checks, I entered a large area where I could see a sea of passengers from all over the world. I found a spot to sit down. The surroundings were foreign and I was lost. While I waited, I kept hearing announcements the whole time about flights leaving to various places including destinations in India. For the next several hours, I kept meeting people from all over India in the large waiting area. They would sit and chat with me for a while and then leave to board their flights.
Among them was a group of students from India who were traveling together heading back from their summer vacations. We started talking about our destination and colleges we were heading to. They asked me, “We are going to get some breakfast, would you like to tag along?” I was hungry and didn’t know where to find food. I was very happy to be asked to tag along. I looked at them admiringly as they effortlessly navigated the airport to find a place where we could get breakfast.
I picked some pastry and handed a $20 dollar bill to the cashier. The cashier shook her head and said, “Do you have any smaller bills?” I was getting ready to put the pastry back when a person in my group paid for the breakfast. I thanked them and offered to pay, but they didn't have any change either. We walked back to where we were sitting. They gave me useful tips on living in the USA. One of them said, “Don’t go to a store looking for a rubber, they will hand you a condom. Ask for an eraser instead.” It was good to know that rubber is called eraser in the USA. They all left to board their flight a few hours later wishing me good luck. I looked at my watch and signed as I still had several hours to kill until the evening.
Another lady who was in her late thirties or forties came by and sat next to me. She told me she was traveling by herself while her husband and children were taking another flight. She explained, “I grew up in India and have lived in the UK for a very long time and picked up a few British habits. The British people like to travel in separate flights so we all don’t die if something happens. My flight leaves after my spouse’s lands so we both don’t die leaving our children alone.” This logic didn’t really make sense to me. What if one of the flights gets delayed? Can you really make sure only one parent is in the air? I nodded politely as she told me about their plans. We chatted for a while and then she left to catch her flight.
I was left alone for the rest of the layover feeling lonely in the middle of a busy airport. Pangs of homesickness were breaking relentlessly in my mind like waves on a beach. I was questioning my sanity of embarking on this foolhardy mission leaving my family. The prospect of starting a new life in a strange place felt like jumping into troubled waters from the comfort of a solid boat. There were no guarantees that I would succeed in completing my degree. I was thinking, “What if I can’t get used to the place I am going to? What if I don’t make any friends? What if I can’t get used to the new style of teaching and curriculum?” My head started to hurt and the life ahead of me felt overwhelming. I would chide myself, “I can’t give up this easily. I just have to see this through. I can’t just turn around and go back without giving this a try.” A few minutes later the doubts would creep in. My head was swimming with alternating moments of hope and despair. Time dragged on slowly, but steadily as each minute felt like an hour and each hour felt like a day. I couldn’t help but remember how my mother describes passing of time when she is apart from one of us, “క్షణమొక యుగంలా గడిచింది (Each second passed like a yuga). Each yuga cycle consists of four yugas of unequal lengths adding up to a total of 4,320,000 years.
I started to pay attention to the announcements of flights heading to India. I was crying without tears as I heard names of familiar cities. My heart was heavy, pinning me down into my seat as I sat motionless. I remembered the fear, concern, and sadness written all over on my parents’ faces as they let me go, having made the choice to not cage me because of their fears.
When yet another announcement for a flight to an Indian destination was made, I picked up my bags and headed to the gate. I stood there watching my people from the country of my birth lining up to board a plane which was heading to a place of safety, comfort, and home. I watched as the flight doors closed. The flight took off and I dragged my feet back to where I was sitting.
It was evening now and the sun was getting ready to set. Evening light was casting shadows all around me. When it was time to board my flight, I got up and headed towards my gate with determination to not let go of the opportunity to find out what lay ahead. The flight took off into the night, closing the curtains on a chapter of my life, flying over oceans to the other side of the globe.