My Promo-Mentors Writing Challenge: My Very First Flight Experience

Do you still remember your first ever plane experience? Were you nervous? Excited? Terrified? Happy? Was it fun? Or, was it a frightening one?

Well, all of us have unforgettable experience from our first plane ride and we kind of had mixed emotions where we didn't actually know which one is stronger than the others. You were lucky if your first one was everything but enjoyable from the moment you stepped on the plane until you got to where you're going.

My first unnerving flight experience was last 2016. I was 30 years old back then, and yet had never flown on a plane in my whole life before! That was why I felt extremely excited and anxious at the same time when I was at the airport. I was too excited because I would finally be able to be with the love of my life - my fiance then. There was also a kid in me that's thrilled to see the sky and clouds closely with my naked eye for the first time.

On the other hand, I felt a bit edgy primarily because I didn't know how it feels like when the plane is about to take off and land on. And also, I'd be flying across the country, for more than 24 hours, with my two dearest children with me, and it was their first plane experience as well. I didn't know what to expect, really. Not only because I had to deal with my fears and anxiety but I had to be mindful of theirs, most importantly. I honestly didn't pay attention to myself that much, as I had to keep an eye on them. Being a parent is definitely never an easy task especially when you go out with your kids. Exhaustion and everything comes with the job of being a mother.

It was morning of June 14th, 2016 when my mother and my siblings dropped us off at the airport (NAIA, Philippines). They stayed for a little bit and then left the airport early, since they're not allowed to come inside.

When my kids and I were already at the boarding area, my two-year old son still wasn't feeling better from his one-day confinement in the hospital the past few days, as he had bouts of vomiting and diarrhea a week before our flight. I decided to take him to the hospital because I wanted him to get well-hydrated. Eventhough he got cleared by the doctor, he's still not completely fine. Hence, he was crying so much at the airport and I couldn't pacify him no matter how much I tried to. People were looking at us and I felt embarrassed because of the way how they stared at us. It was like I'm a bad mom. They didn't know what my son and I had been through already. What I did was I held him in my arms and just walked around the area.

Sometimes, my son would stop from crying but then he continued on until we got on the plane. Our layover was in Korean Airport, which was huge! That means, I had to carry my son from where we landed on all the way to the opposite wing of the airport. Plus, I had to bring my carry-on which was a bit heavy. When we got to the boarding area, we still had two hours left before our next flight. My son was still cranky and crying. The embarrassment I felt when we were still in Philippine airport has tripled here because there was this one Korean woman approached me, for she couldn't take my son's cry anymore. She said,

You should see a doctor. Can't you see, he's sick! They have a doctor here.

I just smiled at her and thanked for her "concern" towards my son. However, there were a lot of thoughts in my mind:

I don't have enough money, I know for sure the money that I have won't reach anything.
I had no load in my phone, so if in case any thing happens, what am I gonna do?

I just prayed to God to survive this flight and for my son to be healed or atleast get better. While we were waiting for the next flight, one officer at the airport had announced that our flight will get delayed for 3 more hours. And I was like "What???". That meant my son still had to deal with his sickness and the stress seeing a lot of people in this massive airport. But then after several minutes or maybe I wasn't aware with how much time have already passed because I had to go to the bathroom with my son for couple of times and walked around, suddenly, one flight attendant came to me saying we're the last ones that the plane has been waiting for. So, we were in a hurry to get there and felt ashamed that maybe they've waited for so long already.

So, Imagine the long hour flight and the narrow space I had to pass through when ever my son had to go to the wash room for a lot of times and its limited space when I change his diaper. Thank goodness that I brought enough diapers and the last piece had reached Chicago! There was an instance when I couldn't pacify him, the flight attendant asked me to take my son to the cabin area because a lot of passengers couldn't sleep well because of our noise.

Oh I remember, the food served as well! They're all enticing and looked so delicious, but I couldn't enjoy them because I was carrying my son the whole time and he's agitated. The one who did enjoy the food for sure was my eldest daughter and I was glad seeing her enjoying this trip. She had fun looking at the clouds and watching movies from her seat. I didn't want her to know that I wasn't feeling ok because I wanted her first trip to be a memorable one.

I may have looked calm and seemed relaxed in this photo, but behind that smile was my hidden extreme exhaustion from this whole energy draining experience from my first flight.

So, when we finally got to Chicago, one Filipino lady approached me while we were at the immigration officer's area and said,

Congrats! You survived this flight. I remember those days my husband's job was in military and our three kids were all young. I had to go through what you've been through and I admired your patience on your little one.

She witnessed everything since she was on the same plane as us.

And because of my dead tired body, I only responded to her with a smile and a sigh, like "Thank you! We're finally HOME!"

I thanked God so much for everything: for his protection that we reached our destination safe and sound; for surviving all the hassles along the way. We almost missed our connecting flight! Haha..; for the strength and his guidance because everything was new to me; and lastly, I thanked Him that my daughter was happy - for that reason, I was also genuinely happy.

With my first flight experience, I learnt that no amount of sacrifice is too much for your children. As a mother, you're always going to be there for them no matter what - when they're sick, you'll also imagine how they feel so you'll watch them closely until they get well; when you see them crying, your heart is crying as much as they do; and when they're happy, you're also rejoicing with them with gladness.

Thank You Lord for all the blessings in life!