Traveling by air, one of the fastest methods of transportation is something that I have always aspired to use. Boarding an airplane is something that I have always made me curious. I would like to know more about a flight such as the distance and the height of the flight. Ever since I was a kid, my family used to travel a lot during holidays. However, most of my family’s favorite destinations were local towns in Texas and hence I have never traveled by air. However, during one of the holidays, my parents decided that we should visit an entirely different location and my dad suggested that we visit Iraq.
After a few hurdles with the determining the best sites to visit in Iraq, we finally purchased air tickets. However, just three days before we had left for the journey, we were perplexed to discover that a plane crash involving the airline that we were to board had occurred. To add insult to injury, the accident had taken place on the departure port that we were supported to use. Traveling to Iraq was one of the fascinating trips I have ever been involved in as most of the journey involved flying over the Arabian Gulf. As a young kid, it was difficult for me to express my feelings about the trip. When we arrived at the airport on the traveling day, I had mixed feelings. Firstly, I was more than happy to board an airplane, as it is something that I rarely did, maybe once annually. On the contrary, I was also nervous due to the destination and the plane crash had not left my mind. At some point, I had a feeling that it was going to be my last times in the world.

Nevertheless, I acted normally at the airport. I helped my dad pass through all the checkpoints before we finally boarded the plane. We were inspected by the passport control unit and the airport security team before going to the free duty area. My mother loved the free tax area as she could purchase items at a correct price. However, I had a feeling that the trip should be canceled and we travel locally as we used to. I felt that I was too young to die and that my parents were too dear to die in the sea. I wished something could happen so that we could abort the trip and go back home. My mind could not think of anything other than ways to convince my parents to change their mind on the journey. Furthermore, I was not a fun of Iraq as I had heard of many American soldiers who had lost their lives there.

Finally, after waiting for one hour, we were called to board the plane and the plane crash and the route of our journey, the Arabian Gulf, hit my mind. It is at this point that I told my mother that we should not travel because we were going to die. My mom looked at me as tears raced down my cheeks and asked me why I was saying so. I told him we were using the same airline that had been involved in the accident, the same airport and the fact that we were going to travel across the Arabian Gulf. Additionally, I told my mom that the plane seemed to have maintenance issues and hence we should not do aboard it. After a furious debate, my mom pulled me into the aircraft. I apparently gave the cabinet crew explaining safety precautions an attentive ear.

In a few minutes time, we were on the runway. I held my breath as I remembered the plane crash that had taken place on the track. Seeing my safety belt signal off, I became even more uncomfortable. Just like other passengers, I too was scared by the massive air turbulence as the plane rose from the runway. At this point, I forgot everything and begun crying and shouting like a little child, “this aircraft is going to fall in the sea.” My level of panic worsened when the pilot said that we should all remain seated as I thought the plane had a problem. My mother seated next to me increased my fears when she asked me if I was good at swimming. To me, without any doubt, the plane was to crash. One of the aircraft attendants brought me a gift in an attempt to alleviate my emotions. One of the passengers who sat next to me also encouraged me and told me not to cry because if we fell into the sea, we could all swim and hence we couldn’t die. For eighteen hours, the flight was smooth, and finally, we arrived at Iraq International Airport.

In my culture, a man is not supposed to cry in front of other people. However, the trip was so scarring that I had to forget about the customs and traditions that are deeply rooted in my culture and acted like a toddler. Although my mom strived to instill stability and quietness in me, I still wasn’t convinced that the flight was going to be successful with no hurdles. Bad memories had enslaved me to believing that the plane was going to crash and we were going to die. It was my first day to travel by air, and I am sure next time I will not be scared. For sure, the experience is the best teacher.