Independent Discovery :: Personal Narratives Australia Essays

Independent Discovery I stared out the plane window and saw an endless sea reaching a mottled sky. The airplane whisked away into the night as another tear rolled down my cheek. Only moments ago, I had waved a final farewell to my family out of the double paned window. Now I was alone and on my own. It was the first time I had ever been truly alone: no friends or family to fall back on if trouble arose, and no authority to follow or make decisions for me. I was on my way to Australia for a six week student exchange program where I would turn my feelings of dependence into a newfound independence. This was my chance to show the world and myself that I could behave self sufficiently. I arrived at the Sidney international airport after a sixteen hour flight across the Pacific Ocean. As the plane pulled into the loading area, I felt an overwhelming sensation of lonely isolation intensified by lack of sleep and jet lag. I found my way to the baggage claim and made it through customs. I had ninety minutes to spare until my next plane left for Brisbane, Queensland. No sweat! That was ample amount of time to find my next terminal and check in my luggage. I bought myself a â€Å"soft drink†, visited the â€Å"toilets† (I just had to witness this reverse swirl phenomenon) and made my way down to the terminal transfer bus depot. A few minutes later, my specified bus arrived and picked me up. After about forty-five minutes of watching signs and different people, I started to get worried. Had I missed my stop? Was I on the right bus? I only had fifteen minutes until my flight left! What if I got lost in a strange city half way around the world! ?! Here was my first test of autonomy. I took a cooling breath and calmly asked the bus driver where my terminal was. Luckily, it was the next stop after passing it twice. I checked in at the gate and boarded the airplane. Brisbane was a beautiful city with a clock tower in Central Square.