Rocky Road

Raymond Zhou

For an airline named "SilkAir", our flight could be considered as anything but smooth. (Though this was mostly due to unpleasant weather, I thought I'd just share this interesting experience)

Before we even took off, the faith of Aaron Wyllie and me (also presumably the other 24 boys) was put into serious question when the built in screens of plane failed to show our safety video- twice. On the first try, half of the screens failed to deploy, leaving one side of the plane without any instructions. The second try was slightly better, but was yet again another failure as videos lagged from screen to screen- making for mismatched audio and visual cues (and some good comic relief). Needless to say, we weren't exactly feeling secure.

The flight itself could be described as 4 hours of turbulence as the plane shifted randomly without notice. Whilst the lightning show out the window was quite spectacular, our feelings of fascination were quickly diminished as we realised we were flying in that direction. To my amazement, the seatbelt light actually turned off, though it's purpose had been made redundant the moment the flight took off.

Perhaps what has also had its up and downs are my feelings towards a month in India. The removal from the sense of comfort, familiarity and security has certainly been replaced by nervousness, excitement but also fear. Sometimes, I do have second thoughts about what I've gotten myself into (never more prevalent than on this flight). In a few hours time, I will be welcomed into a distinctly different landscape, something completely new and unfamiliar. I have to admit, despite the amount of "preparation" we have undertaken, no part of me is assuring that "I am ready".  I do not know what to expect; what we'll see, smell, touch, hear or taste. However, in spite of my worries, I am eagerly anticipating the challenge ahead, the lessons I'll learn and the friends I'll meet. 

On a more serious note, suspended 10,000m in the air, I pray we land in one piece.