Letter from Kenrick Mark (3rd Edition)

Letter from Kenrick Mark

Dear Esteemed Readers,

After asking me those questions, the officer told me that I was free to go. I hurriedly exited the rear end of the room. I kept following the line and scanning the people in search of my two Chevening sisters. Everyone was going through a tight security check — our bags were set on a machine, and we also took off our belt, shoes, and emptied our pockets, placing all those items in a container that went through the machine as well. I entered the full-body scanner and was cleared.

In all those mini-moments, I was worried. Did my sisters went ahead, leaving me behind? Thankfully, as I came out of the scanner, my two sisters were patiently waiting on me. I guess my Chevening Cohort knew I was a ‘travelling fresher’ so they cared for me. Again, I was so happy to see both of them. I think one of them did some money exchange from US dollars to British sterling pounds. Oh, Phylicia even joked about me be called into the room — and if it was a full body search?. I just smiled. I told them he just asked a few questions and I believe it’s because I am of East Indian heritage. Indians and Arabs are usually scouted for possible affiliation with terrorist organizations/engagement.

As my sister completed her money exchange, we grabbed our luggage and walked into another room, where Giselle said her good-bye as she was travelling on another flight to Manchester, UK. Phylicia and I looked at the information board for our next move too. I was too near-sighted to see the small words on the wall. She also asked a security guard for information to proceed to our waiting/departure lounge. We took a small train to another section of the Airport. When we arrived, we exited and slowly walked around, looking for our Virgin Atlantic flight gate. I was thrilled, inside. I was thinking of enjoying my first touchdown and presence in the United States of America, even though it was just in the airport. It still counted (all smiles).

The airport was huge, and we could see the jets lined up outside. The beauty of an international airport! Once we found our gate, we felt satisfied and began moving around. We had about two hours free. We visited various stores. I simply looked in amazement at the wonderful souvenirs, clothing, and many other items on sale. I didn’t want to spend unnecessary money. We also searched for a great place to eat and found a quiet looking cafe. I ordered a sandwich, a chocolate shake, and cookies. My sister ordered a similar meal. I carefully watched the interior decor and of course, the many food and desserts in the showcase. The desserts really appealed to me. We enjoyed the food, talked for a while, and decided to cruise around the booths/stores.

Then, we went to our gate, and sat there for an hour, until it was time to board our flight. The lady was really nice. When I presented my ticket (online confirmation printed out), she just said wait, and gave me a boarding pass?. We boarded the flight. It was filled to capacity. I looked around and saw Phylicia a few seats before me. I looked backwards and beside me and saw a few Indians and Arabs. I wonder if they were called into a room too? I sat in the middle section, on the left side. Notable, the center seat was empty. I thought, well I might have two seats if this individual doesn’t board. He did rushed in last minute. The thought of an extra seat, faded. To me, it was a long flight! It was cold! I was so tired of sitting down.

The attendants served us delicious food, and snacks and drinks. I love eating and this might have been the’ most looked forward to’ part of the flight (laughs). To my amazement, we were treated every hour with snacks and drinks. I loved the hot chocolate! The guy who was beside me (the one who came in last minute), was watching TV the entire flight, and this bothered me a bit. I couldn’t even sleep. I watched around every hour, and nearly everyone was enjoying a nap in flight. I didn’t even knew how to use the little TV embedded in front of me. I was really a ‘bush’ guy from the Toledo district. After about nine hours, we finally landed at the Heathrow International Airport in London. My heart skipped a beat. I was thinking many things — I made it, London! Finally, my dream has began to take course! I felt butterflies in my stomach.

So, we disembarked the plane after quite some time. It was a long stride to our immigration/arrival area. My eyes caught glimpses of London — huge jets, people from across the world, airport machines, escalators, elevators, ‘first world’ signage advertising products and services in the UK, it was all new. We finally arrived to a very, very long queue (one of the first English terms I learnt that day). We waited for two hours. I definitely knew I missed a taxi which I booked a week ago. I actually booked the taxi for an hour after my plane landed. I was not taking into consideration that the queues might be enormous. Phylicia and I talked and enjoyed ‘people viewing’. We did introduced ourselves to some around us, and found out they were also studying in the UK. The reason the queue was huge was that many students were flying in as most universities had orientation week coming up.

We finally got to an immigration counter and checked in. Our passports were stamped. We were on the all clear. I said to myself — ‘Welcome to England’. I breathed a sigh of relief. We went to find our luggage at the luggage carousel. The machine went two cycles and we still didn’t see our luggage. Now, this was alarming. I began to worry. Phylicia began to worry. We saw a booth for Virgin Atlantic nearby and went to ask. To our surprise, our luggage bags were near the counter. We both laughed. I guess it was removed from the machine because we were in the queue for about two hours.

I quite exhausted for tonight. I will continue this journey in another edition of Letter from Kenrick Mark.

Sincerely yours,

Kenrick Mark