Moving with Precious

I was like a fish out of water as I passed through the various checkpoints at the airport. Everything was interesting and intriguing. I couldn't wait to get into man's bird-like invention for the very first time. I had been at the Douala International Airport in Cameroon's economic capital, Douala, severally. During those times, I went to see others off. But on this day, I was seeing myself off and I was loving every bit of the experience.

After all the checking, I was in the waiting room where the young, the old, the fat and the slim all waited to journey. I couldn't wait to walk into the plane,and fly though I had no wings.

Finally, the moment came when we were called upon to get into our medium of transportation. Families with kids were allowed premier entry. So I rushed in with my infant and my toddler and began feeding my eyes. I looked left, right, front and center, perusing through the Ethiopian Airways plane that was taking us to our first stop, Addis Ababa.

I admired the perfect blend of colors on the chairs, the smart hostesses, and the mini screens that were in front of every chair. I was in a different world! This was the first time I shared the same location with people of different nationalities.

Now, I couldn't wait for take-off time and experience my belly rumble as I had heard in tales of people's flights. We took off and probably my excitement superseded every discomfort that came with the plane's blast off. As the hours went by, I watched the screen which displayed our location on air and enjoyed the continental dishes we got served with.

We arrived Addis Ababa in the dark. I was elated to steal a view of the city that has the reputation of being the African Union headquarters. There, we were moved to a bigger plane. It was a big relief as I was given a crib to put my baby in. This time, I had the freedom to watch a Nollywood movie while my baby slept.

We stayed in this plane for fourteen long hours before arriving at Washington D.C, the capital of the United States of America. I was weary, worn out and weak but I felt wonderful.

This was the first time I entered a plane, the first time I traveled out of Africa and the first time I entered the United States of America.