Tip 1: Take a Day trip and make a new friend
My lone trip to Egypt had been debunked. I told myself I just wasn’t ready to take a trip of that magnitude clear across the world by myself. On travel benefits none the less what if I got lost? What if someone robbed me? What if the plane filled up in Cairo? Then what? What if, what if, what if? I pondered to myself as I headed home to pack. Of course the trip was supposed to be my friend from work and I, but situations change. So when I woke that morning I texted every one and said: “Trip cancelled; just not ready.” I moped around for the whole day.
That afternoon an acquaintance from work, Lem, calls me and tells me that the lights are off in his town and we should go someplace. Of course I said okay and forgot about it till that next night when he called me and asked if it would be Tokyo or Amsterdam. All the while I was thinking “Am I really going away?” As he went to check the loads I told Mommy and my siblings and began to pack my back pack. Mommy asked “ is your shirt for work washed, is your bag packed when are you coming home. “No, Yes, next week after I finish work”. As I packed my bag, my phone rings and it Lem.
“ Amsterdam looks really good, and Tokyo is excellent. We can get on both these flights really easlly”
“Oh that’s cool”
“And the weather is going to be in the low 70’s in Amsterdam and sunny. Tokyo is going to be scatter showers. Hmmm’ maybe Amsterdam would be better?”
“yeah that would be cool”
“So, I’ll see you in Minnie then”
“what time does the flight leave again”
“3:15”
“Okay, see you in Minnie”
As the phone hung up I felt it. It was too late to change my mind now. I had to tell Daddy now. I told him I going to Amsterdam and he got mad. I guess in a way I knew he would disagree with me going so far away and I wanted it to deter me from going. However’ I really couldn’t find any excuse for me not to go. “Hey I have so much to take care of I can’t go” or maybe “you know I still have to do my laundry umm maybe another time” or maybe even “ I still don’t have a phone that can call international”. Nope no excuse fit. As I went to sleep that night I hoped I could come up with one soon.

“What time do you have to get up in the morning?”
“I’m getting up at 6am”
“Okay goodnight”
Goodnight Mommy”
I took the train then bus to LaGuardia airport that morning. Got on my flight to Minneapolis/ St. Paul airport so easily in was a crime even got my seat on the plane from the Kiosk instead of at the gate. I got to Minneapolis right on time and meet Lem in the crew room. I dropped off my luggage and we went to the gate. The agent put us together with a seat in between us. So easy.
The plane left on time we got to Amsterdam at 6:15 am. We didn’t have any hotel reservation so Lem suggested we wait in the airport till 8am. I was so anxious to get out the airport and it was hard for me to stay still. We watch a movie and around 8:15 am we went through the passport checkpoint. We made a reservation at a youth hostel in Vodel Park and go on the train to the city. Centaal Station was not only full of committers but people like us; Travelers, from all around the world. Once to get out of Centaal Station I felt…I felt…like I was in Brooklyn only there were trams. As I got farther away from the station I saw what made Amsterdam so different and I liked it. Everyone was dress quite nice. Very stylish and it was so diverse. We got on the tram to Vodel Park. I saw a Cannel as we walk and so many wonderful color of red and green. Things at home that are probably there but you never notice. We and Lem spoke the whole way about this and that.
We got our keys for the hotel and put our stuff in the lockers. Time to sight see. We started at Vodel Park and got back on the tram back to Centraal Station. We made our way all over the city. Well we hit up almost all the tourist spots. The Dame, the Mall, we pass through the Red Light District where the most impressive churches are. And of course there are cannels all over the city.
Funny we had at the McDonald’s. We talked about everything from our relationships with the opposite sex to our relationship with money. We disagree about a lot of things but we agree on a lot of things as well. I admire him because he is such a free spirit that I thought I was. He ideas about the world don’t come out of thin air there they come out of research and life experience. I disagreed with him on some subjects but he let me. And I learned to listen. I mean, really be open minded it’s not about saying no. It’s about listening and learning. It’s about feeling others words wash over you. Taking them in. if you disagree ask yourself why. You learn more about yourself from the things that you disagree with then the thing you don’t. If an idea makes you uncomfortable is it because it wrong or is it because you never saw the world that way before?
We slept during the afternoon about 3 hrs. I guess it was a nap for me. And then walk around the cold city for the night. Places were still open but the tram wasn’t running so we walked to the downtown area and took pictures of things. And talk some more. We stayed up all night cause technically by the time we were to get on the plane it would be about 12am on the east coast. It was a nice walk around.
By the time we got to the airport in the morning I was dead tired and the thought of not getting on this flight was hard to swallow. We were talking about what my next step was after life in the aviation industry. He pointed out things that I should maybe look into. As I began to speak about why I didn’t walk to so those things I realize for myself why. I knew that I loved film and I wanted to do it all my life. But that wasn’t enough for me. I needed to put my hand out and help change the world itself. I knew it. I would go to school for international relations. I had decided that a while ago. However, this time I was sure why I would choose this course of study. There would be no more wavering.
We got on the plane easily again and got to Minneapolis/ St. Paul just in time for me to miss my flight to Detroit Metro Airport. I would have to wait for the next one. Lem told me not to worry I would get on it. He walked me to the gate and showed to the pictures from our trip. I got my boarding pass and got on the plane and left my friend Lem in Minneapolis. He had work the next morning there and I had to go to work in Detroit.
And Then I realized she was slowly dying and I was so happy!