Leaving Comfort Zone: Exploring the Unknown
I learned valuable lessons that would stay with me for the rest of my life.
What a start! The first journey by airplane is not domestic, it's international. International arrival, departure, check-in, checkout, immigration, and boarding pass…there was too much to digest on my first journey abroad!
It was late 2014 and I was travelling from Dhaka International Airport to China to study for my master’s degree. I got the Chinese Government Scholarship for doing research-based study in computer science at the University of Jinan.
There were no direct flights to Jinan. I went to the China Eastern Airlines regional office in Dhaka and purchased the ticket. The itinerary included a flight from Dhaka to Kunming, then from Kunming to Jinan with a stopover at Chongqing airport.
From Land to Air
I was a born traveller and had explored most parts of my home country, Bangladesh, usually by train, road, or boat. However, this was my first time travelling by airplane, and I was extremely excited but also nervous.
I had no idea what needed to be done inside the airport, and my family had no experience travelling abroad. As a result, I couldn’t get any suggestions from them.
I talked with other people about travelling abroad. Although, I managed to get some idea about travelling abroad, but no one I knew had experience in China. China was less known for tourism or study at that time.
It seemed wonderland to me, and I was thrilled to explore it.
Arrival at Dhaka International Airport
After arriving at the airport, it was time to say goodbye to my friends and family at the entry gate. Because only the passengers were permitted to enter to the Dhaka airport. It was the hard part to say goodbye to my family, and my little boy. However, sometimes we need to say goodbye for a reason.
Entry to the Airport
It’s the time! I entered the airport and started by scanning my baggage and going through a body scan.
Then, I looked for the China Eastern Airlines counter. I heard this instruction when I purchased a plane ticket. I found the counter where I saw a long queue. I stood in the queue.
I started looking around and explored other passengers to see what to do next. Within a short time, I discovered different types of people. Some seemed like aristocrats, and even though they were from the same country, they started talking in English and ignored their countrymen, only feeling comfortable with foreigners.
Another type looked very serious and busy with their stuff and was not approachable. Finally, there were people like me, the first timers, trying hard to decode the steps and looking for someone experienced in travelling.
Check-in
It’s time to stop thinking about when it was my turn to check-in baggage at the counter. The person at the counter asked for my passport and ticket copy.
After checking my information, he told me to put my baggage on the conveyor belt. He put a sticker on the baggage and printed my boarding pass.
I asked the person what I should do next. He was friendly and told me to fill out the departure form and proceed to immigration. I followed the instructions, but it was hard to find the form.
I looked at other passengers and finally found the form. I filled it out very carefully. An interesting thing happened when a man approached me while I was filling out the form and asked for help. I helped him, and he thanked me.
Immigration
I followed the immigration line. There were many people, even though there were multiple lines. I saw the immigration officers taking a long time for each passenger, and I thought I might miss the plane!
I started looking at others and tried to learn what to do. I saw the same types of people around and found it hard to talk with them as they did not seem welcoming.
Luckily, I found one person with an approachable face standing in another line but very close to me. I asked him which flight he was taking and found out that we were on the same flight, but our destinations were different. He was going to Canada and staying there for study. This was his second time flying to Canada. I asked him a series of questions about what to do after immigration and all the way to China.
He was very friendly and answered all of my silly questions. The conversation made my journey go from impossible to possible and it was really effective throughout my journey.
Time to stop talking! It’s my turn with the immigration officer. I handed over all the documents, including my passport, ticket, admission letter, and visa documents.
Since I received the Chinese government scholarship, the process was easy. I got the exit stamp on my passport, and a new door opened, with many unknowns waiting to be discovered.
Towards boarding
I then crossed the immigration line and looked at the monitor to find the departure gate.
In the meantime, the person travelling to Canada had passed the immigration process.
I quickly joined him and had a chat. As the departure time approached, we arrived at the gate where I needed to go through the check-in process. Here, I found it a bit disturbing as I had to remove my shoes, open my belt, open my carry-on bag, and take out my laptop and any electronics. I followed the instructions and finally arrived at the departure lounge.
Chinese people are really fast!
The air hostess announced the departure, and everyone quickly stood up and formed a line. Although I was sitting near the departure gate, I wasn’t able to join the line immediately as Chinese passengers were very active and formed the line even before the announcement.
It was another learning experience, but I didn’t take it too seriously because the plane would take everyone who had a boarding pass. I entered the plane and took my seat.
Inside airplane
Finally, I felt relaxed after all the chaos. On my way to a new place, I missed my home and family while leaving my comfort zone.
Landing
Apart from a few instances of turbulence, the flight was great, and I landed at Kunming Airport. The wonderland. I will share my exciting airport experience in my next post. To continue click here!
