The rest of the flight seemed to last forever. I never realised how exhausting it was to watch the minutes go by. Fortunately, I closed my eyes to rest them. What am I doing? Is this really the right thing for me to do? Should I have stayed in Australia?
I opened my eyes to force myself to stop thinking. And just like that Elizabeth was there waiting for me with her smile. If only she knew how much she is helping me right now. “Are you alright, dear?” she whispered.
The announcement then sounded, asking for all passengers to put their seatbelts on and return their seats to an upright position. We were starting our descent.
I was finally here! It was almost too hard to believe that I was about to set foot on British soil. The plane began to whine, a sudden thump and then a loud screech as the tyres touched the ground. We had landed. I had arrived.
In an instant, the plane became chaotic, with every last passenger out of his or her seat and organising their things to exit. The relaxed, quiet environment that had been enjoyed by all just a few moments ago was now long gone and sheer pandemonium had replaced it. Everyone was in a hurry to leave.
Did I miss something?
Even Elizabeth and Edward had joined the pandemonium.
Was there a lucky prize for the first person off the plane that I didn’t know about? Or was it that all the passengers except me had loved ones anxiously waiting for them at the airport and they could not wait to be reunited? I have no one to be reunited with. That’s a little depressing I thought.
On that note, I decided there was a prize on offer for the first passenger off the plane. There was no way I was going to win today though; the competition was too fierce. I decided to wait. It didn’t matter to me if I was the last person off this plane.
Edward and Elizabeth were sweet. They offered to let me through in front of them. I declined with thanks and told them that I did not mind waiting, encouraging them to go ahead and expressed how lovely it was to have met them. Edward gave me his card and insisted that I contact them at some point. They were now being forced to continue moving down the aisle by the impatient passengers behind them.
I waited ten minutes or so, till the crowd cleared. Usually I hated waiting. I was the most impatient person I knew. When finally the coast was clear, there seemed to be only a small handful of other passengers who also didn’t mind waiting.
Once inside the airport, I tried to keep pace with the small group in front of me, hoping they would lead me straight to my luggage. Thankfully they did.
I headed for the doors. My walk was swift and as I approached the automatic door it welcomed me by opening at just the right time.
“Ahh!” I screamed as I had my first taste of the new climate outside. It was freezing! The ice-cold air went through my clothes into my bones. I turned right around to head back into the warmth of the airport, but the welcoming doors that opened for me at the perfect time moments ago weren’t so welcoming this time. I had to walk back a couple of steps for the door sensors to detect me so I could return to the warm air inside.
“You might want to change before you go out again. The restrooms are just behind you,” advised a uniformed worker, who had obviously been entertained by my trouble getting back inside the glass doors.
“Thank you. That sounds like a brilliant idea,” I replied, slightly embarrassed.
I got to the restrooms quickly. Once there, I looked in the mirror and shook my head in disappointment.
What are you thinking Catherine? Are you actually going to show up at the college looking like this? I don’t think so!
I placed my bag on the bathroom floor and opened it. I washed my face with some cool water and dried it with a paper towel. I put on some skin cream that, according to the packaging, promised to make me glow.
Intent on making a perfect first impression, I chose something warm, proper and beautiful. Surely, the entire faculty would be there on my arrival. I decided on my cream pants, white blouse, navy blazer and chocolate brown boots. Memories of the slap of cold wind I got when I first tried to exit the airport prompted me to also grab my gloves and scarf. Done! I zipped my bag up and had one final look in the mirror. Mission accomplished. I looked like a cross between a polo player and a wannabe Ralph Lauren model.
This time I felt prepared and ready to walk out of those doors. I looked up at the time on the boards. It was 6 o’clock, which meant that if I left now I should arrive at the college by 8 o’clock.
Outside it was still fairly dark and misty and the morning air was crisp on my face. Funny enough, what I could see didn’t really look like what I thought it would. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It was very modern and quite ordinary.
Silly really. I guess I must have been expecting horses, carriages, castles, and a few royals. That was quite ignorant I supposed. Nevertheless, I was here and I was sure that whatever I was looking for was here too.
To my left I noticed a man dressed in a dark driver’s uniform staring at me with a paper sign in with my name written on it. I started to slowly walk towards him when he noticed me, and a relieved expression came over his face.
“Miss White?” he exclaimed.
“Yes.”
“I have been sent to collect you and take you to Wimborne College.”
“Oh… Wow! Thank you!”
In a matter of minutes, he had packed my bags in the car boot and we were off. It was such a relief: I could only imagine how much a taxi would have cost. I had always had an aversion to public transport. I refused to take a bus or train — a taxi was the only form of public transport I accepted. My attitude had always annoyed Annie, and, remembering my best friend, I sent her a text message to let her know that I had arrived safely.
The driver was quite formal and refrained from small talk. No tour, not even “how was your flight?” I kept twisting my head left and right, not wanting to miss anything on either side of the road. To my left seemed to be miles of neatly cut grasslands and to my right countless trees. We seemed to have a clear run, unlike the cars heading east that were caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The display of flora on either side of me then turned into residential homes on my right, and to my left, sheep grazing on small perfectly rounded hills with an intermittent cluster of homes. As I leaned closer to the window the coldness of the glass startled me. I can’t believe I’m here! I wanted to feel nervous and surprised, but strangely enough I wasn’t. I am not sure why that is so. Was it because I was not impressed with what I was seeing? Or was it because I was expecting something more?
Despite this, something wasn’t right. I looked out the car window a little disappointed, waiting for something exceptional, something historical. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.
Why are my expectations so high for this country?
Every so often I would get a glimpse through the trees and indulge in the view of the sloping, rich green hills scattered with livestock. A blanket of light fog and mist was the only hint of cold that I had experienced earlier. Previously, my knowledge of England amounted to what I had read in books, seen in movies and my dreams. I could see now none of those things had done it justice; it was just breathtaking. The countryside was beautiful, full of substance, and it filled me with euphoria and fascination.
“We’ll be there in less than an hour, Miss,” the driver unexpectedly announced to me.
“Thank you,” I replied.
I closed my eyes and thought about Victoria, and what I may have dreamt last night. What did I miss that I would have been able to add to my story? Excitedly, I pulled out my laptop and continued with my story.