The Journey Begins

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 The next morning was crisp, anticipation hummed in the air, my mum would be dropping me off at the airport, and we would be accompanied by my sister, her daughter and my aunt. The sun was just beginning to paint the sky with delicate shades of pink and orange and our immediate mission was to beat the traffic on the road and get to the airport on time. 


We arrived in record time, and I came down immediately from the car as I felt I was running late, I didn’t have time to even say goodbye to the folks who escorted me to the airport, I didn’t get a chance to hug them goodbye, little did I know that was going to be the last time I would see my mum. 


As I stood in line at the Nigerian immigration checkpoint, I clutched her passport and boarding pass tightly, my eyes scanning the vibrant surroundings of the airport. The murmur of travellers filled the air as I waited my turn. Passing through Nigerian immigration wasn't just a routine; it was a reminder of where I came from and a reminder that no matter how far I travelled, Nigeria would always be a part of her identity. 


 As I boarded the plane bound for Paris, France, on the last day of August in 2016, and as the plane took off, the familiar city skyline grew smaller and smaller, gradually disappearing. Ahead of me lay a path shrouded in mystery, but yet teeming with endless possibilities. It was time to set foot on foreign soil, to immerse myself in a world that held both uncertainty and the promise of a destiny I had yet to discover. The journey had begun. 

 

Once again, the thought of how I would communicate in French crossed my mind as the plane took off. I realised that my French vocabulary was limited to a few polite greetings and simple phrases I had picked up from language apps. I had imagined effortlessly conversing with locals, but now I found herself feeling a bit lost in a sea of unfamiliar sounds and words. 


I logged back on the Duolingo app and abandoned it for a few weeks, thinking that the points and streak I had gotten on the app had prepared me enough, but I was a little doubtful. 

The app helped me learn some individual words, but it didn’t teach me how to construct sentences. 

While self-evaluating my level of French and with no passenger close by for me to practise with, I fell asleep as the plane did a layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 


I woke up to the pilot announcing we have just arrived in France. 


"Mesdames et Messieurs, c'est votre capitaine qui vous parle. J'ai le plaisir de vous annoncer que nous sommes bien arrivés en France. Nous espérons que vous avez fait un bon voyage à bord avec nous". 


I was a bit ecstatic, even though I barely understood what had just been said. The weather was so cold, like really cold. Not quite like the harmattan (our Nigerian version of winter) I was used to. This weather was PG18, not for the faint hearted. 

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