NHL Short Stories

far away from home - teuvo teräväinen

WC: 2430

"Flight 3429 is ready for boarding to Boston Logan," the PA announcer said over the intercom at our gate in both Greek and English.

I stood up from my seat and grabbed my small suitcase I was bringing onto the plane as my carry-on luggage for the flight home. I had a short layover in Boston before I would board another smaller passenger plane back to Raleigh-Durham to return home.

I was taking a semester abroad in Athens, Greece for my degree in psychology, and it was one of the best decisions I have made. Other than completing my credits, I have seen a lot of great, historical artifacts and sites from Ancient Greece and when Greece was occupied by the Byzantine Empire, and of course I have made some good friends while studying in Athens. It was a bittersweet ending to a fantastic time, and after winter break was over, I would be continuing classes in my home university at North Carolina State.

I took my American passport and boarding passes onto this flight and my connecting flight in Boston and joined the long line for boarding.

After about ten minutes of standing and scurrying forward in line, the gate attendant scanned my boarding pass and let me through to the walkway to the plane.

"Welcome!" the flight attendants exclaimed as I walked onto the plane, and I responded with a smile and returning the greeting.

I walked down the aisle and found my seat on the right side in the back, and thankfully I had a window seat.

I put my suitcase in the overhead cabin and sat down in my seat, getting myself comfortable for the long seven hour flight back to America.

Once everyone got onto the plane safely and settled in their ticketed seats, the flight attendants played the safety video on our entertainment systems and demonstrated how to properly use the seat belt. Afterwards, the plane taxied and we were off to Boston.

—

I woke up to an abrupt, rocky landing that nearly me gave me a heart attack.

After ten to eleven hours of flight time from Athens to Raleigh, not including the layover in Boston, I was finally home after several months of studying in a foreign country by myself.

Once the plane got to a complete stop and it was safe to stand up and move around, everyone got up from their seats and grabbed their luggage from the overhead bins. I did the same, and I stretched a few times with a huge yawn.

We exited the plane in a single fine line down the aisle, and made our way up to the terminal.

Following the signs to the baggage claim, my suitcase rolling behind me, I waited at the baggage claim area and patiently waited for my two suitcases to pop around the conveyor belt.

While I was waiting, I texted some of my friends and family that I was back in Raleigh after a long day of travel. I'm sure I'll have a welcome back party at my parents' house because they've constantly texted me while I was in Greece, and for good reason.

One of my suitcases came out of the chute, so I took it off of the conveyor belt and waited for my other one to come out.

Once I got my other suitcase, I followed the signs to the Arrivals gate. There were a decent amount of people there holding signs to bring their person or people to them through the sea of people, but I couldn't find the person for me.