The first time I ever flew was most probably one of the most chaotic experiences I have ever had.
11 March 2012 I woke up at 5AM to get ready for my departure at OR Thambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. On arrival, I saw that the only flight that was delayed was... mine. How great is that. The original flight that would’ve left at 9:15AM is now scheduled for 11:30AM.
 
My original connecting flight from Abu-Dhabi to Seoul had to be redirected and it was changed from Ethiad to Qatar Airways. That meant I needed to transfer from Abu-Dhabi to Doha before transferring to Seoul.
As I said, it was chaos, especially for me, because it was my first time. What was supposed to be and feeling of excitement changed to stress. I didn’t know what would happen to my luggage. I just crossed my fingers and hoped to find it on the other side. I even had to take something to calm my nerves.
My first flight to Abu-Dhabi went well. I managed to get there, enjoying the meals, the movies and the views from the sky. My curiosity made me peek outside the window every 10 minutes. I also had one of the best seats in the house... well, apart from business class. I had the leg space that one of my friends would’ve envied if he were to fly. The excitement kept me awake and the first 8 hours literally flew by.

Then the chaos started. I needed to inform my agents in Seoul when I would be arriving and that my flights as been delayed. I rushed to one of the lounges, thanks to my priority pass card, to use the internet. I then thought I was late for my next flight and ran back to the terminal to make sure I catch the flight. It turns out that I was a bit paranoid. Boarding only started about an hour later. In my defence, I was in different timezone and my watch really confused me.
In Doha, I managed to get the time right and spent about an hour in the lounge, freshening up and getting something to eat before my flight to Seoul.
The flight to Seoul, felt endless. It was night and I was really tired. I tried to sleep, but had one of the worst seats. It was next to the aisle and even though you put a sticker (which they give to you) up that said not to bother me for food or anything, I was bothered anyway. To make matters worse, the flight wasn’t exactly as smooth as it could’ve been. It felt like I was on the ocean. Near the end I felt nauseas and wished the plane would just land. Just before landing we were in a holding spot and we were spiralling around the airport. I could just see how I am not going to make it. Alas, I made it and soon forgot about feeling sick when I saw the amazing airport.

 
I now needed to make my way to Gimpo airport to catch the 7:30 PM domestic flight to Busan. I got on a bus and was soon arriving in Gimpo. On my way up to the check-in desk, I spotted a Starbucks, where I thought I would sit and inform my family and agents of my arrival. When I got to the check-in desk I asked the lady what the time is and mistakenly changed my flight from 7:30 to 6:30, which was boarding at 6:15. And guess what time it was... 6:10. Great, I needed to get my bags checked in and then run to the terminal.

Finally I arrived safely in Busan, where my directors’ husband met me, to take me to Changnyeong where I will be teaching for a year.
At the end of my day, I was at 6 airports and had 2 nights within 30 hours. This was definitely one of the most memorable events of my life.
Look out for my first week, Daegu and Market day experience.