Flight to Freedom...

It takes about 15 mins to get to the airport from my parents house...(the old airport, that is...) My flight was due to take off at 12.50am. Or so I thought. Luckily, my uncle checked my ticket, and it was leaving 2 hours earlier, ie 10.50 pm. I saw the timing wrongly!
Since mostly all my mom's sister's and one of my dad's brother (with their whole family) and some of my close friends was at my parents, I think about 5 cars came to the airport to see me off.
Luckily, I managed to check in on time, had about 20 minutes to say my "good-bye's", take photographs (I swear, at that time, it was the "in" thing to send people off, pose for photographs, as you or your friend is going off to study abroad. Be it 1 year or 5 years...
I ended up staying in England for 5 years.

The flight took 12 hours. I was too excited to sleep. I was also very scared, as I was travelling alone. It was my first time flying to England (actually, first time flying alone to a country which has different seasons, for that matter). My parents always thought I was very independent. I guess I was...

The flight was KL-Singapore-London-Manchester.

When we arrived London, I didn't know where to go. There was no announcement as which gate we should transit at. Or maybe there was, but I was too excited to listen.

So what did I do? I followed the crowd (there were some Malaysian students on the flight). I asked one girl if she was flying to Manchester, and she said yes, walking really quickly, so I followed her and her other Mara-scholarship friends.

Anyway, I arrived Manchester safely. I did not make any new Mara Scholarship friends, I guess they don't make friends when they already have a group of friends (I wouldn't use "their own kind, that's just too rude).
But I managed to wait for my luggage with this Indian (Malaysian) guy who was kind enough to help me carry my bag onto my trolley and waited for my other bag to arrive. And then I realise, he too, was waiting for his other bag. Which we then realise, did not arrive Manchester at all...

*to be cont...