A JOURNEY WORTHY OF MY FUTURE

Realization of a Dream: An Answered Prayer

It all started in a dream - a dream to pursue an international exchange program. It is my childhood dream to visit other country with a purpose. I applied twice in one of the famous international scholarship in our country - the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, hoping to study abroad even for just a month or a semester. But I am no lucky. My application was not competitive enough to participate in such program.

Instead of losing hope, I prayed to God to open an opportunity for international exchange. And so it was. I heard a news about Southeast Asian Cultural Exchange.

I am one of the fortunate students of College of Education - Central Luzon State University (CED-CLSU) who was selected to join the Batch 7 of the SEA Teacher Project of Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

One Step Closer to Indonesia

We left CLSU on midnight of January 22 using the university van. Mr. Vincent Feliciano accompany us to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Our trip took three hours from the university to the airport.

We arrived three hours earlier than our scheduled flight which gave us enough time to processed everything in the airport such as paying travel tax, check-in luggage and passing through the Philippine Immigration.

At 3:05 in the morning, we already checked-in our baggage on our scheduled flight. My check-in luggage allowance was 20kgs however, I only managed to carry a 12-kilogram luggage because of worrying about over-luggage.

At exactly 6:40 AM, the plane bounded to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) flew. It was my first time to ride a plane.

CHECK-IN! My Boarding Pass for my flight to Malaysia and Indonesia.

During the take-off, the feeling of satisfaction and nervousness surround my whole being. I can't explain the feeling to getting higher and higher in the skies. I've been to different, terrifying rides in amusement parks yet this one is like a roller coaster that could drop us anytime.

Luckily, I'm in a window seat. The fear of heights was eventually vanished as the sea of clouds and the peaceful blue color of the sky was in sight. Nothing can compare to the beauty of firmament, especially for the first-timers like me. It gave relaxation to my nervous heart.

UP ABOVE THE SKIES! The view in our first flight bound to Kuala Lumpur Airport

The great view from the welkin eases my feeling and worry of something dreadful. Moment by moment, I treasure my stay inside the plane as I tried every single facility for the passengers. A friend of mine told me that I should try the lavatory of the airplane. And I did. I chose the lavatory at the tail of the plane. As I walk through it's aisle, I can feel the vibrations on the floor that makes me shiver. And just like in any other vehicle, the back-most part of the plane has the most jolty experience yet I survived my first pee inside the plane.

Fortunately, I booked our flight with foods included. So aside from enjoying the view, I also enjoyed the food served to me by the delicate cabin crews.

At 10:35 AM, we finally arrived in Malaysia for our 4-hour lay-over.

MIE AYAM! My lunch in Kuala Lumpur International Airport during our lay-over

Our 4-hour flight from Manila, Philippines to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia leave us hungry. After passing the International Fly-thru Desk, we manage to find the food court of KLIA and grab some lunch. We still have three hours stay in the airport after we finish our lunch. Hence, we roam around the airport to discover the various Malaysian delicacy stalls and scenery.

At 15:10, our next flight bound to Yogyakarta, Indonesia flew.

Exactly 16:45, AirAsia Flight AK 348 landed in Adi Sucipto International Airport Terminal B.