I sat beside my dad trembling as the plane shook vigorously for what felt like an eternity but was only a few minutes. It did not help that the flight attendants were also terrified. I kept thinking that if the professionals were this scared, we must really be in trouble. I had heard various news of plane crashes, but I did not think much of the news at the time. Funny how the things that we often overlook come back to haunt us. Suddenly, I was staring at myself screaming from the window of a plane engulfed in flames. 

I thought back to the day my dad called and announced that he got an offer from his company to visit Thailand with one family member. I had never flown before, so I was excited upon hearing the news. As soon as my dad got home, he asked me if I wanted to share a trip with him while we were having dinner.  I immediately replied that I wanted to be on a flight so bad. He smiled at me and agreed. 

The night before the anticipated day, I could not even sleep because I was so jittery with excitement. 

I woke up at the crack of dawn that fateful morning, in the best mood to the most beautiful day I had ever lived. Like a crescendo, it was as if the other days had been building up to this day. The sun was shining brighter than other days and birds were singing more melodiously. We got ready and after waving goodbye to my family members, we left for the airport. After checking in, we were told to wait at our gate befoe boarding, after which we were called to board the plane and we found our seats.

After some time, a flight attendant announced that the plane was about to take off. Right at that time, my heart started pounding and my legs trembling. Still, I was enjoying my first flight and animatedly asking my dad a billion questions. Then suddenly I heard a loud, distinct sound and I felt weightless—I realized I was flying for the first time. The trembling in my legs calmed down and I was finally enjoying the scenic beauty of Nepal from the sky. After about 30 minutes, I drifted into sleep. 

When I woke up, I was gripped with terror and grabbed my dad’s hand very tightly. The weather had suddenly gotten worse, and it had started raining heavily. Because of the storm, we could barely see out our windows and the entire plane was trembling like a leaf. The flight attendants were desperately trying to calm the passengers down while doing their best to figure out what was going on. But all the passengers, like me, were very petrified and confused. 

Even though the crew members were finally able to calm us all down till we landed safely in Thailand, that trip remained the most memorable trip I have ever been on.