Germany: the story begins

September 29, 2013

 

It is 09:52 in the morning in Kuala Lumpur, but it is only 03:52 in Germany. We are 10 hours into the flight, with slightly over 2 more hours to go. I am currently over Ukraine, and outside the window, the world is still dark. A steady light illuminates the wingtip, but not enough to light up the world. I can see patches of concentrated lights, patches of civilization spread across the land. Above, equally dark, is a sea of stars. Up here, where there is no light pollution, I can easily make out the pattern that makes up Ursa Major. I cannot see Polaris, the North Star, but I know it is out there somewhere.

There is a band just beyond the Eastern horizon. If you paint a swath of black using watercolor, and then swipe a line of white paint-tinged water, you will seee a band of lightness slowly spreading. That is what I am seeing right at this moment. We are traveling away from the sun, but even at over 800kmph, we cannot outrun it.

I look out the window again, and I imagine that the people who occupy the small patches of light must be sleeping right now. It is not yet time to wake up, to face what the coming day has to offer. I wonder how these people look like, almost a quarter world away from home. I wonder what my family and loved ones are doing at home. Are they still sleeping, as it is a lazy Sunday?

Most of the passengers in this flight are sleeping. There are those who are walking about, stretching their legs. There are those who are watching movies on their personal screens. And there are those like me, chronicling their first solo Europe trip.

I wish you could be here with me. I wish you could see the dark world with patches of light on the land and in the sky, with the promise of sunrise just beyond the horizon.

I know this is a poor substitute, but it would be great if we could be connected through time and space through these entries.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Comments

[Breanna Teintze]

Sigh. Love it. Just...love it. :)