The first time I ever flown I had to face my first weird situation. I think after this, anything that could happen was just one more story to tell.
I went to the UK, to be a chaperone to a younger girl that wasn’t allowed to travel abroad by herself. So you can imagine, that one of the main things on my mind was to keep her safe.
There was no direct flights to get to there, so we had to go trough Heatrow. On the way there, there was no issues – besides the fact that I discovered that I hate to fly. But coming back, let me tell you, that was an adventure in itself. Also, please dont forget that this was less than a year after 9/11.
So, after 3 weeks in Durham, imagine 2 young girls – 13 and 19 years old – entering a plane to London to catch the flight to Faro in Heatrow.
First of all, the main thing on my mind, was the dinner that we were about to have back home. We spent 3 weeks there being mostly vegetarian , and let me tell you, I don’t think I will ever be able to go totally meat\fish free.
But coming back to the the flight back to Portugal. From Newcastle to London there was absolutly no problem.
But then we got to Heatrow and had to go to trough security again, and please bear in mind, that this was just after 9/11, so, although we went trough security in Newcastle we had to do it again in London.
Once again imagine, 2 young girls, going trough security, and while the bag was going trough x ray, the security guys were calling each other, to check something on my bag.
And then they called me of the line.
Even then I was already someone who created a million movies in my head. And also with the girl I was supposed to chaperone. My anxiety was going trough the rough – and no, I didn’t had anything weird in my bag, or so I though.
As soon as I got to the place they told me to, I had to wait for a couple minutes – or was it hours? – and here I was, waiting for someone, with no idea of why I was there, or whom I was expecting. And I see 2 guys coming in my direction.
For this story to make sense to anyone reading it, I need to try to describe it for the best of my abilities.
So first of all, you need to imagine me, I’m 1,8m height, but at that time my weight was around 50kg. Nowadays when I look to some pictures from that time it almost seems that I was anorethic, for how slim I was.
And here I was seeing two guys coming in my direction, both of them way taller than me, super buffy, and – this was what put my anxiety trough the rouf – a machine gun in their hands.
I didnt know what to say or to think.
With them there, they finally asked me to open my bag to search it. Also note that my english was still very rough. While searching it, they found what they were looking for. A small magnet witch that I had bought as a souvenir to my mum. In which – and I hadnt noticed this untill they oppened it – well I had been trought security in Newcastle and no one saw it either – the hat was also a butter knife, one of those that is smaller than a kids finger.
But that small knife – if we can even call that a knife – was enough to call those big guys that scared me to shit.
After understanding why all that confusion, I almost cried to be able to bring that home. They wanted to trow it away, but it was the only souvenir that I had bought to my mom.
I did ended up bringing it home, well I brought the witch, not the witch hat.