Flying home… Reflecting up in the sky

I usually have mixed emotions about flying home.

When the stresses of packing, rushing to arrive at the airport on time, weighing my suitcase (and almost always having to remove something or reorganise), passing through security (if it’s not an issue with my liquids or forgetting to remove my belt, there’s just got to be something!); It’s a relief to find my seat onboard the aircraft, buckle up and… ~~relax~~ reflect.

I’m flying home…

Leaving behind a country, place, people, and connections made. Memories created.

As the plane accelerates into the air, I move further away from the travel experience I’ve made…

How do I feel about it?

On this occasion, after spending my summer in the Dominican Republic and Haiti (and squeezing in a quick trip to Puerto Rico), I was surprisingly eager to catch my flight out! The novelty of the luxury of Punta Cana wore off on the second day of staying in an all-inclusive hotel when I landed first in Dominican Republic. Now on my return, I found a hostel for a night, seeing a different side of Punta Cana I hadn’t seen from the security of the gated resort which lures holiday-makers away from the local experience.

I’m a travel-maker, not a holiday-maker.

Anxious for the local experience, which thankfully I got from the moment I left the resort and continued onto Santo Domingo. Despite this change of perspective by staying in a hostel, I had no emotional attachment to the holiday resort town (except that the friendship with my Puertoriqueña Vivi started on the dance floor of the resort discotheque!) as I did to places like Port-au-Prince, San Juan or even Santo Domingo. Perhaps this dis-attachment to the first and last stop of my trip- Punta Cana, influenced the ease in which I was able to carry my suitcase down the steps from the fourth floor of Bavaro Hostel, and leave without a single wish to stay longer.

As the British Airways craft floated high up in the sky, the seatbelt sign went off and I was able to turn on my phone and capture the sun setting in the distance. A spectacular view which captured a beautiful ending to my journey. One that saw me give freely, take whole-heartedly, love agape, live the right moment, learn from the best, explore a different path, dance to each beat, laugh out louder and create cosmic connections.

Now I start to relax…

Up in the sky… The high…

I’m going home. Back to reality. Unsure of what’s awaiting me. Hoping for a smooth landing… Avoiding the lows.

I’m home.