Still on this side of the ocean

As everybody knows a flight from Minsk is not cheap at all so as before I bought a train ticket to Moscow and hit the road from my hometown saying goodbye to Mommy. By the way she very bravely held on until the very last moment for which I thank a lot. She began to worry out loud only on the last day. It’s good that she was so strong with me otherwise I could be scared myself if I heard her constantly whining and horror for a month or a week before departure. My personal fear was enough.

So I’m lying on the bottom shelf in the train and I can’t fall asleep. In addition I have a headache either from the noise of railway wheels, or from endless thoughts: what to do if I don’t have enough money, and what if I get robbed, I don’t want to take my bag into the luggage, are Panamanians good, but whether they will trick me on the very first day, etc. etc.

However I continued to move forward :)

The morning of the next day (May 23) caught me on the same train. Then one station followed by the second. I remembered that for the last time I also flew from Domodedovo. Checked in for the flight and received a traveler’s card from Lufthansa (Lufthansa) — you can earn miles from flights with it. “Great sign!” I thought. But the bag still had to be taken in the luggage :(

Later I even had time to go to the shower. In my opinion that is the best of the services offered by the airport. Oh how I will miss you, my favorite hot water!

While I was waiting for departure I met a guy from Dagestan. He was interesting and kind not like most of their breed. He also noted that Belarusians are good but “Ukrainians are not”. Everybody has his opinion about other nations :D

One more Caucasian tried to make contact with me. But unlike the previous one this one was very arrogant and pesky. Fortunately after finding out I am not from Moscow his desire to get acquainted with me disappeared sharply :D

Boarding the plane was the most common however it was raining very seriously and we did not take off for a long time. During this time I already stopped to worry and draw completely unpleasant pictures in my too vivid imagination. But when we were in the air — OMG — we went up above the clouds and there is the sun, a clear blue sky and all one big peace of mind. I immediately understood why I had started all this and felt an incredible surge of strength :)

By the way Lufthansa justified its reputation — everything was at the top level. They even brought me a special lunch (I ordered a low-calorie meal when booking a ticket). Nice to feel special :)

Approaching the German airport in Frankfurt am Main I noticed that all the streets, buildings and even the land itself with forests and fields are very clearly defined in squares. Everything seems to be done under the line. What can I say? That is the Germans!

After leaving the plane I realized I don't know what to do next. Everybody went somewhere but I did not know where I have to go. By some miracle I found a map of the airport and my Gates. As it turned out they could be reached by train. Train! At the airport! By train at the airport! This moment I realized that the world around me expanded significantly and I know absolutely nothing about it :D

For some reason, no one except me was going to those gates. And I, completely alone in the whole train car (at the airport!), went to the other end of this mini-city, hoping that I was going the right way in every sense of the word.

When the check-in began, I first saw the South Americans. They were dark-skinned and small in stature. All are so interesting and very unusual for me. Probably, all the time while this huge line was checking in, I had the look of a frightened squirrel with bulging eyes and an open mouth. :D

I would also like to point out some quite racist approaches to travelers on the part of the airline staff. If a European was checking-in, they had not inspected them, always smiled, invited to skip the line, and were generally more friendly. But when some indigenous guy had been checking in, they would thoroughly inspect him and be extremely serious and downright unfriendly. I was astonished by this difference. I didn’t know then that racism is one of the hot topics in South America.

In addition, I noticed humility on the part of the South Americans themselves. They had not at all shown a sense of dignity when they talked with the whites; on the contrary: it was more like a conversation between servants and masters. Probably, this is all due to the colonization of their countries by Europeans. But I was still stunned; I really thought that the indigenous population would hate their former invaders instead (and, accordingly, treat me with hostility). But everything turned out to be exactly the opposite. Whites in South America are practically idolized.

Just like that, another reason people need to travel was discovered: only this way can a person really know the world!

During the flight, I met Philip, the first real indigenous Peruvian in my life, who studied and worked in Germany and was now flying home for vacation. He spoke German, and I spoke English, but we still found a way to communicate. By the way, while traveling, you very quickly learn to talk with your hands and gestures :)

We had a technical landing in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We had left the plane and hung out at the airport for an hour. All the walls had bird paintings all over them. It looked like there was wonderful nature. A notable moment had happened - I encouraged Philip to make a bold (by his standards) move. The thing is that when he got off the plane, he left his favorite book on the seat, and during airport time, a special team comes in to clean the cabin, so most likely, his reading would have been thrown out like garbage, which is why I practically made him get back on the plane and pick up his most precious book. At first, he did not want to, as if he was shy or afraid, but he returned and saved it from inevitable death under my pressure. Philip was very proud of his act. Such a weirdo :D

When we arrived in Panama City, our paths parted — he proceeded to the next plane to Peru, and I was already on the way out. Finally! But not as fast as I would like. As always, the duty border guard was trying to figure out what is this country — Belarus for a while. It also took quite a lot of time for her to find out whether Belarusians needed a visa or not. Then, even longer, she was trying to explain what I needed to do to pass the border control. I was utterly surprised that the staff of the Tocumen INTERNATIONAL Airport DIDN’T SPEAK ENGLISH. If I had known this in advance, I would undoubtedly have learned Spanish and not have flown in knowing only the first international language. That's why for a long time, I could not understand what she wanted from me. It turned out, all I had to do was make a thumb fingerprint :D

When I was picking up my luggage, the local loader guys immediately offered themselves as boyfriends — it seemed to be the only word they knew in English :D

And then, exiting and making first steps on the Panamanian land, I felt like I’d got punched in the face — it was hellishly hot air, even though it had not even dawned yet.

A few minutes later, I was rushing in a taxi towards the booked hotel, watching how people commuted to work: some in cars, and some in crowded buses. My delight knew no bounds.

It started!