On my way to C:F Summit 2013

From my very first experience traveling alone to Slovenia, on my way to CF: Summit 2013.

Part 1 : Miracle happens from the very beginning.

As I write this blog post now I am sitting in the food court, somewhere in Ataturk airport, Istanbul, Turkey, without Internet access.   Earlier this day at Soekarno Hatta airport, I wondered how my journey will look like. What if I get lost? What if the suitcase never reaches my destination? What if I can’t get a seat by the window? Will I miss my chance to see the cloud above Slovenia? I am worrying about all those tiny little thing.

Yet miracle happens from the very beginning. Earlier this day  (18/09/13) I went to the check-in desk and asking for any seat by the window, at the beginning they said, they don’t have any, but suddenly another guy came and give me a seat that I wanted. It turns out the person who sits next to me at this 14 hour flight from Jakarta to Istanbul change her team members sitting arrangement, just a moment before I came in.(^o^)/ horraaayyy!

The other fun things that happen is that later on, I spent half of my journey talking with this lady next to me. She’s an adventurer to, love to go on an unpredictable trip, and she works in a ceramic factory and now going to set up a stall for her company at a ceramic expo in Bologna, Italy. One other special thing about her is she have a 2 years old kid. So I’m looking forward to send any of my toy to her.

So this thing that supposed to be 14 hours of boring flight, turns out to be 14 hours of lively talks and discussion with delicious meal and beautiful light below, and another unknown opportunity awaits at the end of journey.

Part 2 : A lesson to learn, always check before departure.

I am somewhat a fool for not checking about this Ataturk Airport in Istanbul before my departure, as I assume that a big airport supposed to have free wi-fi internet access, just like in Soekarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta and Changi Airport, Singapore, my transit place last night.

What I not oversee is that even though this airport have wi-fi internet access, it is not free. I have to register and pay using a credit card, which is unfortunately I never had. It’s not a common thing for a 22 y.o. Indonesian youth to have credit card, unless, his/ her family is quite wealthy.   Luckily, my charger connects perfectly with the plug, as they use European standard plug, the one that is also used at my home country. So I still have a chance to record what I see and what I feel here, and type it down using my laptop.

Being on my first trip alone halfway across the world, I am quite overwhelmed. Seeing a sea of people with different skin color different hair color, speak another language, bringing different kind of suitcase, backpack, gadgets. But they all come here for one same reason, to depart.

All these people, wearing different kind of suits, yet they all have one thing in common, they only stayed here for a while. Although a while seems more relative, instead of absolute, as my  ‘a while’ will be 4 to 6 hours.

So lets go, looking around.

Part 3: I don’t know what to do in this airport.

With no one to talk, this 6 hour of transit thingy feel like forever.  With a little amount of pocket money, I want to bought something for my growling stomach. Yet, being in Turkey for the first time, I have no idea how the food will taste. Should I just waited for my in-flight meal?

Five minute…

Thirty minutes…

Two Hour…

WHAMM!

My Stomach can’t take it anymore.

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So I settled for a Turkish Coffee and Kolem Börek Kiymali (a special pastry with minced meat)

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