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Ryan McCrerey
Mr. Mojena
ENC 1101

First Flight

It had been a long anticipated trip, one in which months of planning went into. For months my
family had been planning a family reunion at my uncles gargantuan house on Lake Norman,
North Carolina. In my 12 years of existence I had felt like I had lived and experienced life on
Earth for eons, although I was yet to have flown on a plane.
One day In March of 2009 my parents told me of the plans for the Family Reunion and asked
me if I wanted to go. At first hesitant, they knew exactly what to say to convince me to go on
the trip with them, Ryan, youll get to go on a plane. This was all that needed to be said to
convince me that giving up a week of my summer in July was worth going on the trip. Instantly I
told my parents Yes, and that I couldnt wait to go to the family reunion. This was it; this was
the moment I had been waiting for, for so long. No longer would I have to respond, No, when
asked if I had flown on a plane before.
The months leading up to the trip seemed to last an eternity. Every day Id think to myself, Im
one day closer to finally flying on an airplane. As the days passed, eventually the night came

before we disembarked to North Carolina. During that night it was nothing but hustle and
bustle. My mom was in the living room talking to relatives on the phone. My father was double
checking the bags, making sure everything was packed and that each bag weighed less than 50
pounds. I could instantly tell, this was no car ride.
As the night proceeded and my parents took to bed, I didnt get one minute of sleep the whole
night. Although I retired to my bed rather early, excitement had taken over my whole body. I
was there, lying in my bed, shaking violently as if I was having seizure when in fact I was
completely over taken with excitement. Soon morning came and before I knew it we were on
the road to the airport. I remember sitting in the back seat of the car with my brand new Ipod
Nano playing Viva La Vida by Coldplay. Viva La Vida had been my favorite song at the time and
the day before my mother helped me put Coldplays album on my Ipod.
Soon we had arrived to the airport and I remember from the second I got out of the car till the
second I stepped onto the plane, my excitement kept building up. Although in reality we had
moving rather slow, everything seemed to be going so fast. People were going in all sorts of
directions; people from all over the world were going to foreign countries which at the time
seemed unfathomably far. I walked in amazement as I saw coffee shops and stores all
throughout the airport. You could get anything you needed in there!
Soon we arrived at what my parents called the gate. There were black leather seats in rows
going in all sorts of directions with people seated on them. On these seats every kind of person
was seated on them. As we found our seats on what to me seemed as thrones, my mother
asked me if I wanted to get a coffee at StarBucks. Instantly I said yes, beaming with excitement.

This wasnt going to be just a normal coffee; this was going to be my first airport coffee,
something which in years to come would always be a tradition.
Soon it was time to board the plane. As I entered this miracle of flight I remember thinking
This is it, this is what Ive been waiting for. As we took our seats I had been under the
impression the plane would be ready to leaveLittle did I know that once you board the plane,
there are many things which have to be finalized, and generally about half an hour to an hour
wait until the plane takes off. I sat in my chair for what seemed like an eternity. Occasionally, I
would look out the window to see that we were yet to move.
I put in my ear buds and resumed listening to Coldplay, and after what felt like years, I felt the
plane slowly start to lurch forward. I looked out the window and saw the view outside moving
and knew the moment I had been waiting for was coming up. After we had been slowly lolling
up to the runway for what seemed like forever, I remember feeling a sense of disappointment.
What were we waiting for? Why hadnt we taken off yet?
It had been quite an 18 years, for the past 15 years I had gone from pre-school through highschool and now I was embarking on life. It was time for college. The week leading up to college I
remember the never ending curiousness of what was to come. Was it anticipation, anxiety, or a
mix of both?
My family was starting to act different. Whenever my mom saw me, shed give me a giant hug
and would cling to me for a few seconds. My step father would create more conversation with
me and my grandparents would try and spend every moment with me that they could.

This was it; this was the moment that I had been waiting for. As the final days came of me being
at home, it slowly started to sink in. No longer would I have my mother to cook me meals and
do my laundry. No longer would I be able to go to my grandmothers house and eat her famous
cinnamon rolls that melted in your mouth and instantly gave you a sense of euphoria. I was
going to be on my own, and I would be responsible for my own well-being as well as getting my
work done. Friends made good bye cards and I realized this was the beginning of a new chapter
in life. What I had worked so hard for was finally going to come into fruition.
Soon my final night in Clearwater had arrived. My family and I went out for one last family meal
at our local pizzeria I had been to countless times. As each second passed my excitement grew,
along with some anxiety. We talked about my life and memories Ive had, as well memories my
family has had with me. Finally it was time to go home, it wasnt good bye yet for everyone in
my family was driving up with me, yet it was goodbye.
That night as I slept in my bed I started to shake again, as I so often did before something
exciting was going to happen. I thought to myself, Tomorrow night, Ill be in my college dorm
sleeping, and with this thought in mind, I ironically didnt get any sleep at all.
All I would hear people talk about was Greek life and this fraternity and that sorority. I was in a
state of confusion as to how something considered as extra-curricular completely encompassed
some peoples lives. I had friends in both fraternities and sororities and they told me over and
over to, Rush. Rush? What even was Rush? I pondered this concept of Rushing. Going
house to house trying to meet and talk to as many people as possible. Then if that wasnt

confusing enough, there were tiers, echelons of brotherhoods and sisterhoods that dominated
Greek life, groups everyone it seemed wanted to be a part of.
After some convincing I signed up for Rush. I was nervous from that moment forward. All I
seemed to get asked was where I was rushing or what houses I had been interested in. Already
Greek life was becoming a huge part of my life, and I wasnt even part of it yet. As the days
came closer and closer to the day Id be going house to house, trying to sell myself like an
advertisement, I felt the anxiety I had felt so many times before. My stomach turned, my palms
were always sweaty and I felt the sense of pressure.
As the night approached before the first day of Rush, I cleared my mind, I was either going to
get into the fraternities I wanted to or not, there was no more preparation to do at this point
and it was time for the cards to be played. That night as countless nights before, I didnt get a
second of sleep, as my reality was going to change for years to come. I felt that childlike
excitement once more and remembered how beautiful it is to feel human emotion.