English Coursework
Autobiographical Extract
The day had finally come. This would be a turning point in my life. No longer would I be confined to North America for vacations. This was the first of many other firsts in my life; first overnight flight, first journey to Europe, first unknown language, and much more. I had never been to Holland before, let alone anywhere farther east than St. George. It was a new experience and I vowed to embrace and enjoy every minute of it.
August 15 2006, the day of truth. At 6o’clock sharp I arrived at the Bermuda International Airport, ready for whatever was to come my way. I approached the sliding doors, just like I had dreamed, except there was no crowd on the other side, just my teammates and their parents. Dragging my two bags through the doorway, everyone noticed me mostly because my wheels buzzed against the floor. The corner holding the rest of my team erupted in laughter as I walked towards the others quickly. At that precise moment, another one of my friends entered looking as he always does; a cross between an alien and a spider monkey. We sat for quite a long time in that corner; everyone was early because no one wanted to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime. We went through the routine; baggage check, waiting room, passport check, and onto the plane for the 7.5 hour flight from Bermuda – Gatwick, the longest flight I’d ever been on. Amazed at the in-flight movies (also a first for me) I watched them for the majority of the flight; until the food (another first). I had salmon. It hardly appeared to be salmon. It was covered in what looked like a sea of cream of broccoli with spinach on the side. The snacks looked much more edible, TWIX™, and water. After dinner it was off to sleep in moderately harsh conditions. Confined to coach with no leg space I felt like a hen in a full hen house.
