This time last year, I was attending a music school in New Zealand.
    Within the seven months that I was gone, I met some amazing people and did some memorable things. From day one, the trip in all its entirety, was one giant adventure.
    In New Zealand when a plane lands it doesn’t pull up to a terminal. You get to walk down the plane’s actual stairs! If you don’t quite understand what I mean when I say that, just imagine some famous person walking down the stairs of their luxurious private jet.
    As exciting as this was for me, since it had been on my bucket list since forever, I’m sad to say I didn’t exactly emerge from the plane as gracefully as I had hoped to.
    In my head I was going to glide down the stairs oozing charisma and grace with every hair in place. It was going to be so beautiful, everyone would turn to admire my exquisitely entrancing entrance.
    There were a lot of people in front of me and I impatiently waited, ready to get my first look at this foreign new world.
    My excitement only grew as I got closer and closer to the exit. The smell of grass, the ocean and freedom was emanating from this beacon of light located under the exit sign.
    After 24 hours of traveling I was ready to properly stretch my legs out, and feel the solid ground under my swollen feet.
    After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, it was finally my turn to get off the plane. I had been looking forward to this moment for two whole years and it was finally one step away.
    I took an obnoxiously loud deep breath that caused some of my fellow passengers to look at me funny, tightened my backpack straps and took the plunge.
    Fresh air replaced the stench of the sweaty guy sitting next to me who chose the spicy Mexican food for dinner on a 14 hour flight and my face was hit with a cool refreshing breeze from the ocean that was 25 feet away. It felt like I was flying as I took that step.
    Unfortunately, the feeling of flying quickly turned into a feeling of falling. I was jolted out of my reverie as my face rammed into sweaty guy’s back.
    Somehow, my foot had gotten caught in the little crevice between the airplane and the stairs, and I fell. That tiny tiny crevice is barely even an inch wide!!
    Because gravity never seems to take a vacation, my fall had seismic repercussions. I had caused a domino effect and 20 some people were jolted forward. Everyone turned to see what had caused the disruption, and I just stood there with my hands up helplessly with a horrified look on my face.
 

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