Waking up from a night of restlessness due to a combined mixture of excitement and anxiety, I quickly checked my clock to make sure I was on track to meet Alloysius Attah. The Co-founder of Farmerline and I were to meet exactly at six am so we could travel to Accra where he was to speak at TedxAccra. Fortunately, I was.
After going through my morning routine, I met Alloysius (on time) and we took a taxi to the Kumasi Airport. We then checked in at 6:45 am with the Fly 540 flight to Accra. We took a seat in the departure lounge to watch the morning news (on one of the many huge LCD screens around us) as the plane was scheduled to take off at 8:15 am. The lounge gradually filled up, as people of varying nationalities came to check in for their respective flights.
Not too long afterwards, Pierre Brunache Jr. (the Co-founder of mFriday) arrived in his plush blue suit (looking all fly like a college student) with a backpack slung over one arm and the other pulling a small luggage. He arrived together with Nii Okai Quaye(the Lead Trainer at mFriday). After exchanging pleasantaries, I realized we were all booked on the same flight and will be travelling together. At the check in post, Pierre gave me some valuable advice (since I was a newbie to flying). “Always tip at the check-in post. Always!” He probably realized I needed some sort of explanation while we took out our phones and laptops so we could go through the metal detector. He explained that such a little act of appreciation could open doors for you in desperate times like getting you a seat in a “fully booked” airplane.
We thus proceeded to the boarding room and at 8:00 am proceeded onto the tarmac where the plane was waiting to be boarded. Only stopping for a short moment to take pictures on the tarmac, we boarded the plane and were welcomed and directed to our seats by the fly 540 air hostesses who had beautiful smiles on their faces. I was very excited when I realized I had a seat next to a window (it being my first time and all.lol) and also had Mr. Attah seated beside me in case of any emotional support (I’m not saying I was scared or anything!). I paid maximum attention as the hospitable airhostess by name of Dorothy took us through a brief set of instructions and safety tips for the short flight and then introduced us to our pilot for the trip. Soon enough we were asked to fasten our seatbelts and then the plane taxied for a bit, turned around and shot off at an incredible speed.
Just as the speed became frightening enough, the nose of the plane pointed towards the sky and the whole plane begun to lift off the ground and into the sky. As soon as the plane was in the air, the ride got all smooth and comfortable. I must say that at this point, relief then swept over me. Flying at 11,000 feet for the first time in my life (like I’ve even flown 10 ft off the ground before), I begun to appreciate two things in my life: my Christian upbringing and my physics education.
The close-up of the clouds and the way they were suspended together with the view of the vegetation and civilization way below the clouds culminated in a very beautiful picture of the good Lord’s awesome power and creativity. Like a child with a new toy, I took out my phone and took some pictures of the view. For the game enthusiasts who have played games like Age of Empires, Red Alert and Commandos, the view of the sea (at that point we were close to Accra) with ships scattered all around will bring up memories of those late nights behind the pc and game consoles. Back in the plane I was made to appreciate the ever present laws of physics like inertia, gravity and pressure for 35 minutes as we were treated to a light snack and a Charlie Chaplin show. Did you know his real name was Sir Charles Spencer and was knighted at age 85? Unbelievable, right?
In less than no time, we were informed by the pilot over the intercom that we were in Accra and were to fasten our seatbelts for landing. We cruised to a smooth landing at the Kotoka International Airport and we finally came to a stop. As we walked to the luggage area to get our bags, I still could not believe I had travelled from Kumasi to Accra in 35 minutes, YES 35 MINUTES! I was even half expecting to turn a corner and see the KNUST campus with someone yelling “You’ve been punked!”. I suppose that is the power of technology and I guess that is how people feel when they use applications developed by mFriday members.
-
Pierre
