9500 Kilometers - (1) The Decision

It was an ordinary Friday evening in January. I was scrolling through Instagram while waiting for my pizza in the oven. Suddenly, I saw a new story from Luna, my friend from Brazil. It was a beach photo with palm trees in the background and the caption “34°C” along with a “too hot” sticker. Because of the time difference, it was afternoon for her, and as usual, the sky was radiant blue.

I quickly took a screenshot of my weather app and sent it to her. Rain, sleet, and more rain, with temperatures between 4 and 6 degrees. She replied right away: “OMG Babyboo, come to me!!” I couldn’t help but smile. There was nothing I wanted more at that moment than to escape the cold winter, walk barefoot with her in the warm sand, play volleyball, or eat so much ice cream that we’d get stomachaches.

But how could that ever become a reality? Over 9,500 kilometers separated us. I kept going back and forth, thinking of all the reasons why it wouldn't work, but also imagining how beautiful it would be. Since I had the next two weeks off anyway and hadn’t planned anything special, I could actually make it happen.

I had never flown alone before, so I simply googled flights to Rio. To my surprise, there was still a cheap offer for early Monday morning, though I’d have to travel to Frankfurt first. My hands grew damp with excitement, but I did it, I booked a direct flight with Lufthansa and the return flight for ten days later.

I had to take a deep breath. But okay, there was no option to cancel, which meant I had two days to pack, plan the train connection to the airport, and, of course, barely sleep due to the excitement. Would everything work out? And most importantly, what would it be like to meet Luna for the first time?