Flight MH 129, scheduled time 19:15, delay 2.5 hours

If, for once, I have 4-5 hours in my currently incredible 'busy life', I like to spend them at the airport, specifically in the arrival hall of international flights. For those who might think I'm joking, yes, my life is currently really laid-back after all the grape picking. However, what I truly love is watching people who haven't seen each other for a long time meet again. There are plenty of big hugs, flowers, rolling tears, and even passionate kisses.

Approximately every 10 seconds, someone jumps up from their seat after seeing their loved one on the huge flat-screen above the big white sliding door. You can feel the nervousness, the excited feeling in the stomach, and that blissful anticipation. And then they stand there at the exit, grinning like a bunch of Cheshire cats.

By the way, at this time, I am sitting in Melbourne, waiting for my loved one. Yes, after three agonizing weeks, he finally returns to Down Under. (I spent last week in the cool city to meet friends, while he was in Good Old Germany.)

For me, an arrival hall is one of the happiest places on Earth. I am observing a group of about 30 African men and women who have welcomed a son with loud singing and dancing. Everyone is watching joyfully. I get goosebumps. I would love to have such a wonderful welcome, too. ☝🏼

Furthermore, the reason why it is one of the most beautiful places for me personally is because I can combine three of my favorite activities. I can do everything at the same time. Can it get any better? Watching people, writing with music in my ears (currently: lovesick), and... of course, eating!

What would be my favorite place without my favorite snack? Nestled between my backpack, tote bag, and wool sweater, I munch on seasalt chips, camembert, and enjoy a mango-orange squeezy. It's not just that this is my favorite snack because I like the taste, but it's more about the reaction on the faces of the people around me, which I find quite funny when I take a bite of the whole piece of cheese.

My heart skips a beat. Leo's flight is on the board. And suddenly, I am one of them. Right in the middle. I feel like a nervous little bird.

It's all about self-control. 2.5 hours of delay are like torture. Normally, his plane would have landed 5 minutes ago. I wait, and time passes by at a snail's pace. It feels like an annoying person blowing into a trumpet right next to your ear and not wanting to stop. Dear inventors and creators, how about the topic of 'teleportation'?

..Love is in the air.