“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen?”
On November 13, 2014, I sat by a guy who kept his head down on his backpack almost the entire flight from Istanbul to Lviv, Ukraine.
When we were on final descent, he asked me if I was a student, which prompted a short conversation.
Albert Alexis Annan had a thick accent. The 17 year old Ghanaian was flying for the first time and had just left his home. He had just graduated from Central University College in Ghana and was beginning his college career in Ukraine. The name of his school is Lviv National Medical University, and he was aiming to become a doctor.
Good for him, I’m sure Ghana could use doctors over businessmen.
Albert felt a bit insecure, saying that he noticed he was the only black kid in the airplane. I let him know that I was the only Asian in the plane and didn’t mind, and that the world was a big place with diverse people. Folks are always interested in meeting different types of people, and I’m sure he’ll be okay.
Albert has been met, but I wonder… how many people have I looked at all my life and never seen?
Andy Cheng 