Late August 18 years ago I found myself alone in Heathrow’s terminal 4. I was 18, it had been a great year so far, Arsenal had won the double for the first time in 25 years, I won 50 quid on France winning the World Cup, I’d finished school and was about to got to Australia to live and work and learn about life. But I found myself feeling lonely and a little bit scared, or perhaps apprehensive would be better. To put those feelings to the back of head I used the public pay phone in the departure lounge to call the only person I knew who was guaranteed to pick up, and that was because they were the only I person I knew who owned a mobile phone. Rob O’Reilly. He answered, he was playing James Bond on the Nintendo 64. He wasn’t hugely interested in my chat about feeling lonely. And I only had about 50p for the pay phone anyway. It was a short chat.
Today I am again sitting Heathrow’s terminal 4 awaiting a flight to Kathmandu, there are no phone boxes, I’m charging my very own mobile phone and writing this on my wifi connected lap top – I didn’t even own a computer that time I was here! Its also been a good year, Arsenal haven’t won anything, but team GB have done well at the Olympics, Oliver is starting school and Minty Films seems to be motoring along quite nicely. But I do feel a bit lonely and apprehensive. Lonely because I’ve left behind my family, which I’m feeling terrible about. Oliver has given me one of his cuddly toys, so security have scanned “Carrot Bunny” and took a second glance at my Tupperware box of breadsticks which were lovingly snuck into my bag by the 4 year old.
And apprehensive because I’m going to meet some desperately poor children, surviving conditions Oliver could not even imagine. And that of course that is the point of the trip. Not to educate Oliver specifically, but to make a film that highlights some of the issues facing those in deepest poverty.
People have wished me a good trip and told me to have fun. I don’t know that being away from your family (which makes you feel pretty bad) and then being immersed with those living in the most shocking of conditions is going to either be “fun” or “good”. But its an important trip, and similar to that trip 18 years ago, its one I never thought I’d do.
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