Where am I? Glancing around, I could be anywhere. The man next to me speaks a language I’ve never heard…and that lady, what is she wearing? The vivid colors and printed animals on her dress dance off the fabric. The sights around me tell stories entirely of their own, yet seem to fit together like the various countries on a map.

The warm smell of coffee diverts my attention towards a tall, slender man. Hastily, he moves across the space. In one hand, he carries his coffee and in the other, rests the handle of a small suitcase. His movements are elegant and precise, clearly he has done this before.

“Now boarding flight 26 for New York.” A voice over the intercom drags me back to reality.
The man who spoke the unknown language and the woman in the exotic dress make their way towards the boarding gate. Pilots and flight attendants scurry through crowds of people retrieving a snack or coffee before their next flight.

In this chaos, I find comfort. Many label airports stressful and agonizing, but to me they are what I call home at least a dozen times a year.

As the final passengers board, new ones arrive from a different gate. People with tanned skin flood into the terminal…it’s evident they are not from here. Complaints of the cold weather pour from the newly arrived. Ironically, this is the warmest it’s been in Milwaukee for weeks. But to them, it’s unbearable.

The atmosphere is satisfying. These people illustrate religions and cultures. Sitting in this terminal, I realize I have been almost everywhere without going anywhere. My respect for diverse cultures grows each time I find myself in another terminal.

“Now boarding flight 371 for Denver,” announces the gentle voice over the intercom.
I gather my belongings and head towards the gate. While taking in everything around me one last time, I prepare myself to leave. For in a few short hours from now, I will enter another where new fabrics and cultures await.