Jennifer Carroll is a 21 year old actor and writer. She first began writing for the Uxbridge Cosmos in 2007 when she had the opportunity to share her experiences as a Canadian ambassador for an international conference for women in Dubai. At the beginning of 2008, she moved to Ireland to pursue a career in theatre and film. Far From Home is her monthly account on living and working in Dublin.
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Time travel
I have discovered a time machine.
It's a surprisingly large container, mostly metal, though the transportation capsules themselves are surprisingly comfortable. Once a destination is selected, the passengers have to do very little. They undergo various screenings, and once strapped securely into the vessel, they sit and wait. The containers can sometimes be slightly unsteady due to the nature of the expedition, so those nervous by nature may find the transition journey stressful. However, arrivals are normally smooth enough, and once you arrive you are free to begin acclimation.
Many companies operate these time machines. I contracted one of these companies recently for transport. Their name is Air France/KLM. I highly recommend them.
My transition was booked hideously early in the morning. I was in the departing terminal in those early morning hours, the ones still inky black before the sun is brave enough to show its face. I waited restlessly for the operators to prepare my container. Once I stepped into the metal transportation capsule, I was surprised with its comfortable and detailed interiors. I nestled into my prescribed pod, and an official passed by to ensure I was secured sufficiently. As this remarkable time machine rumbled and hummed to life, my limbs tingled in anticipation. We were soon swept forward into the cold air, and took off. My journey was mostly peaceful, and upon arrival, the officials took us through standard acclimation protocol. I believe the official term is 'customs'.
As I stepped off this remarkable vessel, I realized that I had indeed travelled through time. I had travelled to a slower time, a hotter, stickier, subtler time. My cavalier was waiting for me, having sufficiently acclimated weeks before. He told me this remarkable place in time was called 'Brazil' and I marveled at the warm, glowing night air as I stepped out among the locals. Very few understood my language, but I suppose that is a hazard of time travel, the inherent foreign nature of the whole thing. It didn't much matter, anyway. I was in love with the place.
This time I had transported to, it was so marvelously different than the cold island I had left just hours before. I had traveled to a slow, luxurious time. I am positive there is no place quite like it. The days are bright, hot, sticky and vast. The sun seems to linger in the sky hours past what I am used to. The smells are softer, they caress and sooth my stress and anxiety, leaving me relaxed and calm. And the food - oh, the food! I had time travelled to a place where the fruit has a sweetness, a ripeness I have never tasted before in my life… do you know how delicious a papaya is?!
This time, this place, Brazil - it was beyond anything my imagination could ever expect. My last days were spent by the beach, and though it rained daily, I cannot recover from the beauty of the ocean. The power it holds is breathtaking, the gentleness with which it breaks upon the sand is stunning. And as I ran along the quiet beach in the moments between raindrops, the cloudy sky pushed a low ceiling down on the temperamental ocean. She kicked up mist off the waves as I coasted past along soft, cold sand. I had miles of openness before me, and I could have run for days. There was something just… free about the place. I have never felt so boundless.
Alas, time travel is usually temporary, and my time card quickly expired. I returned quickly to my time, with its cold hard days and long harsh nights. I'm sad to leave, but I know those magnificent time machines travel to Brazil often, and from everywhere so whenever I need time to slow, I have somewhere to escape to.
You should all try this time travelling thing, because it's marvellous. Just choose anywhere on a map, and a time machine will take you there. And I promise time will shift in a way you've never experienced before.
