08/04/2026
I have not written or shared anything since my unexpected journey to Brazil.
I went to see my mother in her final days.
She passed on the 15th of March—Mother’s Day in the UK.
There are moments in life that reshape us quietly, deeply, irreversibly.
And then there are moments that shake us awake.
What happened on my journey back to the UK was both.
Two Days After Goodbye
Two days after burying my mother, I began my return home to Wales, UK.
My flight was booked from São Paulo to London, via Lisbon. My suitcase was checked through. Everything appeared in order.
I have lived in the UK for almost four decades.
My life, my home, my work—all waiting for me there.
But at the gate in Lisbon for my connecting flight TP1356, everything changed.
I heard my name called.
I approached calmly, passport in hand.
And then I was asked a question that would unravel everything:
“Where is your visa?”
I presented my documents: passport, indefinite leave to remain, UK driving licence, bank cards, proof of life, and proof of belonging.
It was not enough…
There was a new requirement, I was told. An E-visa.
Without it, I could not board.
A System Without a Face
I was handed a QR code and instructed to apply.
Shaking, disoriented, grieving, I tried.
But the system would not allow me to proceed—because I was outside the UK.
I returned to the desk, confused, vulnerable, asking for understanding.
I had just buried my mother, shared, intimately…
“I rushed to Brazil only last week to see my mother in her last moments. I have travelled in and out of the UK over four decades and never had any trouble.”
I explained I lived in Wales.
I explained I had built a life, a contribution, a presence.
That I had a grown-up son and that my three cats depended on me.
There was no flexibility.
No discretion.
No compassion.
Just repetition:
“You cannot board without the e-visa. It’s the rule”
Around me, life continued. Announcements continued; Passengers boarded.
And then… The gate closed.
And I was left behind.
The Breaking Point
I broke down.
Not only from exhaustion or grief—but from something deeper:
The shock of being treated not as a human being,
but as a problem in a system.
No one came to guide me.
No one paused to support me.
I could not charge my phone.
I could not think clearly.
I could not understand
how something so profoundly illogical
could be enforced so rigidly.
A system that requires you to be inside the country to obtain permission to enter it.
And yet—this was the reality I was facing.
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The Other Side of Humanity
And then… something else emerged.
Humanity.
A stranger offered me a charger.
My son steadied me from afar.
I found a hotel. I breathed. I gathered myself.
And when I shared my experience, something extraordinary happened.
People responded.
Not just with words—but with presence.
I received messages, calls, and guidance.
Practical and emotional support.
Even financial help.
From
People I knew.
People I barely knew.
People I had never met.
When I finally managed to return home after five days stranded in Portugal, I was welcomed with such warmth that I was deeply moved beyond words.
Flowers.
Cards.
Gifts.
I felt held.
This is the human spirit.
It does not require permission.
It does not need a system to validate it.
It moves freely, generously, intuitively.
The Contrast
And so, the contrast became undeniable.
On one side:
Systems.
Rigid, automated, impersonal.
Unable—or unwilling—to see the human being in front of them.
On the other:
People.
Alive, responsive, compassionate.
Capable of extraordinary kindness.
This is not about one airline or one moment.
This is about something much deeper.
A growing disconnection between systems we are asked to comply with…
and the essence of who we truly are.
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A Line I Will Not Cross
There was a moment in all of this where something within me became very clear.
Not reactive. Not emotional.
Clear.
I do not consent to being reduced to a box to be ticked.
I am a human being, not a ‘nationality’
Planet Earth is My Home!
I am sovereign.
I am free.
And while I understand the need for structure, for organisation, for safety—
There must always be space for discernment.
For humanity.
For truth.
Because when systems lose that…
They lose us.
What This Is Really About
This experience was not just logistical.
It was symbolic.
It revealed the direction we are moving towards if we are not paying attention:
A world where identity becomes digital.
Where access is controlled remotely.
Where human presence is secondary to system validation.
And yet—
We are not systems.
We are not codes.
We are not data.
We are living, breathing, feeling beings.
An Invitation to Reflect
So perhaps the question is not simply what happened to me.
Perhaps the real questions are:
At what point do we begin to question systems that no longer serve our humanity?
How do we maintain compassion within structures that seem to have lost it?
What does sovereignty truly mean in a world becoming increasingly digital?
And how do we ensure that progress does not come at the cost of our essence?
Not from a place of resistance.
But from awareness.
Because awareness is where choice begins.
Closing
I remain deeply grateful.
Grateful for the love I received.
For the people who showed up.
For the undeniable truth that the human spirit is alive and well.
And perhaps that is where our power truly lies.
Not in fighting systems.
But in remembering who we are
and choosing, again and again, to live from that place.
Eliana Regina
Emotional Literacy Educator & Wellbeing Specialist
