Ever since I joined Tumblr in 2012 I’ve seen numerous photo-ops fans have taken with the SPN cast and each one of them would make me so happy for that fan but would also break my heart just a little bit because I knew that living in Pakistan meant that I would probably never have the chance to go to a convention.
Well, cliche as it may sound, that picture above is solid proof that dreams do come true.
It was sometime around October last year that I came across a picture of J2 at a convention on Tumblr and I just thought to myself how amazing it must be to be able to go to a con and experience the whole thing live and in person instead of watching panel videos on YouTube. I dismissed the thought as nothing but a far fetched fantasy and went on about my day.
Later at night, just out of curiosity, I went to the official SPN con page and saw the dates of all the conventions in 2016 and there it was - MinnCon August 12-14, 2016. And honestly, I don't know how this idea came into my head but I just thought to myself that why couldn’t I go? Yes, it would be difficult, traveling across the globe but it wasn't impossible right? And it was in August, which was the main factor as I would have my summer break and wouldn't have to worry about missing classes.
I have no idea how I managed to sleep that night but when I woke up first thing I did was to tell my mom my brilliant idea. I thought it would take a lot of convincing on my part but apparently I have the coolest mom ever because she was just like, “sure, ok.” I had 99 problems but convincing my mom wasn't one!
The next couple of days passed in a blur - getting the con tickets (I got gold!!!), plane tickets, visas, booking hotels and transport from the airport to the hotel and then back. Now going all the way to America from Pakistan for just three days for a convention is a bit much so we decided to make a whole one month trip out of it which was great but if you ask me now, the part in Minneapolis was the best!
Even if I knew all the languages of the world, I wouldn't have been able to explain to you what I felt like when everything was sorted out and it finally hit me that I was going to a convention and was going to meet the Jared and Jensen and Misha and Rob and Rich and ...
Finally, it was August 11th and I was travelling to Minneapolis from New York. I landed at about 3:30 pm and by the time we went to the hotel and settled in it was 6 pm. I went down to the lobby at around 8:20 and met a group who had all met online and were now coming to this con and that was when I realised that everyone had probably come with somebody and I was doing this all alone and I had no idea what to expect. But they assured me that it was going to be an amazing experience and that I’d meet some wonderful people and they were absolutely right!
The three days passed in a blur and I’m not going to into detail here because that would make this post ridiculously long but if anyone is planning on going to their first con and want some tips, I’ll be happy to help.
I’m just going to say that it was the most awesome, magical and just breathtaking time of my life and I will cherish these memories forever! All the of the SPN cast made me fall in love with the show all over again! The cast, Louden Swain, Chris, ... they were all so wonderful! And you know how everyone says they're even more gorgeous in real life but honestly, I wasn't expecting them to be THAT beautiful and handsome! I mean, standing in line for the J2 duo op, I was just speechless - how can two humans be so stunning? And Misha! Every time I had a picture with him, whether a solo op or one with other cast members, he would wink at me as I’d come forward and give me this little smile which would make me go weak at the knees and my brain would turn into goo. Thanks Misha. ;) But in all seriousness, I’m sure he does that to every fan but thank you Misha for making us feel as if we’re all special and no matter how tired he must have been, he never showed it. None of them did. And everytime I’d say I was from Pakistan, they’d all look at me shocked like, woahh you traveled a long way! When I got Richard’s autograph he wrote “You win the ‘I traveled the furthest’ award”!
I’m glad I have this photo-op because otherwise I wouldn't remember a thing! I remember walking up to them and then after that it’s a blur. But I do remember that I felt so warm and safe and happy being squeezed between them and oh man, they do smell soon good! After the picture was taken I was like I love you guys and thank you for everything you do and I’ve come all the way from Pakistan! And Jared who was further away from me blew me a kiss and said “that’s amazing” and “love you” and Jensen who was near me gave me a high-five. I swear, my heart was beating so fast, I could have died right there and then!
Sunday was also a little bittersweet for me because I knew that this was probably my one and only con. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for this opportunity and thank you Allah for making this happen! But as a friend said, hey you never know - there might be another con in your future!
