Traveling and Day 1

We have finally arrived at our destination after a very long journey. Emily and I stayed at her grandma’s house on Friday night so that we could get to the airport easily in the morning. We were at the airport by 8:20 Saturday morning, and were able to get our bags checked and through security in no time. Then, we waited. The first leg of our trip was from Seattle to LA which went by quickly enough. At the LA airport we were transported by bus to the correct terminal. By that time we were starving so we scoped out some food in the form of a pre-made deli sandwich (a baguette with turkey, brie and granny apple slices) and we also could not resist going to Burger King to fulfill our French fry craving. The next leg of the trip was from LA to Dallas, where we started to get exhausted. There was a movie on this flight, but Emily and I opted out on watching it and read magazines and did sudoku instead. Unfortunately, once we got to Dallas, there was some slight delay with our plane not getting catered so there was a 15 minute delay to our boarding. On the flip side, we did run in to one of our group members Jeanna. Emily and I had thought that everyone else was on the same flights to Santiago, so it was quite the surprise to see her. So far on our flights we had only been serviced with beverages and tiny packages of nuts and fearing that we would not be able to eat for the next 9 hours and 30 minutes (our estimated flight time to Santiago) Emily and I ran into a little airport store to get some snacks. Emily and I were seated together, and Jeanna was closer to the front of the plane so that was the last time we saw her before we arrived in Chile. Once we were on the plane we found out that we would be served dinner and then later on breakfast as well. We were quite excited by that, and hoping to get some good sleep we popped some Tylenol PM. Let me tell you, those things can instantly knock you out! Emily and I could barely get through our dinner of pasta with chicken, a roll, and salad because we were so groggy. And poor Emily’s seat would not recline so it took forever to get comfortable. My seat did recline but my knee was starting to swell up from all the altitude and I just could not figure out what to do with my head so that my neck didn’t hurt. I woke up off and on, each time feeling about as equally exhausted as the last, until finally the sun started to rise (on the left side of the plane, and we were seated on the right). For breakfast we were served a croissant with jam, raspberry yogurt and orange juice and it was actually quite tasty. As our flight was approaching Santiago we were not able to land because of some rising and falling fog. Instead we were circling around the area for about another 40 minutes before we were actually able to descend to the airport. Finally, we had made it. We made our way to pay the $131 fee for entering the country (yup, that’s how I spent the first of my money in Chile) and found Jeanna again. The three of us were very happy to find that our bags had made it safely and proceeded to easily make it through immigration and customs. As we were exiting the customs area we were bombarded with Chilean men asking us if we needed a bus or a taxi. I was so confused looking around at everything and then Jaime (our instructor) came out of no where and grabbed my arm saying “Hola senorita!” We were so relieved to know that the group was still there waiting for us. Emily and I were especially glad to be reunited with Kelly (our accomplice). After making sure that every one was there and had their luggage we waited for Jaime to get our bus and then we all piled on. It’s definitely going to be a party bus with its rainbow flag on the side and people ready to get their fun on. J The bus driver, Juan, drove us through the city to our hotel. It was really exciting for me to see soccer fields every where and almost every single one occupied too. I’m bummed that I will not be able to play with the locals, though. Emily, Kelly and I are sharing a room, and it is a lot different than what we expected but quaint nonetheless. The “apartment” has a tiny kitchen with barstools, a living area, two bedrooms (one double, one single) and two bathrooms. The area of the apartment isn’t very big, but it will be perfect for our two week adventure in Santiago. We even have a balcony, though it doesn’t look out onto anything other than some graveled roof area. After dragging our luggage into the room we quickly discovered the TV and the channels that it had to offer in English. We then proceeded to watch Jurassic Park, well, at least I attempted to. Apparently I slept for a really long time, but I was exhausted so it was really nice. When I woke up Emily was watching John Tucker Must Die, so I finished that with her and Kelly joined when she woke up from her nap. We then decided to go explore a bit, trying to find out where we can get some internet. Luckily I did bring an internet cord so we now can connect to the internet in our apartment. There is also a little internet room in the lobby building, which is actually disconnected from the actually apartment and rooms building. The internet is ridiculously slow, however. The lobby building is also where we will be having breakfast each morning. After getting a quick email in to the parents, Emily, Kelly, and I decided to take a walk around the block to get our bearings. We found a couple of bars and restaurants and will hopefully be able to venture out a little more with Jaime by our side. When we got back we stopped by one of the boys’ rooms and Cameron told us they had found a Subway and a little market. There will definitely be some grocery shopping going on later. The group is meeting up later for dinner, and until then us girlies plan on freshening up and relaxing after our long journey.

Until next time!

~A