...Airportiago?

11 hours. 30 minutes. Probably 27 seconds. This is how much time I spent in the air traveling between the Detroit airport and Santiago.

14 hours. 6 minutes. An imprecise 42 seconds. This is how much time I spent on an airplane.

19 hours. 17 minutes. Lets go with 36 seconds. This is how much time I spent between walking in the doors of one airport and leaving the doors of another.

In the midst of these hours, books were read (okay, chapters of a book were read); games were played; selfies were taken (using a selfie stick no less); naps were attempted.... It was a fun, but exhausting trip.


We were all bright eyed when we united in the airport, greeting each other as if we were long lost friends who had been separated for many years. The seven of us were awkwardly babbling in  Spanglish, not sure when we should start our immersion experience and often thinking of phrases to difficult to translate while navigating a noisy, English-speaking airport.

I was excited to find out that on the flight from Atlanta to Santiago we were well equipped with USB ports to charge all of our technology, our favorite tv shows and new movies were at our fingertips.The flight was pretty empty so we were able to spread out...not that it helped us sleep any better. I was seriously hoping for a plane with those sleeping pods like from the Jetsons. The stewardesses moseyed down the aisles asking everyone "beef or pasta?" as they served us what they called dinner but looked more like a kiddy kitchen toy version of 1970's tv dinners. Twenty-ish minutes later they whisked away whatever remained and dished out headphones and eye masks, basically begging everyone to go to sleep so they didn't have to be bothered.


I obediently followed suit, putting on a Japanese movie and tried to make myself comfortable between my window seat and the vacant one to my side. I flipped, and turned, and readjusted my sanitary pillow a bajillion times, seeking some semi-comfortable position, but my legs were to long, or my side was too wide to fit in the  space. I drifted to sleep at some point, because I remember waking up to the most beautiful sight. The sun was just starting to peak over the Andes, and the sky was still jet back except for an orangish red line that outlined the peaks of the mountains. Reality was beginning to sink in that I really am going to be in Chile for the next three months. This is really happening!

Poll:

Predict what happens next! Leave your responses in the comments section.

A. I get stopped at customs for bringing produce into Chile.
B. I get left behind in the airport bathroom.
C. My luggage gets lost at the airport.
D. I get questioned about my carry-on items.
E. None of the above