Day 13: Departure!

After saying “chao” to all of our new Chilean friends, we are almost ready to depart. It is Friday May 20 2011 and these are our final moments in Chile. My day started out by waking up at 10:30 a.m. to get everything in order. At one in the afternoon, our group went out to eat for the last time. As we have been going to restaurants in Chile, I have been noticing a recurring pattern of food coming to the table at different times. I think many of us have not known what to do in this situation because we have been taught to wait until everyone has a meal, but then at the same time, your meal is getting cold. Additionally, this is probably the first restaurant in Chile that I have seen pepper placed on the table. After a filling meal, we gathered our belongings at the hotel and boarded the bus for the Santiago airport. At this airport, when we went through security they seemed more lenient than in the U.S. For example, shoes did not need to be removed and laptops did not need to be placed in a separate bin. I must have looked exactly like a tourist from the United States removing my shoes and going through security in such an unnecessary rush. Once through security, we relaxed and filled out our surveys. When we began to board the plane, they would not allow you to take your seat until you went through another bag check location where they looked by hand through your bags for any liquids. Some people found this to be annoying because we could not buy drinks inside the airport and then have them for the ten hour flight. Fortunately, the flight attendants seemed to bring water around quite a bit more than on other flights I have been on. On the plane, I was waiting for the movies to begin because I was having trouble falling asleep. It was such a long and boring flight that I just could not wait to get off and be in Atlanta. Unfortunately, my second flight did not board until nine hours after we landed in Atlanta. Jon and I were in the airport together after everyone left at 10:30 in the morning. My second flight was on an extremely little plane with only 13 rows, but it was a smooth ride and only lasted two hours. I arrived home and I am ready to go to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie that came out yesterday. This has been an overview of my departure day. I am very pleased to have gone on this trip to gain an amazing study abroad experience. I truly feel that we learned a lot about Chile through lectures and practice. I had a wonderful time and would like to thank everyone who helped make this trip possible.