I-Pod Vending Machines

I wrote this while I was in the airport in Atlanta. I didn’t post it there because you had to pay $7.95 to use the internet in the airport…not worth it. Well I didn’t have too many problems at BWI other than having to pay extra because one of my bags was 11 lbs. overweight (Note to self: taking an extra bag is cheaper than paying the overweight charge). After saying good bye to my mom, grandmother, and an incredible person who flew in to surprise me (you know who you are, and you’re great!) I ate at Potbelly’s…pretty good. On my flight, I sat next to a lady who graduated from Loyola…what are the odds. Atlanta’s airport is nuts. It’s more of a mall than an airport. It’s so big I had to take a train to my gate because it was literally a mile away. On the train I met a man from Texas who is in the wind? business. He said he was a retired professional skier and one of his friends used to be a ski instructor in Chile. Anyway, Atlanta’s airport even has a chapel! The craziest thing about today was seeing an I-Pod vending machine in Atlanta’s airport! This trip is off to an exciting start and I haven’t even left the country =P.

The Night Before My Flight

So...my journey begins tomorrow. My flight to Atlanta is at 3:15pm, and then from Atlanta I fly straight to Santiago, Chile. I've been e-mailing with my host family for the past week and I'm really excited to meet them. They already call their home...my home, which is pretty cool. It's incredibly hard leaving all my family and friends. I cannot imagine not being able to see them for almost 11 months. However, everyone is being really supportive by telling me that I'll do great. I'm really sad that I'm leaving everyone, but I'm also really excited to be going to Chile. I have no idea what to expect. I've never left the country before. I'm so excited to be surrounded by the Spanish language and by people who are from a totally different culture. I hope Chile is ready for me!