Day 1
Hey so Ive never done this before so please dont judge too harshly. Also Im typing on a Spanish keyboard and I cant find an apostrophe key so thats great. Im actually really sorry about that because its making me crazy too. Also, disclaimer, I will be telling lots of details because this blog is mostly for myself so I have a way to remember this "adventure" when Im old and I smell like essential oils and losing my mind. At age 35. In fact, this post will probably be a lot longer than the others because my first day was kind of a big deal, and I want to remember it well. This blog is basically gonna be an online journal. Feel free to skim because Im going to pretend that this has no audience and that the public eye will never read my scrambled thoughts on the internet. Great, now that weve established my denial of you all, we can hear all about my suuuper fascinating life. Ok now I cant find an indent key so this blog thing might make me lose my mind a little prematurely.
Day 1 (Its late so I will add pictures later)
I boarded my flight from Salt Lake at about 10 Monday night. Once the plane pulled out of the terminal and onto the tarmack, I was hit by the realization that this was the last time I would see my home for a very long time. I mean, it wasnt my home it was just good ol SLC, but you know what I mean. I just stared out the window and cried. I cried for my friends, for my school, for my family, for my neighborhood. I was crying for my bedroom, for my work, for cereal, for In n Out, and I cried a good hot minute for the end of Summer. It was strange though, because I wasnt necessarily crying because I would miss all these things. I was crying for change. My life was about to change drastically. Knowing that brought a whole new kind of emotion that was different from sadness or homesickness. The past three months were incredible. Although I was looking forward to what my new life would look like, I have a really hard time letting go of things. Words cant even explain, this summer was just the best. As I watched my city turn into a mass of little lights, I cried for the past. Dear summer of 2018: you were incredible. Thank you for being so freaking hard to let go of.
I was in and out of sleep the whole way to Florida. The flight was pretty empty, and since I was near the back of the plane I had the whole row to myself. It was my first time sleeping on a plane completely laying down, and Ill tell you, its nice. Nevertheless it was still a pretty crappy sleep, and I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at around 3 am Utah time. Honestly, it wasnt a very nice airport, and there were some interesting looking people wandering around, but I got myself some airport-quality Einstein Bros, plugged in my near-dead phone, and texted my friend Rebecca like it was just another Tuesday morning. (Why she was awake, I dont know) I had a two hour layover, which I spent watching Shane Dawson conspiracy videos (of course) and wandering around until I found the gate they had changed my flight to. (You were right mom, the ticket always lies somehow). Okay, intermission for this quick review of Jet Blue Airlines:
Thank you for being on time both flights, and for not letting the plane drop out of the sky, and for flying to the right place; but if youre going to charge $5 for a pair of earbuds, the Biscoff-knockoff cookies better be good. Spoiler alert, they werent. In fact, they were really bad, and so were the earplugs. 2.5 stars.
Okay we are now back to our daily programming. My flight to Bogota was really crowded, and I had an aisle seat so I wasnt getting lucky twice. I only had my iPhone earbuds with the lightning connector plug, so I didnt watch any movies, and the WiFi was really bad. Basically I just dozed the full 4 hours. It was a light uncomfortable sleep, but it passed the time effectively. Once the plane landed and I quickly got off to use the bathroom (not a fan of airplane toilets aka latrines) I took in Colombia for the first time. It was through an airport window, but the tarmack was exotic nonetheless. Important sidenote: I have never flown internationally before. Doing it for the first time by myself in a country where not even the immigration worker speaks English was not fun. I did have a letter in Spanish explaining why I, a white teenage girl, was moving to Colombia without any other family members, but unfortunately that was in my carry-on bag which they had me check because there wasnt enough overhead storage. Once again, Jet Blue. Get it together. So yeah, I didnt have my golden ticket through immigration and I spent a good three minutes explaining to the worker in very bad Spanish why he should stamp my passport and let me go. Eventually he did, and I walked away seeing his very concerned expression. He probably thinks I ran away or something, and that Im going to die in this country all alone, just a naive little gringa. Aaanyway, customs was another nightmare because there were NO PENS. In case you didnt know, you have to fill out this little paper to get through customs, and I couldnt because no one would share their pens with me. And yes, I asked.
Eventually I got through with my bags, and then I saw Tania and Andres. They are my new parents for the next yearish. Tania greeted me with a hug, Andres with a smile and a handshake. My preferred kind of greeting actually. we exchanged my American money, loaded my bags into their car, and were off. I will write about the city another time, this post is already going to be long enough without all that extra detail. The B. family lives in Cota, a suburb of Bogota which is the capital of Colombia. I am going to put to rest all your fears right now, because I dont find Cota any more dangerous than Provo, and its not like I ever go out in the streets by myself anyways because theres nothing I would need to do without someone else along. Dont worry Mom, I am not going to die here. The house is pretty small but I can talk about it in another post. Maybe I can even give a little house tour. I met their daughters, Andrea and Carolina (the twins but not identical) and Alejandra. After getting my bags in my room and eating almuerzo (lunch, the biggest meal of the day here) I crashed in my bed and slept for five or six hours. I woke up in time for dinner with a stomachache (I know, off to a great start). Unfortunately they had bought pizza which I had to refuse because I was pretty sure I would throw up if I ate it. Thus began Tanias fear that I would die in her care because Andrya the American doesnt eat; but more on that later. She made me a nice steaming cup of tea made of some leaves she got from the backyard, but it was actually way good and it did help me feel better.
Although my first day had an emotional start (yes I am counting Monday night as my first day) I was ready to go to bed and finish it tear-free and positive. And then I remembered Lindys package. She had given it to me right as my family had been pulling out of the driveway to leave for the airport. She told me to open it when I arrived, but it had been in the back of my mind until now. As I read the letter inside, I cried and cried. Lindy, I genuinely love you with all my heart, and I am a thousand times grateful to have a friend like you. I was told by a friend who did study abroad that it wouldnt fully sink in what I am doing even after I arrived. She said I would hit a point where I would step back and ask myself "what have I done." I think I hit that point the first night. Everyone else was out watching TV as I sat in my new bedroom crying. And once again I was crying for many reasons. I cried out of love for my friends, and all the people that support me in my life. I also cried, however, for the new life I have here in Colombia. I know that God was involved, because the situation I have here and the circumstances surrounding it are just too perfect to be a coincidence. I am so grateful for this opportunity and although I sound exhausted and emotional throughout this all, I am really optimistic and excited to see what is in store. I have been here for almost a week and a lot has happened since this first day. You will hear all about in the next post. Until then, stay chevere.
Day 1 (Its late so I will add pictures later)
I boarded my flight from Salt Lake at about 10 Monday night. Once the plane pulled out of the terminal and onto the tarmack, I was hit by the realization that this was the last time I would see my home for a very long time. I mean, it wasnt my home it was just good ol SLC, but you know what I mean. I just stared out the window and cried. I cried for my friends, for my school, for my family, for my neighborhood. I was crying for my bedroom, for my work, for cereal, for In n Out, and I cried a good hot minute for the end of Summer. It was strange though, because I wasnt necessarily crying because I would miss all these things. I was crying for change. My life was about to change drastically. Knowing that brought a whole new kind of emotion that was different from sadness or homesickness. The past three months were incredible. Although I was looking forward to what my new life would look like, I have a really hard time letting go of things. Words cant even explain, this summer was just the best. As I watched my city turn into a mass of little lights, I cried for the past. Dear summer of 2018: you were incredible. Thank you for being so freaking hard to let go of.
I was in and out of sleep the whole way to Florida. The flight was pretty empty, and since I was near the back of the plane I had the whole row to myself. It was my first time sleeping on a plane completely laying down, and Ill tell you, its nice. Nevertheless it was still a pretty crappy sleep, and I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at around 3 am Utah time. Honestly, it wasnt a very nice airport, and there were some interesting looking people wandering around, but I got myself some airport-quality Einstein Bros, plugged in my near-dead phone, and texted my friend Rebecca like it was just another Tuesday morning. (Why she was awake, I dont know) I had a two hour layover, which I spent watching Shane Dawson conspiracy videos (of course) and wandering around until I found the gate they had changed my flight to. (You were right mom, the ticket always lies somehow). Okay, intermission for this quick review of Jet Blue Airlines:
Thank you for being on time both flights, and for not letting the plane drop out of the sky, and for flying to the right place; but if youre going to charge $5 for a pair of earbuds, the Biscoff-knockoff cookies better be good. Spoiler alert, they werent. In fact, they were really bad, and so were the earplugs. 2.5 stars.
Okay we are now back to our daily programming. My flight to Bogota was really crowded, and I had an aisle seat so I wasnt getting lucky twice. I only had my iPhone earbuds with the lightning connector plug, so I didnt watch any movies, and the WiFi was really bad. Basically I just dozed the full 4 hours. It was a light uncomfortable sleep, but it passed the time effectively. Once the plane landed and I quickly got off to use the bathroom (not a fan of airplane toilets aka latrines) I took in Colombia for the first time. It was through an airport window, but the tarmack was exotic nonetheless. Important sidenote: I have never flown internationally before. Doing it for the first time by myself in a country where not even the immigration worker speaks English was not fun. I did have a letter in Spanish explaining why I, a white teenage girl, was moving to Colombia without any other family members, but unfortunately that was in my carry-on bag which they had me check because there wasnt enough overhead storage. Once again, Jet Blue. Get it together. So yeah, I didnt have my golden ticket through immigration and I spent a good three minutes explaining to the worker in very bad Spanish why he should stamp my passport and let me go. Eventually he did, and I walked away seeing his very concerned expression. He probably thinks I ran away or something, and that Im going to die in this country all alone, just a naive little gringa. Aaanyway, customs was another nightmare because there were NO PENS. In case you didnt know, you have to fill out this little paper to get through customs, and I couldnt because no one would share their pens with me. And yes, I asked.
Eventually I got through with my bags, and then I saw Tania and Andres. They are my new parents for the next yearish. Tania greeted me with a hug, Andres with a smile and a handshake. My preferred kind of greeting actually. we exchanged my American money, loaded my bags into their car, and were off. I will write about the city another time, this post is already going to be long enough without all that extra detail. The B. family lives in Cota, a suburb of Bogota which is the capital of Colombia. I am going to put to rest all your fears right now, because I dont find Cota any more dangerous than Provo, and its not like I ever go out in the streets by myself anyways because theres nothing I would need to do without someone else along. Dont worry Mom, I am not going to die here. The house is pretty small but I can talk about it in another post. Maybe I can even give a little house tour. I met their daughters, Andrea and Carolina (the twins but not identical) and Alejandra. After getting my bags in my room and eating almuerzo (lunch, the biggest meal of the day here) I crashed in my bed and slept for five or six hours. I woke up in time for dinner with a stomachache (I know, off to a great start). Unfortunately they had bought pizza which I had to refuse because I was pretty sure I would throw up if I ate it. Thus began Tanias fear that I would die in her care because Andrya the American doesnt eat; but more on that later. She made me a nice steaming cup of tea made of some leaves she got from the backyard, but it was actually way good and it did help me feel better.
Although my first day had an emotional start (yes I am counting Monday night as my first day) I was ready to go to bed and finish it tear-free and positive. And then I remembered Lindys package. She had given it to me right as my family had been pulling out of the driveway to leave for the airport. She told me to open it when I arrived, but it had been in the back of my mind until now. As I read the letter inside, I cried and cried. Lindy, I genuinely love you with all my heart, and I am a thousand times grateful to have a friend like you. I was told by a friend who did study abroad that it wouldnt fully sink in what I am doing even after I arrived. She said I would hit a point where I would step back and ask myself "what have I done." I think I hit that point the first night. Everyone else was out watching TV as I sat in my new bedroom crying. And once again I was crying for many reasons. I cried out of love for my friends, and all the people that support me in my life. I also cried, however, for the new life I have here in Colombia. I know that God was involved, because the situation I have here and the circumstances surrounding it are just too perfect to be a coincidence. I am so grateful for this opportunity and although I sound exhausted and emotional throughout this all, I am really optimistic and excited to see what is in store. I have been here for almost a week and a lot has happened since this first day. You will hear all about in the next post. Until then, stay chevere.
Yay! Congratulations on getting through customs and not dying and especially not using the airplane latrine. I agree with you on that.
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