En una semana....

Let me just say- honestly and truly-- this is the first free moment I feel like I have had since I have gotten here to La Serena, Chile. Hopefuly, I will be able to get more time to continue writing in this blog. It has been quite an enchanting week. So, I shall share....

Starting Thursday, July 2, 2009....Our flight got cancelled right before we checked in. We were all thinking "Freakin GREAT." Our professors seemed to be incessantly late, and we looked like a pack of hungry wolves anxiously surrounding the frantic ticket lady . Finally, a flight opened through Dallas that we got that would then take us onto Santiago. Praise God. Awesome flight to Dallas and then we were on our way to Chile before we knew it. On the flight to Chile, I was alone in a seat of three about five minutes before take-off when, suddenly, I thought, in the moment, that my life had turned too surreal for me to still be existing. Onward came this gentle, Chilean man, around 26 years old, with a large collection of soccer patches on his bag (big surprise) and a smile that made my stomach ache it was so delicate. He sat right next to me. I got a little shaky, actually very shaky...overwhelmed and suavely trying to cover my 13 yr-old girlish excitement, shivered and said "So cold in here." Anyhow, details aside, that 10 hour flight was a gift from God. He spoke both perfect Spanish and perfect English, and was the first representative of Chile I had met. Chile--so far---must be awesome.

We then arrived in the airport of Chile. I bought my Visa and proceeded through the baggage claim. They had these cute dogs surrounding the baggage claim to ensure no transference of unclaimed domestic goods into the country. I, consumed by the dogs, squatted down to pet them and give 'em some loving. Long before I knew it, the dog was thrusting his head back and forth into my purse and barking. I was like, "Psycho puppies in Chile take action" until I saw this huge swarm of people wearing red vest stomp their way towards me. The man snatched my purse and said, "Este tuyos?" meaning this yours? I mean, yeah, whose else would it have been? He vigorously opened my purse and carefully pulled out a banana, as if it was the newest nuclear bomb out on the market. A BANANA. A stupid banana. A banana I had bought in the airport in hopes of eating on the plane before I arrived in Chile. So I forgot to eat the banana. And, forgetting to eat the banana, forgot to claim it as well on my entry form to Chile. The woman took her hand and beckoned me to follow her while the people made sure I was walking over to her. I thought, "If this was my penalty for engaging with the dogs, then Chile sucks." I had to sit in this bench outside an office while the woman asked for my paperwork. Then they called my name into the office. My face was red, my neck tense, and eyes squinched. I didn't know what was going on. The man proceeded to tell me that I brought an item into the country that must be claimed, and if it isn't, there is a fine. That word, FINE, irked me. I said, "A fine, how much of a fine? It was a simple mistake." He responded, with an arrogant tilt of his head, "Well, since we haven't had any trouble with you before, it will be 206 American dollars." I stared at him in disbelief. "Really?" Here, my American attitude and piss-poor gentleness was going to come out. I stared at him. He looked back at me. I squinched my eyes harder while his eyes glistened "EXPLOITATION." He said, "Please pay now." I had lost. I was a weakened, taken-advantage-of foreigner, rather, GRINGO. Great. So, that was my entry. Audrey, a girl I had met, stuck with me the entire time through it. I needed her calmness, and let's just say my previous anger management sessions came handy throughout it all. We got on the bus for a seven hour bus ride to La Serena. Needless to say, I acclaimed the beautiful first nickname of the group, "Banana Beth." Well, got to get done that HW and eat. Blessings back in the states, and do, eat some ripe bananas and sweetly enjoy them! :O)