An Arrival...and a Beginning!

I arrived in Temuco, Chile on a drizzly Sunday afternoon after just about 24 hours straight of flying/layovers. Praise the Lord for his protection and guidance along the way. Each of the four flights had a highlight that I'll share with you!

1) Green Bay to Chicago: This flight was delayed due to fog earlier that morning. This made me a little nervous because my layover at O'hare was a short one to begin with. I arrived at Chicago at 3:35 p.m. and at 3:55 I was in the air headed toward Miami! I didn't exactly have to RUN...but I would venture to say that I did look a little RUSHED to those I passed along the way!

2) Chicago to Miami: I sat next to an Argentine couple who spoke mostly Spanish. This was actually a humorous situation because when I shared that I was traveling to study in Chile for three months, they immediately asked... "Why wouldn't you want to study in Argentina instead of Chile?" I just laughed, and said that I knew some people who lived in Chile. Apparently there is a little bit of competition among Latin American countries! They were a very nice couple, and it helped that they were extremely patient with my Spanish abilities! This flight was a wake-up call that I have a LOT of work to do this semester to communicate well in Spanish.

3)Miami to Santiago: I arrived in Miami at 7:45 p.m...and didn't leave for Santiago until 11:30 p.m. This left a lot of time to catch up with my parents and some friends, and send a lot of "I'll text you again in December!!" messages, lol. The flight to Santiago was LONG... about 8 1/2 hours to be exact. I normally don't sleep too well while traveling, but at one point I woke up to a thick layer of fog below us with the Andes mountain peaks rising above it....so I did get a few hours of good sleep. The plane arrived in Santiago at around 8:00 Sunday Morning

4) Santiago to Temuco: Santiago is where the trip became interesting! First of all, I was prepared to answer basic questions in Spanish to pass through customs, but the lady who took my visa and passport did not say a single word to me! I couldn't believe it... I just walked away with my passport stamped and a 90 day tourist visa in hand...no questions asked, literally!! I then left the world of American Airlines, and checked in my luggage with LAN (a Chilean airline). Secondly, at Santiago's airport, the actual departure gate is not posted until about 20-30 minutes prior to the flight. I...being unfamiliar with the norms of Chilean airlines...didn't realize this. As I watched the flights scroll down the screen without my own listed...I became increasingly unsure of myself and increasingly confused (not a fun combination, lol). Finally an airport employee walked over and explained the situation. This being cleared up, I relaxed somewhat and and enjoyed watching how the airport worked.

I could share a LOT more about that 24 hour span...but after all the flights and interesting situations I arrived at the Temuco airport. Standing in the lobby waiting were Kristi Flinck, baby Lukas and three sunny sonrisas (that's smiles in Spanish). Jordan (8), Ben (7), and Kaylee (4) Flinck are quite a group! The moment we arrived home they gave me the tour of the house--it was then that I started to love this family... craziness and all that comes with it! Seriously, children are gifts...gifts that require a lot of work and patience and correction. I've learned a lot about that already since being here. This is just the beginning of a semester that the Lord has planned for myself and the Flincks here in Chile.

So, that's my story of an arrival...and a beginning!