This is a long one, but has some good stories.
On Friday, we got up at 5:30 AM to go to the bus station. The three teams in/near Trujillo met up and left around 9. My team leader Kyla, my squadmate Melissa, and I left around noon, and got to Lima around 10 pm. We met everyone else at a hostel and spent the night. We hung out with the team leaders on Saturday, because they were going back to the states while we went to Guatemala.
The remaining squad was on two different flights, and mine with 33 people was leaving around 3 am. 7 people were on the other flight, including two of the three squad leaders. We went to the airport at 7 pm and went to get dinner. Our squad leaders come running up to say we had to check in ASAP bc they might have pushed our flight up. After that, we only had 30 minutes to eat and say goodbye to the leaders. It was really sad, and after an emotionally draining few weeks, it was tough. We went through security and found out that now our flight was at 1 AM. so we had a couple hours in the airport.
We made it on the plane to Colombia. Backstory: I had gotten a white shirt from the free table and spent time bleaching and washing it by hand to get stains out. I was next to Jordan, on my right, and a mom with a baby on my left. I remembered thinking I wanted a sprite without ice (so specific) and when the guy handed it to me, I put it down and looked at Jordan’s tray table. She had dinner, and I thought it was rude that they hadn’t given me food. Then I fell asleep. What actually happened was, I fell asleep while we were taking off, somehow ordered a sprite without ice and fell back asleep before they gave it to me. I tried to reach out and grab it, but Jordan realized I was basically asleep and got it for me. They brought the food back by later. I woke up when we landed with a big, stiff stain on the left of my chest that looked like blood and my watch broken in half. Still have no idea what happened.
We made it to Colombia around 5 am. I slept for another couple hours in the airport. Our flight was supposed to be at noon, and around 10 we found our gate. A couple hours later, they hadn’t started boarding and we were confused. We heard over the loudspeaker a last call for the flight to Guatemala, but it was from a different gate. 33 gringos scramble to grab all their stuff and run to another gate. We all stop and wait to slowly go down an elevator. When we got there, the door had closed five minutes before. They did take the time to get our packs off the plane though for some reason.
Anyway, so we’re in the same airport until around 7 pm. We’re also trying to re-book flights, which would be $16,000. Bless up, the airline re-booked is for free!! We love you, Avianca. My squadmate Melissa mentions that some of her relatives live in the city we’re in and asks if some of them can come see her. Long story short (lol) all 33 gross backpackers are invited to spend the night at Melissa’s mom’s first husband’s brother’s house, with his wife and family, whom Melissa has never met. We pile in some vans around 9:30 pm and go to their small house. They have so many snacks and coffee and soda for us all. Including chicken-flavored potato chips. They taste more like chicken than actual chicken.
Our sleeping bags filled the entire house. In the morning, 13 of had to get up at 6 am for our flights. We got to the airport by 7 am. I had chai tea and more chicken-flavored chips for breakfast.
We flew to Costa Rica around 1 pm and then had a 20 minute layover before flying to Guatemala at 3:30 pm (central time). We got there around 5 pm. After bags and customs and passport stamps, two of our ministry hosts came to pick us up in a literal school bus for the hour-and-a-half drive to our compound. The 7 squadmates who had actually flown out on Sunday made us care packages of water, apples, and the sweetest notes. We were so blessed with pizza and hot showers. The other group of 20 made it safely into Guat by Tuesday night. After 4 days of travel, 30 hours in airports, 15 hours of sleep, and too many chicken-flavored potato chips, we made it to Guatemala.
Thank you so much for supporting my journey though my blogs. If you want, you can also support me financially with the donate button at the top of the page. I have one more month to raise $4,500. Every little bit helps! Thank you!
Love,
Kate
