Traveling Home to North Carolina

The plane ride was rough. There was a lot of turbulence. We figured that this was because of how on this plane ride we were going over the ocean. All of us were bored of UNO, so we tried to come up with a new game. We played where one person had to start playing "rock, paper, scissors" with as many people around us as we could before we were turned down. None of us managed to make it past the three people mark. The plane ride was still turbulent, but we made the best of it. After we ran out of people around us to ask to play "rock, paper, scissors," we went back to staring out the window, playing on our phones, and whatever else we were doing before the made-up game.

At about 10:15, we headed out to drive to PUQ airport (Presidente Carlos Ibanez del Campo International Airport) for our flight. We arrived at the airport with forty-five minutes until our flight, and stuck some good fortunes, because security and boarding went way smoother than it did on the way to Chile. The airport was nothing special, the same as when we landed for our flight to Punta Arenas. It was very overcast that day, which only dampened our mood. None of us were ready to head home. While we waited for our plane to takeoff, we reflected upon our entire trip. Noah explained how his favorite part was the penguin tour, while Joey liked the Chilean Independence Day. Santiago was very fun and there was lots of fun activities to do there. Punta Arenas was great too. You don't see penguins everyday! It was also really neat to get to meet lots of the people who lived in Chile. One of our favorite sights was the mountain view from Santiago. Our daydreaming was interrupted by the sound of the pilot's voice saying that we'll be taking off now, and then repeating that in Spanish.

Chile was great, but our trip did come to an end. On the 24th of September, we awoke around nine o'clock knowing that our stay in Chile is over. Everybody was a little sad, but we tried not to show it. Ahead of us was a very long day, with a flight to Santiago from Punta Arenas, then a flight back home to the United States. Today we didn't really feel like eating in our hotel, so we found a small restaurant named Cafe Tapiz. Cafe Tapiz sold some brunch foods (sandwiches, panini, and soups). The food was average. It wasn't as good as some of the food experiences in Santiago, but it was a good meal overall. Brunch took about forty-five minutes, so there was not much time before our flight. We rushed back to the hotel to pack our bags. It was a quiet day, mostly because everyone was busy packing and double checking our plane tickets.

After about an hour, the flight attendant came through the plane with some refreshments and snacks. Apple Juice was the favorite among us. About half of the seats we were in had broken air vents, where the cold air was constantly blowing on our faces. This made it harder to nap on the plane. We had a big game of UNO on the plane ride. Some random people started to join in too. Something to do helped to pass the time, and before we knew it we were hearing the "buckle your seat belts" for landing" over the speakers.

Once we arrived at the Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Chile, we had a little time before our next flight. We spent this time walking around the airport, stopping at a electronics vendor to look around, and eating some fast food. After our little tour of the airport was complete, we decided to head back to our boarding zone to wait the remaining fifteen minutes before we were scheduled to board.

When our flight was announced for boarding, there was an insanely long line. It took another fifteen minutes just to board the plane! When we finally managed to make our way to our seats we were able to settle in. This flight was the longer one of our journey. Our plan was to stop at Atlanta airport, then board another plane to finally make our way back home to North Carolina. The one thing we were happy about though, was finally being able to be back home. Chile was great, but it wasn't the same as being home, in Apex.

The flight felt as if it was never going to end. Every couple of hours the flight attendant would come by and take up trash, or hand out food and drinks to anyone who wanted them. Eventually, a movie appeared on the screens that ran overhead at the top of the cabin. They played "Grown Ups 2" for us. This time it was in English, not Spanish which was a huge relief, reading subtitles is definitely not the best way to watch a movie. The movie was a good distraction because it helped us make it through some of the last couple hours of the first leg of the flight. A little while after the movie ended, the plane prepared for landing.

At Atlanta airport, we ate some cheeseburgers from a small restaurant and made our way back to our boarding zone. On this stop, we only had about an hour, most of which we used to eat and use the bathroom. 

After that, we loaded back onto the plane and began the last part of our journey home. It felt good to be back in the United States, but it also felt strange. This is where we could really see the change in culture and styles, even on the plane. This flight was about two and a half hours, so we spent most of the time daydreaming, on our phones, or looking out the window. Before we realized, the plane was touching down on the same runway we left from. We were very excited to be home. The baggage claim was simple enough and we were soon on the road back to our house.

The ride home was quiet, stopping at each of our houses to drop each other off. We all were too tired to do anything besides say "see you later," when somebody was dropped off from the taxi. Even through our fatigue, we felt happy that we were able to see Chile, and we wouldn't forget it.