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- My first flight since I was seven yrs. old! From Cleveland to Chicago to Houston and finally Venezuela. I was not nervous at all and enjoyed myself tremendously.
- After arriving in Venezuela my first and only words for the first few hours were, "What?" and "Huh?". Yes, I took 3 months worth of Spanish classes, but not a single word did I remember. After the initial shock I started to respond with some chopped up Spanish, but for the most it wasn't very understandable. (I was so afraid I wouldn't say it right so I just mumbled, and of course no one understood what the poor American girl was saying.
- Couldn't find my guitar at first at the airport. Supposedly a lot of the luggage was still in the US. But fortunately Willis(my guitar) made it, it just wasn't in the right place. When he was missing, I felt as though I had lost a dear friend, so when I found him I greeted him with a big hug and lots of kisses(yes, I hug my guitar- is that strange?)
- Realizing that I should have bought a global/International phone. It would have made life that much easier.
- Trying to stay awake while waiting for the bus(A 6 hour wait after 12+ hours on planes and in airports = Very sore tushy and eyelids that desperately want to obey the pull of gravity.
- Oh the joys of being ridiculed in another language. On the one hand, it's nice because I can't understand much. But it's not so nice because I can understand enough to know that someone's talking about me. It does sting a little, but it just give me more of a drive to practice as much Spanish as possible. I'm starting to understand why so many non-English speakers In the US give up after asking, "What are you saying?" for the 3rd or 4th time. It certainly can become frustrating. Oh the joy of intentionally immersing myself in a language that I don't know.
I won't bore you with every single detail of the past few days, but I must mention in here a few people who were very kind and obliging to me on the way here- these people are the reason I love traveling.
- A Venezuelan man who spoke English and explained the baggage issue at the airport
- A very nice lady who spoke English who helped me retrieve my guitar.
- Two young girls at the bus terminal( the ones making fun of me) that became good friends even though they understood no English and I nearly no Spanish. After they realized I had a guitar they forced me to play it and sing. We had a great few hours trying to understand each other. They still made jokes about me, but as a friend. And afterwards, one of the girls became like a little mother to me. Making sure that I caught my bus, that I understood everything, that I payed the right amount for extra baggage- without her I would have surely missed the bus!
- Another lady on the bus took me under her wing. She was like a big sister. No English, but we understood each other for the most part. She gave me food, shared her blanket when I was cold- everything.
- An older couple that helped me board the bus, get a good seat, stow my guitar(the man got up twice to reposition my guitar, but it kept falling. So finally he suggested I stow it in the back. I didn't understand, but my "big sister" helped me.
Wow, I'd heard from other travelers about the generosity of people, but all of this surpassed my expectations. I am so thankful for all of the amazing people that helped me on my way, and I hope that these encounters will remind you that no matter how much bad is in this world, there is plenty of good as well. You just have to keep your eyes open.
