We finally got our five bags ready on Saturday morning, the same day of the flight. Because leaving home for three or four month is not easy, you technically would love to take the whole house with you. So, back to the bags, one was full of personal items, (cloths, shoes, shampoo, etc.) but one bag for both of us, that is challenging. The second bag had scuba equipment and (again I was trying to take the house with me) spices, teas, Starbucks coffee, buckwheat flour, oat bran, cereal, mortar and pedstal, pots and pans... well I didn't go that far, just because Jim was saying all the time: “Do you want to take that too?” The third bag had the basics that you never want to travel without: First aid kit, Antibiotics, anti-diarrhea, antacid, anti everything, vitamins and supplements, lotions, sunscreen, tooth brush, and if I forgot something, please remind me.The fourth bag had a mix of what we couldn't fit in the other three, books, phone chargers, camera, batteries, battery charger, more lotions. And the fifth bag has a background story which I'll call Olive herb bread. We ordered 39 loaves of bread a week ago to take with us for our friends in the Island, and yes, we got all of them in a medium bag, but we had to reinforce the lid by cutting a cardboard box in half, putting it in the corners to protect the bread from getting smashed .
We made it fine to Raleigh International Airport. When we checked four of the bags they were over weighted, so we had to move a lot of things to our carry on bags, (I didn't mention, the computer bag, a portfolio, a bag pack, a carry on bag and a guitar), otherwise we had to pay a hundred for each one. Of course a good tip helped to slide thru 3 extra pounds per bag.
It was definitely a beautiful day for traveling, the flight was nice and smooth, we got the nicest seats close to the front of the plane, and as usual we ran into someone with an interesting story to tell. This young man from New Jersey, studying psychology in Hawaii. He took a bus from Charlotte, where he was spending time with some friends ,to catch a plane to go to Curacao, ABC Islands, to visit his Colombian girlfriend who he met on line seven month ago. And he just went on and on about why he love Latin culture so much, he speaks fluent Spanish, took salsa lessons with a Cuban dancer, lived 2 years in Chile working for his Church. He described is own emotions about this trip with two simple words ,excited and anxious.
The flight was a little bit late, but once in Miami Airport we still had 2 hours to have lunch, so we ate at “La Carreta”, a Cuban cafeteria, where everybody working there is Cuban, although after a while I realized that all the people working in the Airport were Cubans.
The hardest thing about spending time in Miami was not having enough time between flights to see my mother, but well, it was new year eve and I'm very happy that we made it to the end of 2011.
To finish this this journey, mom's word today: “Be good, have fun, be careful. The happy new year we made it happen by ourselves. God always be with you.”
AnechyNotes
