Rocky Start

Well its friday, and we just got to Uruguay about 4 hours ago..

Wednesday morning we left for DFW arriving at 12noon or so for a 6:45pm flight. We had to get there early because both the L.A. group and the Europe groups went together to DFW and the Europes groups flight left about 3pm. So 6pm rolls around and we are getting told we'll be having about a 30min delay due to mechanical issues and needing a new plane. We are already worried about missing our connection to Montevideo. Now we are stressing more. THEN about 7:30pm, we find out that due to weather the new plane is stuck in SHREVEPORT. So we are going to miss our connection. NO chance of making it, NO chance of them holding it for us. Eventually around 9:30pm. We got to Miami around 2am, 3am Miami time. An hour and a half later we have vouchers for the Radisson. Another hour later we are waiting in the wrong terminal for a bus that was somewhere else. Then we figure it out and get on our bus to the Radisson where they decide that the eight rooms American Airlines promised our 16 people is too many and that 3 would be better. Loree, our fantastical commander in chief/ teacher tells them they are mistaken and much later we have rooms. Ofcourse Loree and Jeff were given the key to someone elses room not in our group. So they walked in on sleeping strangers. Eventually it was sorted out. We slept in til 9am, got free breakfast and hit south beach for the day. That was a blast. Got to meet some awesome people, see really expensive bars and clothing stores, eat amazing pizza, see Miami Beach Surfers, and get to knwo the group even more. We sauntered back to wash up at the hotel around 6 and left for our next flight at 7. Ate amazing Cuban dinner, boarded our plane to Buenos Aires no problem. The next 10 hours were horrible. The seats were uncomfortable, the movies boring and my butt numb. The only redeeming factors were the meals, the company and the 6 or so episodes of CSI that I watched. This morning we deboarded in Buenos Aires, and got on a 20 min flight to Montevideo. Upon arriving in Montevideo we went through customs with no problems. Then to the luggage. The majority of the group found their luggage and we were pretty confident they were bringing ours in a second cart. They didn't. About six of us didn't have our luggage. I was freaking. So then a sweet lady came over with broken english and told us they had arrived a day early due to our flight issues and we had to walk to the other end of the airport to get our bags. We did no problem. We had carts to bring our luggage to the bus. One of the bus workers saw me struggling and helped me get it down and up the curbs. Then all the sudden I realized he was just helping to get a tip. Of which I had none. I only had big bills after all the airport stuff and like 4 pennies. I feigned confusion and smiled politely saying I didn't have cash. His help was appreciated but not 20 dollar appreciated. Im an idiot. Stupid American Mistake number one!!

We made it to CasaACU with no hitches, had amazing lunch, and now we are chilling out waiting to go out to dinner and getting our rooms situated. I am rooming with Haley. Shes a sweetheart. The six of us girls are a lot of fun, and the boys are fun too. It should make for a fun semester. I cant believe we are staying for months. I feel like we should be leaving in a week or so. Oh well. I am here, and glad. Now all we have to do is work through cultural funnyness like adapters, greetings and traffic laws. oh yah, and the language!

Ill keep you updated! Im gonna try and post some travel shots! but I dont have too many.