Day 3 Wednesday 5am Finally arrived in Santiago Chile airport.
The next hour were spent paying the entrance fee and picking up our luggage. This is how it went for us. We walked to the immigration booths, from there we were sent to pay the entrance fee first before stamping our passport. Well, the process to pay was lengthy because the American $20 bills could not be wrinkled nor have any small tears. Two of our girls had to pay with credit card since the rest of us had no other unwrinkled bills to trade with them.
The second step was for us to go back to the immigration booth and show the payment slip, get the entrance stamped on our passports, then head out to the baggage claim. Once we took our luggage, we went through their TSA (strict about animal and vegetable foods items) and out the curb to our transportation van.
Yeah, we made it out by 6:25am Wed! Yes, the day will continue.
Allyson is our group director and Jesse her part-time assistant. We all packed into two vans and headed to the hostel in Santiago (16 kms). The highrises were beautiful to see as the cold crisp air welcomed us with a bite. OMG! It is COLD. No snow, but cold, cold, cold. As we arrived at the hostel the road was under construction allowing us to use our muscles to lug the suitcases up the street.
7:30am After a mini-meeting with a rearrangement of room (three per room), we gladly started the process of unbundling our clothes. Most of us quickly used the lobby computer to email home. There will be a few hours breaktime before a noon group lunch.
12:30 Allyson came with some delicious empanadas while we eat and meet.
Later a group of us went to get a local cell phone, some gloves, etc.
4pm Another meeting. 6pm Quick break.
7:30pm Chilean Spanish Class
Certainly one of my goals is to learn the dialect spoken in Chile. Our group was divided into beginner and intermediate/advance. Our professor is a Chilean teacher. I will write more about him and our classes as the days continue.
9PM Our day has ended.
The next hour were spent paying the entrance fee and picking up our luggage. This is how it went for us. We walked to the immigration booths, from there we were sent to pay the entrance fee first before stamping our passport. Well, the process to pay was lengthy because the American $20 bills could not be wrinkled nor have any small tears. Two of our girls had to pay with credit card since the rest of us had no other unwrinkled bills to trade with them.
The second step was for us to go back to the immigration booth and show the payment slip, get the entrance stamped on our passports, then head out to the baggage claim. Once we took our luggage, we went through their TSA (strict about animal and vegetable foods items) and out the curb to our transportation van.
Yeah, we made it out by 6:25am Wed! Yes, the day will continue.
Allyson is our group director and Jesse her part-time assistant. We all packed into two vans and headed to the hostel in Santiago (16 kms). The highrises were beautiful to see as the cold crisp air welcomed us with a bite. OMG! It is COLD. No snow, but cold, cold, cold. As we arrived at the hostel the road was under construction allowing us to use our muscles to lug the suitcases up the street.
7:30am After a mini-meeting with a rearrangement of room (three per room), we gladly started the process of unbundling our clothes. Most of us quickly used the lobby computer to email home. There will be a few hours breaktime before a noon group lunch.
12:30 Allyson came with some delicious empanadas while we eat and meet.
Later a group of us went to get a local cell phone, some gloves, etc.
4pm Another meeting. 6pm Quick break.
7:30pm Chilean Spanish Class
Certainly one of my goals is to learn the dialect spoken in Chile. Our group was divided into beginner and intermediate/advance. Our professor is a Chilean teacher. I will write more about him and our classes as the days continue.
9PM Our day has ended.
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