Day 13: Departure Day

Today I woke up at 10:30 am to get everything ready to leave Chile. I was not excited to leave and wanted more time in Chile with all my new friends. Saying goodbye to everyone yesterday was hard. At around 1 pm, we all met up for lunch and went out to a restaurant on town. Everyone was very tired from the night before still, so lunch was very low key and relaxed. The majority of us got "Lomo a la Pobre" for a final meal, just as a tribute to Chile and because some of us never got to try in on the trip and this was our last chance. This is a very typical Chilean dish they have at almost every restaurant. At first, in the beginning of week 1, we were all skeptical to get the steak, fried egg, onions, and french fries, but at the end everyone ended up loving the meal. I must say it was very good. Just goes to show you, you never know how a culture and their tradition meals/practices might grow on you and you will actually like. After lunch, we all got our stuff and went to the Santiago airport. After we got through security and customs we only had a half hour to sit before getting on he plane ( I like it better this way than waiting for forever). The plane ride was long and I had a hard time sleeping this time. I could not seem to get comfortable. Once in Atlanta, it was a bittersweet feeling of being home and being away from Chile. This trip has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far, and I will always treasure my time in Chile. The flight to Philadelphia was quick and easy. Although, when in the PHL airport my luggage was a flight behind me so I had to wait to get my luggage till the next flight came in from Atlanta. On the drive home my mom stopped and took me to a nice lunch (my first meal in the US since I got here!)