We made it! - Travel Day

After Berry Assistant Soccer Coach Extraordinaire Eric Gentillelo braved the storms and Atlanta traffic to get us to the airport, we managed to get a good meal and finally departed Atlanta around 8pm. Our flight was uneventful, and Claire was able to practice her Spanish all the way down as she made a friend with the nice lady sitting next to her. There was also a large mission group from Auburn on our plane, so the luggage carousel was full of donation items. Our players chastised me for not allowing them to pack in garbage bags like the Auburn group did. Of course, once they saw them trying to carry them, they changed their mind. Once we gathered all of our bags, Brooke, CJ, and Linda met us immediately after we came through customs. Our hotel was in walking distance, but they were nice enough to send a truck over to take all of our bags. We had our first culture shock moment as the young sons (probably 8-10 years old) of the hotel employees were working hard to load our luggage. As our tour leaders shared with us, we will see a great deal of poverty while we are down here, and it is not uncommon for young children to be begging and/or working. We made the very short walk to the hotel as a group where we found a hotel full of architectural charm. Tomorrow morning brings a hike to a volcano and then possibly a match in the afternoon. For the parents who are looking at the itinerary we sent, this is the first of probably several itinerary changes. Time for some much needed sleep! Hasta mañana!