My Fulbright orientation in Colombia officially began July 24th, but I arrived the night of July 19th with my friend, Meg Frost, a fellow Fulbright ETA (English Teaching Assistant). We decided to come early in order to celebrate Colombian Independence Day, which was July 20th.
In typical Emma style, Meg and I were late to board the plane in Miami—we were the last ones to get on and even had our names called on the loud speakers (we prioritized phone calls, what can we say). Shortly after I found my seat on the plane, a flight attendant came up and asked if I was Emma Din. I thought I was in trouble, but it turns out I was being given a free pass to anything on the plane :) Meg’s Colombian friend (Brian) had told his mom (who works for American Airlines) our flight information, and she had asked her friend on our flight to “take care of us.” What did this translate into: extra snacks, free white wine (put me to sleep every time), hilarious conversation, and consistent check-ups to make sure I was perfectly happy.
Second best part of the flight: Wonderfully Ridiculous Plane Friends. I sat next to Tony, a 52-year-old military contractor from the U.S. who had traveled all around the world through his job. Hearing about his experiences in Afghanistan, Iraq, Europe, and Colombia were phenomenal. Talk about being engaged in conversation. Next to Meg was Alfredo, a 50-year-old Venezuelan petrol man. His favorite topic: politics. He gave his opinion on all the recent U.S. presidents, Colombian presidents, and Venezuelan presidents. He is conservative and owns 2 homes in Venezuela and 2 in Colombia…needless to say, he wasn’t a big fan of Chavez. Thanks to Alfredo, Meg and I landed an invitation to a polo match, an invitation to Uribe’s finca (country house-type farm) outside Medellin, and an invitation to utilize his personal driver.
Best Flight Ever.
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