Flying out of DFW wasn't too bad, but it was still hectic because our bags were all 2-3 lbs overweight. Luckily, Tanya's mom was there to take a little of the extras. We also had to pay for our checked bags, despite being told earlier we didn't need to. However, Tanya and I both had to go through security twice for having "too many electronics" in our carryons. We still got to Tampa fine, and the hotel we stayed at was very nice. Getting back on the plane in Tampa was a nightmare however. Since there was more than 12 hours between the flights, we had to take our checked bags to the hotel with us. Not too big of a problem, but pretty annoying because that's 4 bags weighing 51 lbs, not including our carryons, backpacks, or pillows. When we did get to the airport, we were told that we could only have 70 lbs between two bags TOTAL per person. We ended up having to throw away 60 pounds of luggage between the two of us, right there in front of baggage claim, while the intercom kept repeating "If you see any suspicious activity, you are required to report it." Pretty stressful, not to mention that by the time we finally got our bags checked, we only had 45ish minutes to go through security and board the plane. We ran into another major bump when we tried to go through the first security gate to board the tram to the security screening. The TSA at the gate saw that we had some things stuffed in our pillows and said we couldn't take them, because we were using them like bags, not pillows. It took three tries of pulling stuff out, rearranging all our carryons, and throwing more stuff away before they let us through. By the time we got to the security screening, we only had 25 minutes to get through security and on the plane. Fortunately, this part was MUCH easier than our previous experience, and we were able to get through the line quickly and board on time. However, when we got to San Juan, we were told that not everyone would be able to board the plane due to weight restrictions and the passengers who had missed earlier flights because of weather delays. Fortunately, Tanya and I weren't kicked off the plane, and as you already know, we made it here with everything we weren't forced to throw away intact.
Now it's been a week since we arrived, and everything is going really well! Orientation is going pretty well, and we've made a bunch of friends. I've learned a lot of interesting things about the curriculum at Ross (we study systems as opposed to subjects with a focus on integrating how everything works together; pretty awesome) and about the local foods. We have a really good feel for the town of Picard where we live, and a pretty good idea about Glenvillia and Portsmouth to the north. There's been a lot of waiting in line, but contrary to what was suggested, the waits arise from the high volume of people trying to get things done all at the same time, not because the locals aren't trying hard to accommodate us. We received both of our barrels back on Monday, and we noticed a few things missing, like our Brita filter container! I thought that was especially puzzling, because we still had the filters, and the container is just that without the filters. Based on what we'd heard about customs and some taxi services, I wasn't expecting to get any missing items back, but was pleasantly surprised when Alexis Taxi (the guys who picked up our barrels and delivered them to us) called us and said they have a few more things for us to pick up that wouldn't fit in the barrels after customs went through them. Turns out they returned everything to us in proper order! So now our apartment is completely set up, and we're here ready to roll. Tanya's already been working from home and everything is going great there as well.
As for the island itself, we're supposed to be in the dry season right now, but you wouldn't know it based on our time here. It rains every day, and for the past three days it's been nearly non-stop hard rain. It looks like we'll finally have some reprieve today. It's all still breathtaking; I don't think I'll ever get over looking at the mountains, and seeing one peak shrouded in mist while the adjacent one shoots up like a green sentinel, untouched by clouds. There are some pretty awesome sights around the school alone. We're scheduled to take an island tour this Sunday, so I'll post about that later.
I've rambled on long enough, so that's it for now! I plan on moving my blog entries to the weekends, so this will probably be my last post during the week. I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty busy! If you have Facebook, make sure to check out my profile, as that's where I'll be posting most of my photos; my youtube channel for videos is www.youtube.com/user/mickeydurden, and my flickr account is http://www.flickr.com/photos/blakegoodman08/ for those of you who don't have Facebook.
Have a fantastic 2011 everyone! I know I will!
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