Wow, it's the very last day. And in the Lima airport at 1:30am, my flight left the terminal. I got in the plane, really exhausted, and happy to see a complimentary blanket and pillow. I figured this plane would be big (with how far it had to go), but it really surprised me how new and modern it was. Each row had 9 seats and each seat had a new, touch screen display. The safety announcement was played on it initially, but this screen could be used for any movie or game i wanted. Didn't exactly use it to the fullest though - as soon as the in flight snack was given out, I ate, then fell right asleep. The man next to me offered me his dessert, which i found funny since that was kind of my thing during ecuaexperience. I gravoled myself to sleep for several hours, then when breakfast came around, the guy beside me was kind enough to wake me up. After eating, we talked for a good while about my trip and his upcoming destination (Shanghai). When we landed, I found out by looking at the logo on his bag that he was a doctor. That gave us more to talk about. We carried on together for the next little while. On the way to customs, he was questioned by a chinese-american officer, and afterwards, we joked that he probably just wanted something from shanghai. As it turned out, after the first customs check, I needed to grab and recheck my bag. Good thing I checked. My bag was then rescanned before I was allowed to leave, but of course all was good. We had separated at this step, but we were at different terminals anyway, so from here on out, i would have to hope for good, reliable wifi to save the day. I printed out my ticket to vancouver and then went through another extensive bag check before continuing. The whole fire drill lasted 2 hours in total - and this was just a connecting flight!! Lucky me, the wifi was perfect so i was at least amused during my long layover in LA. Just as I was about to board my final flight, I went to txt home to say i was getting on. As I was about to press send, sure enough, I get a call from mom. Looks like we're close enough now for our minds to sync. I had my last long distance convo with her before getting on, then got in my seat by the window. Just as the plane was being taxied out, the bar securing the taxi broke. So we had to wait around for some 15 minutes for them to inspect the plane and get a new taxi, but it was fine since our pilot made up the time in the air. In a little over 2 hours, i was seeing familiar scenery out the window - greater vancouver. I'm pretty sure I set a new land speed record through customs and baggage. After nearly 24 hours in transit, I was ready to be out of an airport. And thus, my trip came to an end with the long awaited hugs of my parents at the arrivals area. I had my sister and dog, along with lasagna and cake waiting for me at home. And now, as I write my last words, I have my nice soft bed to appreciate. This has been a summer of a lifetime for me. I've learned so many things and I imagine that I'm a bit different than when I left Canada 3 months ago (hopefully changed for the better). I've met so many people and I hope to reunite with all of them again in the future. As a final word, make sure to never forget the countless blessings we are given each day. We don't need bars on our windows and broken glass lining brick walls around our houses. You don't sit at a bathroom stall each day, charging 50 cents for toilet paper. We live in a country with a comfortable middle class majority, instead of a chasm between rich and poor. Yet there is genuine happiness, generosity, and kindness to south americans, regardless of if they are well off or in need. I never met a person that i disliked in any of these countries. If even the poorest of people that we built houses in ecuador can be happy with so little, perhaps all we need to be happy is to step back and realize what we have. Anyway, here it goes - THE END!
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