Words words words...

I can't find the words.

Today I left my beloved New Zealand. There are no words to describe how I'm feeling right now. But I will try. Forgive me if it doesn't make sense. (For those who don't know, my travel plans are thus: Fly out of Auckland and to Santiago, Chile. Layover for a couple hours and onto Lima, Peru where I will wait for seven hours and then meet up with Sarah and a bunch of other people from Cardston. 12 days in Peru and then, finally, on to Canada. Home.)

As we rose higher and higher into the sky and I got farther and farther away from the land that I love, I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for myself. But I knew I had to shake off this pity party so I could enjoy my time in peru. As the plane landed in Santiago, I saw the jagged hills and smallish mountains rising out of the flat lowlands. It reminded me of the jagged hills and smallish mountains I had just left behind in NZ. These ones darastically different though, brown and dry instead of green and fertile. Dotted with scraggly bush instead of sheep and cattle. It was beautiful though, even with all it's dead-ness. Funny thing, this was supposedly the wet season. And indeed, it was raining, but I don't think the ground had realized that yet. Santiago airport in one word- wet. Apparently the roof couldn't handle the wet season very well, cause it was leaking all over the place. We were all dodging buckets and puddles walking down the halls. They even had to relocate our gate twice cause they couldn't keep up with the leaks.
The flight from Santiago to Lima was good. The seat next to me was empty (again! How lucky am I?) We had a beautiful view of the coast for most of the flight. Well, the part of the flight I was awake for, which really was only take off and landing. It hasn't quite sunk in that I am no longer in NZ and am now in Peru.
By the way, I sort of wrote this post in several different pieces, typing a bit here and there as I pick up wi-fi spots. Can you tell? Does it sound disjointed and random? If so, sorry. For the past 6 hours I have been sitting in the Lima airport. Joy. One more hour and then everyone else will get here. One . more .. hour...

So here's a small example of how much I have grown, six and a half months ago when I flew to NZ I wouldn't dare talk to anyone. Not unless I really had to. Now however, I'm different. All it takes is one word to start a conversation. Thanks to that one word I have met some pretty awesome people, that have taught me a lot of cool things. Bits of spanish, the best hot spots, and random tidbits about Peru and Machu pichu. Plus, the time goes a lot faster when you have people to talk to. LIke right now, I'm sitting in starbucks chatting to seven or so other people while using the internet that one of the people just happened to know the password for. Ahhhh, life is pretty good.
And voila, just like that, the hour's gone! Time to go meet the plane!!

(haha, I think it's kinda funny that at the beginning of the post i was having trouble finding the words to say.. well I guess I found them)