We arrived in Miami at 7:10 in the morning and were able to get off of our plane and to passport control very quickly. Our flight was the only one there and the American citizens’ line was very short, then it was on to baggage claim. Once we had our bags we were able to (almost) walk right through customs and, once we figured out how to get out of the airport (the Miami airport is horrible…), Angelika’s brother and mom picked us up from the airport. Since my flight to Charlotte was not until 3:00 they had kindly offered to let me keep my things in their apartment while Angelika gave me a quick tour of downtown Miami.
We grabbed a quick snack and re-hydrated (the airplane air had turned us into jerky) before we walked around Bay Front Park and the port. We also stopped by a historic cathedral and both of Angelika’s family’s jewelry stores. At her parent’s jewelry store I had a really great time trying on some beautiful vintage jewelry! Angelika and I got lunch at a Peruvian restaurant where I tried Ceviche for the first time and it was delicious! For others who have not tried this before, Ceviche is a raw fish or seafood dish that has been marinated in highly acidic lemon juices for several hours which renders the food safe to eat and very tasty! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to try and see so many new things in Miami! It was the best layover ever, thanks again Albaladejo family!
Angelika and her younger brother drove me back to the airport where I was able to check in with relative ease, although security was moving somewhat slow since there was a heightened alert. Once I finally made it out of security and to my gate, I found out that my flight had also been randomly selected for an additional TSA inspection of bags and IDs. I have to hand it to them though, the TSA was efficient and our plane only left 15 min behind schedule.
Around 5:20 I finally touched back down in Charlotte after almost two amazing months spent in Brazil. Just as with the last time I studied abroad, this experience has been fantastic and completely worth all of the classes, applications, and stress of planning and executing international travels. I am so grateful to the FLAS program that I was able to have this experience. I know that I will be back in Brazil in the future, and I hope that my next visit will be as wonderful as this experience has been!
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