Friday, 09.18.2015 - 12:51 pm.
We made it! The four of us! We're in Sheffield, I can't believe everything turned out so well. Andrew and I flew from Santiago to Paris, after excruciating hours at the airport. The workers were on a strike on Tuesday, so our flight was moved to Wednesday at 1 am. We got there at 10 pm and it was madness, like the end of the world, with thousands of impatient and exhausted people waiting to board a plane as soon as the strike ended at midnight.
I always thought the flight across the Atlantic, if it ever happened, would be the worst of my life. I even hoped I would never have to take one. It turned out to be the most peaceful so far. Andrew and I slept almost nine hours straight, we had a nice meal, I watched a movie. We passed a turbulence zone but the plane barely shook, sometimes I'd forget I was flying. The seats were comfortable and roomy and I had aisle seat near the restroom.
We had a 12-hour layover in Paris and we figured we'd find a place to crash at the airport. Instead, Air France, having rescheduled the flight due to the strike, sent us to a nice hotel and gave us a snack and a voucher for breakfast. We were well rested the next morning, as we headed for Amsterdam and then Manchester. The jet lag hasn't been so bad.
A Chilean man, part of the tight-knight Chilean community here, picked us up from the airport and brought us to the city, and we're staying at Andrew's friends apartment. Andrew and I spent yesterday afternoon walking around campus and running errands. All went well. The cats arrived at night, after nearly 30 hours of travelling, from Santiago to Buenos Aires to Frankfurt to London and then to here.
It was a relief, being finally together after such uncertainty and a long trip, although it's just the beginning. This family has been too kind by taking us in while we find somewhere to live, but we're so uncomfortable and embarrassed. It's an apartment for three: Andrew's friend, her husband and her daughter. Andrew and I are occupying the daughter's bedroom, unable to unpack our stuff, and the cats are confused. Nico won't stop moaning and Marla pooped in our hostess' bed in the middle of the night. It's really hard to find pet-friendly housing but we have to get out of here as soon as possible and stop bothering this family.
Sheffield seems to be a wonderful city but we're not enjoying it and we won't until we figure out where to live. I hope we find something soon and that this damned cat shuts up and gets some sleep.
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