Charlotte, NC - I spent a month there one night.

Hola everyone!

Well, here we are again at the beginning of another adventure. We decided to shake things up a bit this time. Instead of merely backpacking through South America, we decided to teach English. While teaching is a completely different experience - certainly our mobility will be greatly limited and we see as much as we did in Asia - it offers us the ability to learn and absorb a particular culture a great deal more than passing through. (Not to mention the financial benefits). To increase our potential earning power and placement availability we decided to take a TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) certification in Manual Antonio, Costa Rica.

Yesterday, we boarded our flight from Toronto (to NYC to Charlotte to San Jose) with starry eyed enthusiasm. I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see none other than Bob Rae sitting a few ailes ahead of us on the plane. I said to a nearby steward "Bob Rae is on the plane!" He looked unamused and informed me they saw Mr. Rae often aboard. The flight was every travelers' nightmare. Conditions made it a bumpy, turbulent coaster ride which left both of us reeling for the sick bags. Weather in New York had us circling LaGuardia for 25 minutes which we both knew meant we would be missing our connecting flight. We ran from one terminal building to another - coatless, I might add. Winter is coming to NYC! - to find that our next flight was too delayed and that we had caught a break. We jumped for joy momentarily before realizing this meant our connecting flight from Charlotte to San Jose would be missed. The US airline advised us to get to Charlotte and spend the night, and take a flight the next morning to San Jose.

Arriving in Charlotte, we hunkered down in a local Holiday Inn and listed the reasons why it was best the final leg of our trip take place tomorrow. We arose bright and early, excited to get onward with our trip and made our way off to the airport. Ready to check in, the agent asks whether or not we have a return ticket. As we do not, the agent explains she cannot allow us onward. So begins the saga of the return ticket. After running around trying to find a loophole into the regulation, we finally decide to buy a cheap return ticket and whether or not we use it back, we at least can gain entry into Costa Rica. Unfortunately, by the time we had worked out the return ticket, our flight was long past boarding and we were once again facing another night in good ol' Charlotte.

Sigh - wouldn't be an adventure without some rocky travel starts?

Tomorrow, we are hoping we will make it to San Jose. If not, we are throwing our hands up and coming home. (Just kidding...like THAT would ever happen!)

Keep you posted. We love you and miss you all!

Maeve/Jay