AW-W-W-W...KUDOS FROM A NEW FRIEND!

Blog by Marianna Carpenter. Participant April 14, 2007

This trip did not start out auspiciously---first of all, my husband couldn't come, so I was sure this would not be fun. On the plane, the flight attendant spilled a can of cranapple juice all over me, and while running to catch my connection, I managed to get a quarter-sized blister on my heel that broke. Oh joy...this trip was going to be a lot of fun! I can't get my foot in a shoe (I did bring four pair---yes, I am a shoe person!), and our first day is an all-day Guadalajara walking tour---don't these people know better?...high altitude, travel day, health problems, etc. I already hate this trip.

That was my Saturday evening thought while I was getting ready for dinner. By the end of dinner, I had laughed so much, my sides hurt, and I had 21 new friends! Never in my life have I made friends this quickly and for sure not a bunch at once---must be the "space portal!"
We all spent our free time, what little there was, together in the bar terrace every day. There was so much laughter and fun that no one wanted it to end. I can see spending the rest of my life with these people with no regrets! Seventeen people from all over the U.S. and Canada with nothing in common except a desire for a new life.

Problems---no sir!---Karen galloped in on her white horse with lots of bandages and solved the heel problem---muchas gracias! Rick walking with his cane solved the "I'm always going to be last, because I can't walk well" problem! And, Bill Hayworth, Kate and Barry solved the "I'm all alone" problem. Never in my life have I felt such a closeness to people that I just met. All of them, including the staff, are awesome people.

I cannot imagine this type of thing happening to someone more than once in a lifetime, and I will cherish it forever. And, by the way, we managed to learn a lot too!

Moral of the story: great things happen when you eat, laugh and learn with friends, new or old!

FOM's note: We loved you too, Marianna...you didn't even get mad it me for "making" you wear one of my hats in Guadalajara! You're a real trooper! Remember, you're coming back for New Year's Eve!