Well, I'm back! The trip was very nice down there (except for security, customs, and such) and I think my sister handled it very nicely in my opinion. She took some Dramamine to try and calm herself, but she was still pretty nervous. She kept asking me what the noises coming from the the airplane were, and a couple times she clamped down on my arm pretty hard (ouch). But overall I've still gotta give her props for facing her fear and getting on those flights. I don't think it changed her opinion about flying (quote from her: "If I never have to get on another airplane again it'll be too soon), but at least she had the courage to tackle her fears and not let them rule her. To madpilot44: Sorry I didn't get your message in time, we left on Friday for Chicago and flew out on Saturday. We arrived in the capital the same day and rode a bus for 4 hours or so to Santiago by Lake Atitlan (pardon me if I spell anything wrong, by the way). Man, it's a crazy drive! We were weaving through all sorts of crazy traffic. We then got to stay with the rest of the group with a guy named Tom, a missionary who works with kids unwanted by families and sent to Guatemalen government. He's also got a 182
that he flies from a little airstrip on the side of the mountain. We pretty much helped out by fixing up the house (the electrical wiring for it was crazy - we could get zapped through the wall one time), hauling some firewood and timber, doing outreaches in the nearby villages, and playing with the kids.