After double-checking my luggage one final time at 6:30 a.m., I confirmed that I had packed all the essentials needed for my 25-day trip to Guatemala. By 7:00 a.m., I was on the road, heading to Logan Airport for our four-hour flight to Miami. Of course, I made a quick stop for coffee first—airport coffee is notoriously overpriced. Unfortunately, around 8:20 a.m., about 30 minutes outside of Boston, I got caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I admit, I started to get a little nervous as I saw cars barely moving, but as I neared the airport, the traffic cleared.
When I finally arrived at Logan, I met up with my instructors and fellow students, and we made our way through security. While waiting at our gate, we learned that our flight had been delayed by nearly an hour. Although that was frustrating, the time seemed to pass more quickly than expected. We stopped for lunch in the airport, where we learned that one of our own Emergency Management graduates in the Massachusetts State Police who was providing security. After lunch, we spent most of our time discussing what we hoped to gain from this experiential learning opportunity.
At 12:50 p.m., we finally began boarding. Everyone was eager to leave New England’s cold, brisk air, which was a chilly 22°F at the time. Once we were in the air, I managed to snap some stunning pictures of the sky. We landed in Miami around 4:30 p.m., and the temperature had warmed to a much more comfortable 63°F.
After claiming our bags, we took a shuttle to the hotel, where we met with other students who had flown in from different parts of the country. To wrap up the day, we went to Miami Grill for what would be one of our last American meals for the next month. During our dinner, Mitch Campbell, another EM graduate who is a Coast Guard officer serving in Miami, stopped by for a quick visit before we headed back to the hotel to rest for the night.
Written By: 3/C Mackenzie Champagne
