On September 5th I headed to Atlanta knowing that sometime within the next week that I would be flying to Romania and that was about it. When the squad arrived at the airport we were told that we would be staying in little Mexico for the next few days. (The Hispanic district within Gainesville Georgia) We were given 5 dollars a day for food and a place to sleep at a Hispanic church within a strip mall. This was as close as we could get to leaving the country without doing so. And it turned out to be a great place to spend my last few days in America. Mainly thanks to the dollar taco stand down the street. After spending time with my fellow squad mates and getting briefed about the final details for the trip I was told I would be on the second flight to Romania which encompassed a 11 hour layover in New York City and a 9 hour layover in Warsaw Poland. I was stoked! We arrived on JFK and I discovered there was a Mets game that started in 15 minutes! I jumped for joy and grabbed 3 friends daring enough to get on the subway and hopefully find our way to Citi Field. After an hour and a half on the subway we arrived, we bought tickets and were in our seats by the 4th inning. We all toughly enjoyed watching America’s game during our last day in America. The Mets narrowly beat the Cubs in a 5-4 game. With 5 hours still left in our layover we headed to ground zero on the day before the 10th anniversary of 9/11. There was an eerie since in the air when I got off the subway. The streets were packed with Firefighters, Police, and the Bomb Squad among others. We signed a poster and said a prayer wishing our best to the families of the victims. On the Subway ride back to the airport I sat next to a firefighter that was on his way home from a memorial service held strictly for NY fire fighters. I was deeply humbled by talking with him and I am still in awe of what took place on that faithful day.
At the airport I said my final goodbyes to friends and family then boarded LOT airlines (the official airline of Poland) to officially start my 11-month journey around the world.
