Day 1 – Charlotte to Miami
I had to grab a few last minute items before my flight out @ 10:15 PM. This was an awful way to start off the race. I had spent most of June trying to be as prepared as I could, even pretending I was leaving a day early to get all that was supposed to get done, done. I don’t even know how much sleep I got my last week in the States…it was almost null. I was still trying to get all my affairs in order (important documents organized for easy access for my parents & myself, packing, having family time, raise support, say some last goodbyes, etc.) before I left & was even ditching out weight while I was on the check-in line @ the A. Port! I then said goodbye & hugged my parent’s goodbye… I can’t think of that without crying. As I was going thru the security line my mom kept yelling out for the entire airport to here. She yelled out things like, “Don’t forget to eat.” & “Be safe.” Others in line were laughing at it, smiling, as they thought I was probably 18 & it was the first time I was leaving home. My dad just stood there & smiled & watched me.
So, I make it thru security & now I am standing ALONE. I already felt like I was no longer in America. I got a sandwich for dinner & by the time I finished it, it was time to meet some people at the gate for the flight. This was the start of my World Race.
Day 2 – MIA to Mexico City
We made it to MIA ~ 1 am & met up with the rest of the squad. With a long lay-over, a few of us, decided to stay up the whole night until our morning flight to M. City. I used this time to wisely unpack my pack & book bag to make a little more room & loose some weight. I ended up getting rid of my pedicure case & 2 chip clips! My bag still pretty much weighed the same (~ 46 lbs.) But the rest of the time I enjoyed talking to the squad, hopping on the internet for a little bit, & drinking a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee to keep me from falling asleep.
After landing in M. City with a short layover, are next plane was to Cancun @ 3:30. Here is where I had my first experience with luggage problems. My pack which was my first piece of gear that I got back in Feb. had been damaged. After disputing the claim AeroMexico decided that since the damage was a low cost damage, they would not cover it. It could be disputed if I went online & filled out some forms, but then they still wouldn’t be able to confirm it got damaged while under American Airlines to M. City or their airline. One of the guys on the squad ended up tearing off the neck piece for me & my pack seems to be doing fine.
After I had dealt with the pack issue, I was told that our squad was about to do their 1st race. But, we were not able to because all the money in our AIM bank accounts were frozen. After figuring out what to do (using our own $ & AIM would reimburse us), we all got on a bus to the bus station to get on our 12 hour bus ride to Hermonosa (?). Once we got to the station, we then learned that not everyone could fit on the bus together. Our team, another team, & a fellow squad-mate who was a wonderful translator stayed behind to take the next bus ride that would leave in the morning. This meant we had no money except our own personal money we were using for the bus rides & nowhere to sleep! We were not even allowed to lie down on the bench at the bus station. So, I had a brilliant idea of calling home & asking my parents if they had time share. This freaked my mom out & long story short, my parents paid for 12 people to stay the night in Cancun crammed into 2 hotel bedrooms—the marrieds in one & all the girls in another.
