PCV: Paid Caribbean Vacation

I am sitting in the airport in Cincinnati waiting to leave. This whole day started as the last day ended because I never went to sleep being that I had to be at the airport around 4:30am. I stayed with Carlin and got my last dose of America by watching “Miracle” to help me remember what was so great about our sports here. I still got the chills when they beat the Russians, I guess some things will never grow old.

After arriving at the airport for my 7:10 flight, I was ready to depart for Cleveland before then going to Ft. Lauderdale and finally stopping in Nassau, Bahamas. I get there and realize that the pre-departure machines in the airport are not allowing me to check my bags. Nothing is coming up. The attendant finally comes around and tells me that my flight to Cleveland is cancelled. I was thinking this would be a great way to get the trip started! Instead of flying Continental, I would be flying Delta to Ft. Lauderdale and completely cut out the Cleveland connection flight. The downside to this was it was about 5:10am and then my flight didn’t leave until 9:25am. I still get to connect to the same flight to Nassau from Ft. Lauderdale so that I will be there in Nassau at the same expected time.

As if this weren’t enough trouble to get things started, I am then flagged by homeland security to get extra screening. Go figure. I have about $1000 cash on me including $600 of it in singles and these people are going to be looking through my bags asking questions. Surprisingly they were fun and once they realized I wasn’t going to bring a bomb on the plane (yeah I said bomb and plane in the same sentence) they were quite nice and open for conversation. The man told me being that I was switched from one airline to another that I was automatically flagged. Not only this, but the fact that I was on an international flight I also get flagged automatically. If this wasn’t enough, any one-way tickets you get you flagged as well. Basically, anything that could make me a terrorist pre-flight, I had the signs. Oh well. Something I am noticing already as I sit here at a Max & Erma’s bar and watch Sportscenter for the last time is how much I forgot how nice it was to not have to worry about people smoking around me. Ohio may be smoke free now but the airport is inconveniently in Northern Kentucky so these nasty people on both sides and pretty much all around me are smoking. I guess this is just something that I will have to get used to since most countries will probably not care if I prefer to not be around smokers.

That being said, I am still excited to be leaving. My bags are checked, so it’s official. I am on my way to Semester at Sea! The airport is extremely dead in the morning and I keep thinking that time will fly faster but it never does. I hope to take a nap on the plane, but I’m more hoping that the snow that is falling outside doesn’t cause anymore problems that I don’t need. I figure if it isn’t one thing it’s another. I don’t care. Nothing will stop me from getting there. I’ll hijack a plane first and make them fly. Bahamas will be my next stop, no excuses. My sleep may be deprived but I am far from broken on my spirits about what is about to happen me. Only minor details remain.