In the air almost a day behind schedule, it was a slow take-off for all 22 world travelers on this year’s Pacific Rim Semester Abroad trip. Flight Delta 27 from Detroit to Hong Kong was canceled due to an ice storm in Atlanta that held back the team’s connecting flight. The original departure time for 3:25 p.m. Monday, Jan 14 was rescheduled for noon on Tuesday, Jan. 15. “They’re doing really well…some of them are excited about camping out in the airport,” said Director Brent Reimer regarding the students’ condition. What better way to bond with one’s peers than sleeping in an airport? Adventurous as it may sound, Reimer obtained rooms in a nearby hotel despite the ongoing Detroit auto show limiting hotel availability in the area. Around 1 AM, almost ten hours after their original departure time, the team settled into a hotel for the night. “We’ve let parents know the new situation,” stated Assistant Director of Semester Abroad, Josh Hartsell. His primary concern is student morale, but he thinks they seem to be doing well. The team lost one of two nights in Hong Kong because of the delayed start, but with 13 ½ weeks to go, there are plenty of memories to be made. Their next destination is New Zealand, where they’ll be for a total of four weeks. Other stops on the map include Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong again, and China for the final six weeks. Bethel’s PACrim team plans to return April 18.
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