“To hear a thousand monarch wings beating”
“To see a humpback whale breech”
“To hear the song of a painted bunting or pygmy owl”
“To savor foods and flavors I have never tasted before
“To learn from and share with other educators resources and lessons related to this expedition”
“To make connections between North Carolina and Mexico”
“To visit an archeological site of global importance.”

The list went on for three pages of chart paper all carefully taped to the column of Atlanta’s Delta Gate 2E. The bulleted statements on the chart paper listed the collective goals of all 12 educators on this experience. From Cherokee to Greenville and all parts in between, educators from across North Carolina sat in a circle at Gate 2E and tried to prepare ourselves for this amazing journey in front of us.

Today we travelled many miles to reach a destination we have never seen before, just like the monarchs that brought us here in the first place. We tried to prepare ourselves for the possibility of being witnesses to several of the greatest migrations on planet Earth. We are trying to prepare ourselves for a truly magical expereince.

But this magical experience had to start in a very basic way… with travel. So today we traveled a lot. We traveled from our homes by car to Raleigh and by plane to the Atlanta airport. From there we boarded another plane to Mexico City. We flew above the clouds where the setting sun made the sky a pale pink. Scientists believe the monarch butterflies also travel at high altitudes, maybe even as high as planes. Once in Mexico City we were back on the ground, but new ground. From there we traveled by bus to our hotel near Teotihuacan. And it was here that our first day of travel ended and we could finally rest.

But today was about more than just travel. It was travel mixed with getting to know each other. It was travel mixed with conversations about what we are excited to observe and what we know we had to leave behind to be present in the moments ahead. We look forward to tomorrow with anticipation. Like butterflies, we are fluttering with excitement about the magic ahead.