Overall, I thought our trip to Boston was really fun. I liked that we got to see all the places we are learning about like Lexington and Concord because that makes it much more interesting. My favorite thing on the trip was seeing the Old North Church because I thought it was really beautiful in and around the church and I loved the little boxes inside that families sat in.
The worst thing about the trip was waking up so early, especially because I never really adjusted to Boston time, and seeing the USS Constitution. When we got to the boat they were almost closing and we had to go through security. It was really boring because we didn't have tour guides and there was nothing special at all to see.
I would have thought that I would learn the most at Lexington and Concord, but that wasn't really true because we had learned so much about them at school before we came to Boston. I actually learned the most about the colleges. Educational-wise though, I learned a lot about Henry David Thoureau and how he was inspired by nature. I think what I learned about him was especially important to me because I am also in philosophy.
Based on the three colleges we saw, I think I would prefer to go to an urban one. Boston College and Boston University both seemed to have very small class sizes compared to what I expected; I think I would want classes like those. Visiting these places didn't really change my views on college at all though.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
9-25-08
This morning, again, Tali and I woke up late and didn't get breakfast. The first thing we did today was go to Salem. We saw a graveyard full of people who had been hung after being accused as witches. Also we saw stones that acknowledged all the people that died over the course of just a few days. These included Rebecca Nurse, John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Martha Corey, whom we are all reading about in The Crucible.
After this, we went to a Museum. At first, since we hadn't had breakfast, we got muffins. Then we found an interactive arctic exhibit and stayed there for most of the time. There were all sorts of games and fun things to do there. We learned about polar bears and saw a sped-up video of the polar ice caps to watch how quickly they are melting. We also tried to see the tattoo exhibit, but a security woman wouldn't let us in because we had drinks.
After the museum, we went out to lunch for sandwiches. It was very chaotic and a little stressful there and the food was ok. Right after this, we went to a candy shop. Nick was nice and loaned me money to buy some goodies, which we ate by the House of the Seven Gables. We went inside this building, too, but there wasn't much to see unless you were on a guided tour, so we left.
Then we took the bus to Rock Port. There we got to wander around town for a few hours. Shannon and I went to the beach and relaxed at first and then got ice cream and shopped a little. The town was really cute and full of nice people.
Finally, we went to Shear Madness. I thought it was just going to be a normal play, but it turned out to be an interactive thing where they asked the audience for help to solve a murder. I loved that they would play out whatever ending we voted for. Yet again, tonight everyone is really tired and going to sleep soon.
Also, since Tali and I didn't bring our computers, we had to type our blogs from all the previous days in Boston today. We have been taking quick notes every night, but couldn't type them here because Isa's computer wasn't working. I'm really glad it is better now though. Also I am glad we thought to take notes because I don't think I would remember much about the past days if we hadn't. It still sucks doing this thought because it has taken a really long time to type everything out again. It's not too big of a deal though and now we are packed and ready for the flight in the morning and are going to sleep.
After this, we went to a Museum. At first, since we hadn't had breakfast, we got muffins. Then we found an interactive arctic exhibit and stayed there for most of the time. There were all sorts of games and fun things to do there. We learned about polar bears and saw a sped-up video of the polar ice caps to watch how quickly they are melting. We also tried to see the tattoo exhibit, but a security woman wouldn't let us in because we had drinks.
After the museum, we went out to lunch for sandwiches. It was very chaotic and a little stressful there and the food was ok. Right after this, we went to a candy shop. Nick was nice and loaned me money to buy some goodies, which we ate by the House of the Seven Gables. We went inside this building, too, but there wasn't much to see unless you were on a guided tour, so we left.
Then we took the bus to Rock Port. There we got to wander around town for a few hours. Shannon and I went to the beach and relaxed at first and then got ice cream and shopped a little. The town was really cute and full of nice people.
Finally, we went to Shear Madness. I thought it was just going to be a normal play, but it turned out to be an interactive thing where they asked the audience for help to solve a murder. I loved that they would play out whatever ending we voted for. Yet again, tonight everyone is really tired and going to sleep soon.
Also, since Tali and I didn't bring our computers, we had to type our blogs from all the previous days in Boston today. We have been taking quick notes every night, but couldn't type them here because Isa's computer wasn't working. I'm really glad it is better now though. Also I am glad we thought to take notes because I don't think I would remember much about the past days if we hadn't. It still sucks doing this thought because it has taken a really long time to type everything out again. It's not too big of a deal though and now we are packed and ready for the flight in the morning and are going to sleep.
9-24-08
This morning Tali and I woke up really late so we didn't get breakfast. Once we got on the bus, we went to Boston University. We went to a big room with some people from different places and a guy told us about the school. He said that they encouraged taking some time for school abroad and having multiple majors. The school is split into a few smaller colleges, the biggest of which is the science and arts college. When he was done talking to us, we got a guide who was also really nice. She lead us all around the school. I liked this one better than Boston College because it is more in the city and seemed funner and friendlier. We saw a dorm room which was really tiny. Also, we saw most of the other dorm buildings and school buildings; they are so beautiful.
After our tour, we went out to lunch at The Garage. Tali and Shannon and I got burritos. They were better than we expected from the East Coast, but still not nearly as good as in Marin or San Francisco.
Also, we saw Harvard, which is named after John Harvard. We didn't get a official tour, but Steve showed us around and talked about the school. He told us that a lot of famous people went there (including George Washington and Henry David Thoreau) and that it was the first university in America. We saw the statue of John Harvard, which, apparently, was actually a student who posed for the part because nobody knew what John had looked like, and the largest Harvard library out of the sixty they have.
Then we all met back up and went to Lexington. There was a field and some monuments that we looked at. However, we learned that there wasn't actually a battle fought there, even though it is where the war officially began. Lexington is where the first shot, "the shot heard around the world", happened. Next we went to Concord, where we walked across the North Bridge and saw another monument. We didn't stay at either of these places for very long.
After Concord we went to Walden Pond. It was beautiful there. We saw the tiny home of Henry David Thoreau. He was a writer who was very inspired by nature and believed simple living and environmentalism. We walked around the pond, which was far more like a lake. That wasn't too bad except that there were a lot of bugs and I got a few bites on my arms and thought I touched poison ivy (luckily, it turned out that it wasn't that though).
Next we went to a mall. We explored a few shops and then got crepes for dinner. After that, a bunch of us went to see a movie across the street. It was really good. Again we were really tired by the end, so we all came back and fell asleep quickly.
After our tour, we went out to lunch at The Garage. Tali and Shannon and I got burritos. They were better than we expected from the East Coast, but still not nearly as good as in Marin or San Francisco.
Also, we saw Harvard, which is named after John Harvard. We didn't get a official tour, but Steve showed us around and talked about the school. He told us that a lot of famous people went there (including George Washington and Henry David Thoreau) and that it was the first university in America. We saw the statue of John Harvard, which, apparently, was actually a student who posed for the part because nobody knew what John had looked like, and the largest Harvard library out of the sixty they have.
Then we all met back up and went to Lexington. There was a field and some monuments that we looked at. However, we learned that there wasn't actually a battle fought there, even though it is where the war officially began. Lexington is where the first shot, "the shot heard around the world", happened. Next we went to Concord, where we walked across the North Bridge and saw another monument. We didn't stay at either of these places for very long.
After Concord we went to Walden Pond. It was beautiful there. We saw the tiny home of Henry David Thoreau. He was a writer who was very inspired by nature and believed simple living and environmentalism. We walked around the pond, which was far more like a lake. That wasn't too bad except that there were a lot of bugs and I got a few bites on my arms and thought I touched poison ivy (luckily, it turned out that it wasn't that though).
Next we went to a mall. We explored a few shops and then got crepes for dinner. After that, a bunch of us went to see a movie across the street. It was really good. Again we were really tired by the end, so we all came back and fell asleep quickly.
9-23-08
This morning we woke up after only a few hours of sleep and got breakfast downstairs at our hotel. Then we got onto the bus and met our tour guide, Steve. He seems nice. We went to Fenway park, but we got there really early and it wasn't even open yet, so we hung out in the gift shop across the street for a while. Then when it opened, we met our guide for the park, whose name was also Steve. He was very eccentric but funny. We learned a lot about Fenway and it was pretty fun. We went up on the Green Monster and heard about the curse after the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth. Steve told us that Fenway Park is the oldest baseball park; it opened in 1912. Also, it was the site of the first world series.
After that, we walked part of the Freedom Trail. I expected it to be a dirt path connecting a bunch of historic places but it was just a red line painted over the sidewalk that went all over town. We saw Paul Revere's house. The coolest thing on the Freedom Trail was definitely the church. We saw where the two lanterns were hung to warn Americans of the arriving British soldiers. We learned that the man who hung the lanterns there was the owner of the church. The British knew it was him that hung the laterns because he was the only one who had a key to the building, so they came after him. However, he jumped out a window and escaped.
After lunch, we all met back up and went back on the bus to Boston College. There we split into two groups to be toured separately. My tour guide was very nice and seemed to really know what she was talking about. Personally, I didn't like the college very much because it was kind of dull and I didn't find anything specifically exciting about it. It was nice there though, just not great.
When we left, we took a long bus ride to see the USS Consitution. We got there as they were closing so it was really boring and there wasn't much to do or see. Also, since we had no guides to tell us the important things, it just seemed like any other boat and we didn't learn much about it. We left there pretty quickly to get dinner on a different boat.
The dinner was really fun. When the ship got there it was really big and everybody else was all dressed up while we were still all in jeans and sweatshirts. The food was really good, especially the mashed potoates. Toward the end, they turned on music and everyone went down to the dance floor. That was funny. It was a really long day so everybody was really tired when we got back and fell asleep quickly.
After that, we walked part of the Freedom Trail. I expected it to be a dirt path connecting a bunch of historic places but it was just a red line painted over the sidewalk that went all over town. We saw Paul Revere's house. The coolest thing on the Freedom Trail was definitely the church. We saw where the two lanterns were hung to warn Americans of the arriving British soldiers. We learned that the man who hung the lanterns there was the owner of the church. The British knew it was him that hung the laterns because he was the only one who had a key to the building, so they came after him. However, he jumped out a window and escaped.
After lunch, we all met back up and went back on the bus to Boston College. There we split into two groups to be toured separately. My tour guide was very nice and seemed to really know what she was talking about. Personally, I didn't like the college very much because it was kind of dull and I didn't find anything specifically exciting about it. It was nice there though, just not great.
When we left, we took a long bus ride to see the USS Consitution. We got there as they were closing so it was really boring and there wasn't much to do or see. Also, since we had no guides to tell us the important things, it just seemed like any other boat and we didn't learn much about it. We left there pretty quickly to get dinner on a different boat.
The dinner was really fun. When the ship got there it was really big and everybody else was all dressed up while we were still all in jeans and sweatshirts. The food was really good, especially the mashed potoates. Toward the end, they turned on music and everyone went down to the dance floor. That was funny. It was a really long day so everybody was really tired when we got back and fell asleep quickly.
9-22-08
Today I woke up at 5:30 in the morning so I could be at the airport by 6:45. That was awful. It was pretty smooth getting onto the plane though; we didn't have to wait aroung too much, yet we weren't rushed either. The flight attendents on the plane were mean and the seatbelt sign was on practically the whole flight so nobody could go to the bathroom. Every time the sign was turned off about half the people on the plane would get up to go and then by the time we were near the front, the sign would go back on and we would have to sit down. Eventually everybody got to go though and there were no accidents so it was fine. The flight felt really long and everyone was tired when we got off even though the time difference is only three hours.
It is really pretty in Boston; I absolutely love all the brick buildings. Our bus driver is nice and told us some basic info about Boston. We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I wish we had gotten to go to the hotel and settled in and then went out to dinner though. But it was fine and I got a chicken sandwich that was actually pretty good. After we ate, we hung out in Quincy Market. Everybody was really tired and bored so we ended up just hanging out at the meeting point for a long time, which wasn't all that exciting. Then, once everybody was back, we came to the hotel and checked in and got our rooms. We only have two beds for the three of us so Tali and I are sharing a bed and Isa is sleeping in the other one. It is hard to fall asleep at a good time because we are all excited to be here and still getting used to it being three hours later than it feels.
It is really pretty in Boston; I absolutely love all the brick buildings. Our bus driver is nice and told us some basic info about Boston. We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I wish we had gotten to go to the hotel and settled in and then went out to dinner though. But it was fine and I got a chicken sandwich that was actually pretty good. After we ate, we hung out in Quincy Market. Everybody was really tired and bored so we ended up just hanging out at the meeting point for a long time, which wasn't all that exciting. Then, once everybody was back, we came to the hotel and checked in and got our rooms. We only have two beds for the three of us so Tali and I are sharing a bed and Isa is sleeping in the other one. It is hard to fall asleep at a good time because we are all excited to be here and still getting used to it being three hours later than it feels.
Monday, September 22, 2008
9-21-08
We will be leaving for Boston very early tomorrow morning. It took me forever to pack because I wanted to bring all of my clothes. Anyway I'm pretty excited about this trip because all of the past fall trips have been really fun. I hope we get to go to the art museum that Leslie told us about. I'm most excited for Shear Madness and just being in the hotel rooms (even though I know we'll pretty much only be in them while we're sleeping). I don't know very much about the freedom trail or any of that other stuff we are doing and it sounds a little bit boring but hopefully it will be fun too. Harvard will be interesting even though I highly doubt anyone will end up actually going there, and Fenway Park will probably be cool even though I'm not that into baseball.
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