Reflection

The trip was an amazing experience, even though I walked through it in the haze of a cold. However, I refused to let it slow me down, and in the end, it was quite rewarding. Salem, Fenway Park, Lexington Green, and Shear Madness were all amazing times, although my favorite part of the trip was definitely the cruise around Boston Harbor.
I was sad that we couldn't spend more time in Salem. I would have loved to see some of the sights, such as where the witches were hung, where they were tried, where the witch trials actually started, etc. There seems to be so much to see in such a historically spooky town.
I also got to take my first ever look at Harvard campus. I would have loved to be able to tour it with a student, but the information gleened from that quick tour, such as turning off the water to the pump because one of the students was selling H(as in Harvard)2O. The idea was that the water would make people smarter. It was a briliant buisness idea, but the college did not approve. I also was amused by the idea that, as they had no image of John Harvard, they had a student sit in in his place, and therefore the statue in Harvard Yard is actually of a Harvard Student, not John Harvard himself.
Lexington Green, as well as the walk around North Bridge, were full of fun facts. The idea that Paul Revere did not actually make it all the way to Concord, first introduced on the Freedom Trail, was reiterated as we drove from Lexington Green to Concord. Along the way, we passed the spot where Revere was arrested by the British. Funny enough, a Doctor that had joined the ride in Lexington was the only one that made it all the way to Concord.
The college tours I found to be a very important part of the trip. I loved being able to look at what is to become a major part of our lives in the coming years. Looking at colleges is excruciatingly important to the entire application process. That is something we hear over and over again. I also was able to really get a better view as to what I am looking for in a college. I discovered that I would much rather be in a suburban settting, at least based in the comparison between Boston College and Boston University. I had originally thought that I would lean towards a smaller school, but the tours changed my mind about that as well. I discovered that I would prefer a larger school, with more people, and a larger number of oportunities for its students.
The trip as a whole changed my view on many things. I discovered that it is, in fact, possible for me to like a city, something I believed would never happen. I adored the way Boston was set up, and the feel you got from it. It is not squished togethere the way San Francisco is, nor constantly bustling and crowded like New York. It was refreshing. I also stopped seeing college as a distant future type of idea. It suddenly became a very real project that I needed to get working on, and the trip is what opened my eyes.
I had an increadible time, and hope to return again.