We boarded the bus and pulled out of school at 6:15 Friday morning. The first hour of the bus ride was silent and anyone who spoke had to come up and sit with the teachers. The hour of silence rule was the best because half of them fell asleep and we could kind of transition into the day. After about an hour and a half, the bus got rowdy and loud (as you can imagine), but it really wasn't too bad.
When we got to New York, the bus dropped us off about a block away from the UN. We walked there and checked in just in time for our tour. We had to split up into three groups, so Megan, myself and another teacher were with about 15 students. I felt bad because the tour guide was from South Korea and had a pretty strong accent. She used words that the students didn't understand and spoke in broken English, so it was hard for them to get a lot out of the tour. I think they enjoyed being there though. They had seen pictures of it and learned about how the UN works, so I think they still got a lot out of being there.
After the UN, we went to Grand Central Station where we had lunch. Meal times were the most stressful part of the day because you have to just let them roam free and go where they want for lunch in hopes that they'll come back in time. Sam's parents came and met us for lunch since they live in NYC, which was fun. I think they had a blast getting to meet all of Sam's students. The students were hilarious when Sam would introduce them because even the most outgoing and rambunctious students would get really shy.
Once we finished lunch, we got back on the bus and went to Battery Park. We drove past Ground Zero and saw the building that is going up. It's funny because all of the chaperons were in awe, but the students, having been ONE when it happened, didn't even think twice about it. We let them run around the park and through a fountain. There were street performers and we could see the Statue of Liberty. It was a lot of fun. We had a little scare because when it was time to go, seven of our students weren't back. Luckily, we found them and they were super apologetic.
Before heading back to Boston, we got dinner and again, it was stressful. We went to a block where there was a pizza restaurant, a Burger King and a bunch of other restaurants. They weren't allowed to cross the street, so they scattered around the block. There was a street vendor selling hats and sweatshirts and by the time we got on the bus, about 80% of them had some sort of New York gear (even the kid who spent all day yelling "Let's go Red Sox).
When we got on the bus, we had the same hour of silence rule, which was a Godsend. Lots of them fell asleep. Every so often, we would have to yell at them and occasionally a student would have to come up and sit with us, but it was pretty uneventful. We pulled into the school at eleven and, miraculously, all of the parents were there waiting. The teachers had told us horror stories of years past where they had to wait for an hour for a parent to arrive to pick up their kid. Luckily, that was not the case and we were on our merry way fifteen minutes later. I got home at 12:15 and went strait to bed.
It was stressful and exhausting, but a blast. When I was there, I also kept thinking about how much I loved New York. I have always said it's too big for me and too overwhelming, but I think after this year, I could live there. Maybe it's just another chapter in my book. Just maybe.
Speaking of books and reading, two things. One, I need book recommendations. I know you all have a favorite book, so tell them to me! Please. Second, I haven't read a single one of these blog posts after hitting the publish button and I'm really excited to start reading them from the beginning. I think that will be another summer project of mine.
 |
| That's Sam's dad talking to a bunch of star struck sixth graders. They were in awe. It was great. |
 |
| Walking through the streets of New York. I was in the back moving the stragglers along. |
This quote has nothing to do with the trip or my weekend, but it's so true.
“I’ve learned a lot this year. I learned that things don’t always turn out the way you planned, or the way you think they should. And I’ve learned that there are things that go wrong that don’t always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. I’ve learned that some broken things stay broken, and I’ve learned that you can get through bad times and keep looking for better ones, as long as you have people who love you.”
Jennifer Weiner
No comments:
Post a Comment