we’ve been back from our study trip now for two days….and boy, was it eventful! not only was it educational, it was fun too. there was much bonding, especially on the bus!
that having been said, the bus trip was long, and pillows were commonly found in the shoulders of our seat companions. the rest stops were a necessity, and by the time we arrived at the holiday inn after an afternoon of sightseeing on the mall (no, not a mall, the mall) and escaping into prestigious air-conditioned museums such as the smithsonian, we were exhausted.
the next day we traveled to philadelphia, which i enjoyed very much. the constitution center was impressive, with it’s many interactive features and extensive presentation of information. my favorite part of this day trip, i must confess, was walking through downtown. i have some funny stories, one in particular, about philly, but if you want to know, ask!
ANYWAY, i managed to get us lost on our way back to the bus in philadelphia, and i suppose i fulfilled my blonde american stereotype in that moment. nonetheless, it turned out to be quite fun, and a good day.
the next day in d.c., we went to the department of state for our darfur simulation. i was in the role of NGOs which was both interesting and frustrating. as NGOs my group and i could do very little, though we had large goals. as a whole group (china, the u.s., ngos, the u.n., the a.u.) it was very very very difficult to negotiate. china was especially aggravating! in the end, however, we were able to somewhat agree on a solution. the excercise proved to be enlightening in the sense of how hard it really is for politicians to come to common ground.
on tuesday, we began a series of lectures and site visits. instead of writing about each of them, i will highlight my favorites. by far the most enthusiastic speaker was helen thomas. she completely inspired me with her speech. she was such a character! still vivacious, and a real go-getter at the age of 87! her courage to be a reporter at a time when women in that career were few is admirable. but she wasn’t any normal reporter, she was a white house correspodent for fifty-seven years, covering every president since john f. kennedy. talk about intelligence, determination, and personality!
the most memorable site visit for me was at the washington times. it was interesting to see and hear about the newspaper business from such experienced people. i know many people who want to become journalists, and it was a thorough view into the life of not only the journalist, but of the newspaper itself. i also liked voice of america, where several of the bftf founders from different countries were interviewed in their native languages. learning about the broadcasting business, both in television and radio, was very cool. i didn’t know that voice of america served in so many different countries, but not in the u.s. at all!
meanwhile in the hotel, we were having a great time. the gym and pool were open, and it was fun to “workout” together and battle in the arm-grabbing, shoulder-sitting game of chicken. skipping off to each other’s rooms to share secrets and steal pizza provided excellent evening entertainment.
thursday night we traveled to williamsburg where we were delighted to discover an outdoor pool at the ramada inn (which we would test out the next night). friday we went to two living history museums, one in williamsburg and the other in jamestown. both were highly amusing and interesting.
saturday was busch gardens day. when i was younger i was a dare devil but had since become skeptical of the safety of roller coasters (mostly thanks to my dear mumsy who would always ask me questions such as, “would you really like to die on a roller coaster?”) so i was not expecting to have as much as fun as i did. riccardo, ivan, megan, and i traversed around the park, shaking the maps in each other’s faces as we argued over where to go next. megan and i split up to go on apollo’s chariot — i was feeling adventurous — and that was the start of a new me! i absolutely loved the ride which snaked through the air, and wanted to go on more! the day ended and i had been on 4 of the 5 roller coasters (no griffon for me, there wasn’t enough time), all three water rides (riccardo’s favorite), and da vinci’s cradle, not to mention a substantial lunch in italy. 
that night we drove back to wake forest to stay in the dorms. i had never realized how much fun cuddling could be in a bus seat! well, maybe not so much fun for riccardo and ivan who had to support mia and i, but hey! in this case it’s good be girls. 
all in all, the study trip was a great opportunity, and i am very grateful to have gone. like the international students, it was my first time in all of the cities we visited, and i greatly enjoyed the different scenery, perspectives, and ways of life we saw there!
i will post pictures from our study trip once i am home and have my camera cord! but for now, here are some photos from the website, bftf.org
enjoy!
also, in the link below you can see some of the lectures and trips we took, as well as early class discussions…great opportunities and quite fun!
http://founders.blogs.bftf.org/downloads/
