Naps and Mishaps

Another day, another dollar (spent), and another gallon of sweat pushed out from my pores.

Today was a series of naps, mishaps, and a lovely excursion to the older, more scenic part of Boston, thanks to eager suggestions from my mother.

I started the day way too early, thanks to a five-thirty AM wakeup call from Ms. Stewart. I showered and was ready within twenty minutes—a mistake I won’t make again. With an hour to kill and unable to go back to sleep, I started the day sleepy and just hoping to get through whatever we had to do.

Here comes the mishap part of the day:

After an hour and a half long trip to Connecticut (I can now cross Connecticut and Massachusetts off my list of states I haven’t yet visited), in which I completely passed out—thanks to Lydia for making sure I was awake when it was time to get off the train, I was refreshed and ready to take on Connecticut College.

What we didn’t plan on however, was the fact that there were no cabs available, and we had to walk 2 or 3 miles, all the while continuously asking for directions, in the heat, sweating, and almost miserable. It was all worth it however, because the small town of New London, Connecticut is the perfect example of a New England town—scenic, forested, with gorgeous houses and a body of water nearby. It helped that the time in the sun darkened my legs by about three shades. A good tan never hurt anyone.

But the way was long, and just as we were about to give up hope, we passed the United States Coast Guard Academy (which really should be renamed the United States Gorgeous, Fit Men Academy) and Connecticut College was just up the road.

While we missed the tour, we did make most of the information session, and talked to Shalini Uppu, the Assistant Direction of Admissions, who handles the California Bay Area region.

The college was gorgeous, sure, but not for me. I knew I’d go mad in a school of only 1,900 people, and they just weren’t as diverse as I want in a college. Still, it was good to see it for myself, my first formal college visit, to know for sure that it was not the place for me.

Some lunch, another nap, and about two and a half hours later, we were back in Boston, and we all agreed to meet in the lobby at five thirty to explore the city.

Thanks to my mother and her all too eager suggestions, we had the perfect place to go, and the perfect directions (not that we needed them—the Boston subway system is incredibly easy to navigate). My mom, an avid lover of Boston as I pointed out, said we should go to Faneuil Hall Market, which was a gorgeous, scenic place (a tourist trap to be sure), where the old architecture of Boston blended with the new, and we walked, ate, and relaxed.

Now, while my mom is an avid lover of the New England area, I am an avid lover of New England clam chowder, and I would never forgive myself if I went to Boston and didn’t eat it. So despite the heat, I sat down with my bread bowl and ate some of the most delicious clam chowder of my life, and didn’t stop until every bit was gone (including the bowl).

And earlier that day, I had told myself to stay away from sweets (I had eaten enough in Peru to last me a lifetime), but then I saw it; the chocolate dipped apple. And come on—it was an apple! It’s technically not even really dessert, or so I told myself as I ate the entire thing.

It was a pretty magnificent day, all things considered (I live for unplanned disasters and little adventures), and I am just so glad that this Ivy League Connection program has given me a chance to visit this incredible city. I am definitely coming back here, preferably with my mom, a virtual tour guide.