Day 11 Tuesday, September 22nd (J.R.)

 

Today we had a different means of transportation than usual. We got the chance to ride to Plimoth Patuxet on the popular yellow school bus!

The ride to Plimoth Patuxet took us around two hours, and those two hours felt so much longer. It was so quiet on the bus… quieter than it has been on the whole trip. We were all super sleepy and took micro-naps. “Micro” because we woke up what felt like every two minutes due to bumps in the road, loud noises, uncomfortable seats, and the fact that we were almost flying out of our seats. In the back of the bus, we really jumped into the air at every single bump. That was actually pretty funny.

Once we arrived at Plymouth Plantation, we had three hours to learn all about the first settlers, their way of living, and the Native Americans (Wampanoag tribe)  and their traditions. Some were crafting a new boat, others were preparing a traditional soup and at the same time we were able to ask them all our questions, and everyone answered so kindly and in great detail.

At the plantation, actors impersonate the first settlers, which means they stay in character and tell you all about their lives when they first arrived. We were able to walk into their houses and explore them. For example they created ointments according to the original recipes.

There were also extraordinarily friendly historians who answered our questions. One of them was named Charlie, and he was so excited to hear that we were from Switzerland that he let everyone know. Pretty soon, we were really popular as the Swiss kids.

He also recommended that some of us ask the early settlers about the Billington family so we could hear some gossip from that time. Apparently, the Billington son almost blew up the entire Mayflower while at sea, so now the family has a pretty bad reputation

This visit was super interesting and entertaining.

Right after the field trip, a group of us went to Lynnfield Marketplace, which is a gigantic outdoor mall. It was so fascinating to check out all the stores we don’t have in Switzerland, like Aerie, American Eagle, Free People, and so on. We had a great time!

For dinner, we all split up, but some of us met up afterward to try some frozen yogurt.

They had such a great variety of froyo flavors and toppings—it was simply delicious! We definitely need a self-serve froyo bar like that in Basel.

Day 10 Monday, September 21st (L.S.)

 

Today, our field trip brought us to Harvard. We gathered at the train station and boarded the train, not towards Boston, but towards Oak Grove, where we transferred to the Boston subway for the first time. Upon arriving at Harvard, we had half an hour to explore the area, during which I treated myself to an authentic Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Our tour of Harvard University began at 11:00.– Harvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Ivy League. Founded on September 8, 1636, Harvard is the oldest university in the United States. It is also widely recognized as one of the leading universities in the world.

To learn more about this legendary university, we were accompanied by a charismatic tour guide, an undergraduate Harvard student, who shared numerous hilarious and surprising stories about the university’s history. For example, did you know that Harvard students once waged a war against the school bell? They attempted to burn it, fill it with water and let it freeze, steal the clapper, and more. However, they only succeeded in making the bell ring late once: a fire miraculously broke out on the other side of the campus just before the bell was supposed to ring. The students all denied any involvement in the fire, but it certainly constituted a rather strange coincidence.

Later, we were given the opportunity to speak with an architecture student who provided us with fascinating insights into how Harvard operates, the opportunities it offers, and the various choices available to its students.

Afterwards, we were had some free time to explore Cambridge, during which we visited several different thrift shops.

We arrived back in Reading at 4:00 p.m., after which some of us gathered for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The portions proved to be enormous! Completely full, we made our way back, ready to relax and go to bed.

Day 9 Sunday, September 20th (S.T.)

 

Today, I slept in, so by the time I got up it was already 10 am. After that, I went brunching with my host family at a local place in Reading. I ordered cinnamon apple French toast, which tasted simply delicious.

 

After that, my host sister, my host mom and I drove over to Cosco. That was a crazy experience. Cosco is a big warehouse that mostly sells groceries, but also holds a pharmacy, has a clothes section, a wide selection of IT-devices, house décor as well as mechanical services; basically everything you can think of. The packing sizes of the groceries were not abnormally big and the items came in packs of four, at least. So, shopping at Cosco was a real American experience, because I find everything in America huge!

 

Later on, my host sister and I went pottery painting at a really cute place in Reading. We both painted a tray to serve food on. Caroline painted hers pink with lemons and limes on it, and I drew a bunch of small colorful fish on mine.

I was inspired to do that by the place we had been to the day before, when we had been to Rockport, an artsy little town by the ocean. There, these small colorful fish were everywhere, no matter if painted on the walls or in the small, cute shops.

Our pottery will be burnt and ready to be picked up in a few weeks, when I am no longer in Boston. I am very excited to see how it turned out when Caroline brings me mine in April, when she visits Basel!

Day 8 Saturday, September 19th (K.G.)

 

Last Saturday was unusual, but in a very good way. I woke up around 9 a.m. and had some bagels from Bagel World for breakfast. Soon afterwards, we drove to Lawrence Municipal Airport. There, I was introduced to Fernando, a friend of my host dad’s who is also a pilot.

We boarded a Cessna 172, a small American four-seat, single-engine, high-wing, fixed-wing aircraft. It was first flown in 1955 and is still a very popular aircraft today. Fernando flew us over the city of Boston, which simply looked spectacular from the air. What a stark contrast to seeing the skyscrapers from above and experiencing the city from an entirely new perspective!

We then landed safely on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, located just south of Cape Cod. The island is well known as a popular and affluent summer resort.

On Martha’s Vineyard, we had lunch. The waitress even welcomed me by saying, “Welcome to America.” I ordered buffalo chicken wings, which were delicious. At the airport, we watched a helicopter take off right next to us, which felt incredibly close.

After lunch, we flew back and then headed home. What an amazing and memorable day!

Day 8 Saturday, September 19th (L.A.) II

Saturday was the first day that we didn’t spend in a big group. Feeling tired after the last few exhausting and busy days, Maddie (my exchange student) and I decided to stay in for the morning.

At around two o’clock, some people decided to meet up at Burlington Mall, which was my first time visiting a shopping center. I was taken aback by how many shops and restaurants were concentrated in one place. We had lots of fun looking at children’s toys and trying them out when another customer came up to us and started talking to us. She was quite a bit older, around 60, and African American. The woman, whose name we never caught, first told us that she was impressed by our ability to enjoy the toys. She said, “You guys are cracking me up,” and then the conversation turned to the complex political situation in the US.

The woman expressed her frustration the current administration and complained about the future. After an interesting and humorous 10-minute conversation, she left, telling us that she was a bit concerned about our future.

After that, we hit a few more shops, and I bought some nice new clothes. We ate Thai food at the food court, then Maddie and I decided to drive to Cambridge to visit a popular thrift store. And it was a success! We arrived home hungry and tired at around 9 pm. I went straight to bed and slept for 10 hours :).

It wasn’t the most eventful day, but I went to bed happy and excited for Sunday.

 

Day 7 Friday, September 18th (S.K.)

 The day started early because our train to Boston was leaving at 8:18. Today’s program included whale watching, so after arriving at North Station, we immediately headed to the port and eagerly waited to board the boat.

The weather was phenomenal, and I was surprised by how far we had to travel from shore before reaching whale territory - we spent a good hour and a half on the boat just getting there. We soon realized it was completely worth it. We were incredibly lucky with the number of whales we saw, especially with how close they came to the boat. For the longest time, we could watch a group of three composed of a calf, its mother, and a third whale sleeping at the surface. It was a wonderful experience.

Back in Boston, we went shopping before taking the train back. Since there was a football game that evening, we rested for a bit, and I also learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, which felt like a pretty productive use of my time.

The football game was probably the most surreal part of the day. It was so exciting to see so many activities that simply don’t exist back home, all happening at once. We saw the football players play, the marching band march, the cheerleading team cheer, and, most importantly, the fans going absolutely crazy over a game that was, to be honest, rather difficult for us to actually follow as we don’t really understand its rules.

After the game, we went to a friend’s house, where we played cornhole and pool before finally heading home to bed.
Overall, today has been my absolute favorite day so far. By far the best part was seeing all those events I had only ever seen in movies suddenly happening right in front of me at an actual American football game.

Day 6 Thursday, September 17th (T.D.)

 

After our pool party yesterday, I woke up feeling tired but really excited about our trip to Boston. As I was driven to the train station, I could already see our big group of Swiss and American students waiting for the train. Everyone seemed ready for another fun day together. When we arrived in Boston, we strolled to the Massachusetts State House. Before our tour began, we stopped for a coffee, which was exactly what I needed after the night before!

The State House was amazing to see. Inside, we admired beautiful paintings, statues, and other historic decorations. During the tour, we learned a lot about the history of Massachusetts and visited some of the rooms where important political decisions are made. It was interesting to learn more about the history and politics of the state while actually being inside such an important building.

After the tour, we walked through Boston Common on our way to our next destination. Ashburton park was beautiful, and we spotted plenty of squirrels and ducks along the way. It was nice to take a break from the busy streets and enjoy some of the green space in the middle of the city.

Before continuing our adventure, we stopped for lunch. Once everyone had eaten, it was time for the Boston Duck Tour! We climbed aboard a unique vehicle that is both a bus and a boat, so it can travel on the streets and on the water. We started by driving through Boston, passing famous places such as Boston Common and Faneuil Hall, as well as many beautiful historic buildings.

When we reached the Charles river, the tour became even more exciting. We got to see Boston from a completely different perspective and enjoyed fantastic views of the Boston and Cambridge skylines. Some of us even had the opportunity to steer the vehicle while we were on the water, which was definitely one of the highlights of the day!

After leaving the river, we continued driving through the city, passing by even more interesting buildings and sights before returning to where our tour had started.

Finally, we made our way back to the train station. Unfortunately, our train had no air conditioning, so it was incredibly hot, like being in a sauna. Luckily, when we arrived back in Reading, the temperature felt much more agreeable.

Day 5 Wednesday, September 16th (H.D.)

 

Did you know that Reading actually has a Swiss bakery? It sells little sandwiches and pastries, which all of us were told to try so we could go back to our host families and tell them if these products were actually Swiss.

Anyways, meeting at the train station today was really exciting, since it was the first day that we were riding the train into Boston! It took us about 30 minutes to get there, and after we had all gotten a big Dunkin doughnuts drink, we felt like true Americans walking through this beautiful city with skyscrapers so high you feel like a little mouse beside them.

Seeing history through your own eyes makes it a much more interesting experience than simply reading about it. So, seeing history today meant to be walking along the famous Boston Freedom Trail. It takes you around in the city and allows you to see many historical sites that are related to the American Revolutionary War. We even climbed the 294 steps of a huge memorial called Bunker hill, all of us breathing heavily but feeling rewarded with a view that was definitely worth it! While learning much about heroes (and heroic places), we felt the magic of Boston for the first time. The city, we are sure, offers endless opportunities and roads yet to be taken.

Day 4 Tuesday, September 15th (S.G.)

 

Tuesday, September 15, was the second day of shadowing at the high school. I woke up full of excitement at around 7:20 to get ready to see new classes and meet other people. Before going to school, we stopped at Bagel World, which apparently is one of the best places to get bagels in town. 

We were matched with a new partner for the day. First period was Business, where I got to listen to some students’ presentations. Second came Psychology, followed by a free lesson because my partner had flex. Many students did, so whoever didn’t, met in a room and we all hung out a bit. When lunch came, I finally got to try the bagel we had grabbed in the morning. It was huge and delicious. After that, I had English, followed by Bio Lab, followed by another free lesson, so I did some work for myself. My favorite classes that day was Psychology because I thought that the lesson was really interesting and Bio Lab because I met some other people who aren’t part of the exchange program.

After school, we all met up again and we went straight to DunkinDonuts, where we ordered some exotic sounding drinks. After that, we drove to Marshall’s, which is a large store with all kinds of clothes, accessories and shoes. There we got split up and kind of lost each other. In the end, me and whoever was left went to Michael’s to take a look at all their art supplies. We gave a few people a ride home and then me and my exchange partner stopped at Crumbl Cookies to savor this week’s new flavors, which I liked better than last week’s.

When we finally got home, I felt exhausted, so we decided not to do anything after eating dinner, which meant I could relax a bit after a very eventful day.

Day 3 Monday, September 14th (P.Z.)

 

Today was our first day visiting an American high school, namely Reading Memorial High School. The day started with a greeting by the American and Swiss teachers, after which we accompanied our host brothers and sisters to their classes. The experience was very interesting and was very similar to what I had imagined it to be from what is the typical image of an American high school portrayed in movies, with water fountains, hallways with blue lockers, and so on.

All the teachers I met were exceptionally nice and welcoming. There were also some aspects that felt unusual to us, such as the presence of surveillance and police officers at the school. Nevertheless, both the students and staff were very welcoming and eager to get to know us, which created a very pleasant atmosphere.

After school, all the students involved in the exchange program met again to play some icebreaker games, followed by a selection of American snacks, such as Doritos, peanut butter M&M, cheese crackers etc. Later, we visited the center of Reading and talked to a nice cashier at a Dollar Tree store. In the evening, we had a pasta dinner while watching a football game, and later on, we met up with everyone else for ice cream! Another memorable day!

Day 2 Sunday, September 13th (R.W.)

 

Day 2 Sunday, September 13th (R.W.)

Today, I woke up at seven because I was still suffering from jet lag. I started my day with a delicious American breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and a chicken sausage. After breakfast, I visited a very American army supply store where all the stereotypes seemed to come true.

Around noon, I met Kai and his host brother, and we decided to go to a huge shopping mall. We had lunch at Philly’s Cheese Steak, and Kai and I both found shirts we liked at Uniqlo, which we then bought. The floor in the mall had just been cleaned, and Kai accidentally slipped. Luckily, he didn’t hurt himself.

It was Kai’s host brother Luke’s birthday, so he threw a party at a bowling alley. Somehow, I managed to break the mechanism that sets up the pins, so a technician had to come and repair it. We had dinner there, and I enjoyed the best chicken wings of my life, served with a maple bourbon sauce.

After this amazing bowling experience, all the exchange students met up for a movie night, where we watched Legally Blonde. Thereafter we headed back home, and I went straight to bed, hoping to overcome my jet lag.

Day 2 Sunday, September 13th (L.F.)

 

On our first full day, I woke up pretty early because of the jet lag, and my host mom boiled me a nice cup of tea and bought us these amazing cinnamon cider donuts that were freshly baked and still warm. They were simply delicious!

At 9 AM, my host sister and I watched the Formula 1 race, and after lunch, we picked up our friends and headed to Target for our first Target run.

Everybody here loves Target. It’s a really big store where you can find literally anything. My host mom said that if you want something and Target doesn’t have it, you probably don’t need it. And that is definitely true. You could spend hours in this store without getting bored.

But we didn’t have much time because, in the afternoon, nearly all of us exchange students headed to Boda Borg with our host siblings. Boda Borg is an indoor entertainment center where we had two hours to solve as many little escape rooms as possible. It was a lot of fun, but it also made us hungry, so we grabbed some food at Chipotle afterwards. It was my first time trying Chipotle, and it’s like the “healthiest” fast food you can get here.

And surprise, surprise, there was a Target right next to Chipotle, so naturally, we made our second Target run of the day because you can never have enough of Target!

In the evening, we had a movie night with popcorn and watched Legally Blonde.

I went to bed really tired but happy and excited for our first day of school!

Day 1 Saturday, September 12th (L.B.)

 

Our First Day in Boston

On September 12th, our group of 18 students gathered at Basel Bahnhof, carrying heavy luggage and a mix of many emotions. Accompanied by our teachers, Mrs. Mac Farland and Mrs. Scherrer, we boarded the train to Zurich Airport, where the remaining members of our group joined us.

After checking in and passing through security, we waited at Gate 67 for our delayed flight. To pass the time, we even rehearsed our seating arrangements in the hope of sitting together. Eventually, we boarded the plane and began our eight-and-a-half-hour journey across the Atlantic. Movies, video games, and attempts to sleep helped the hours pass.

When we finally landed, our excitement was so overwhelming that we burst into applause. After immigration and baggage claim, we made our way to the arrivals hall, growing increasingly eager to meet our exchange partners for the first time.

As the doors opened, we saw them waiting with smiles, cheers, and signs bearing our names. Recognizing the faces we had previously seen only in photographs made the moment truly unforgettable. It was then that I realized these two weeks were going to be extraordinary. We were all greeted with genuine warmth and kindness.

Our journey continued to Reading, a welcoming suburban town about 25 kilometers north of Boston, where we are staying for the next two weeks. Along the way, I admired the charming houses and trees beginning to turn into autumn colors, capturing the beauty of early New England fall.

I was welcomed into the family’s home and met the rest of the family, who immediately made me feel at home. Their friendliness and openness made the transition feel effortless, even though we are far away from Basel.

Despite the six-hour time difference and my growing fatigue, curiosity kept me going. Some of us stayed in for the evening, while others already ventured out to explore food places and stores. I was amazed by the variety of options, activities, and places to visit, as well as the late closing hours here.

Exhausted but thrilled, I ended our first day with an early good night, already looking forward to the next day.