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.