Sometimes in school, it takes more than just a picture and a lesson to learn about a place. In these cases, a field trip can prove useful. That was exactly the case on Wednesday, when me and my classmates traveled on a 3 day trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the scene of the Battle of Gettysburg (I wonder how they named it), which was a key battle and turning point in the Civil War. It was an amazing trip, and the best trip I have gone on to date.
Day 1 – Wednesday, June 5, 2018
The bus to Gettysburg was to depart at 7:45 AM, which meant that we had to get to our starting point by 7:30. As it was a 3-day trip, everyone brought big bags full of necessities. We had to tag our bags so that they did not get lost. We boarded the buses, which were shuttle buses and left around 8:00 AM. We had a break at noon and then continued on, enjoying listening to songs, watching friends and teachers dance, etc. At around 4:00, we reached Hershey Park, an amusement park dedicated to Hershey’s chocolate. We stayed there for around 5 hours, in which I rode the biggest rides at the park, the Fahrenheit. It shots you directly up, and then directly down vertically and was thrilling. We ate dinner at the park. On our way to our hotel, our chaperones told ghost stories related to the Civil War, and made a song based on it. We reached our hotel around 10:00, and we took an hour to get settled in. We then hit the sack with a long day ahead of us.
Day 2 – Thursday, June 6, 2018 Breakfast was at 6:45, which meant that we had to wake up early in order to have enough time to shower and get ready. Me and another roommate woke up at earlier 5:30, got ready, and then left for breakfast. We were greeted with buffet of roasted potatoes, bacon, cereal, donuts, and the like. We ate as much as needed and then we headed out for the day. My group started with a guided tour of the Civil War battlefields. Our tour guide, Christina Moon, was very knowledgeable, and explained in detail the different parts of the battlefield, and their importance. We then headed to the Gettysburg Museum, and got to see different exhibits about Gettysburg. We then spent some time in the gift shop, and headed to the Farnsworth House, which served as a resting place for some of the Confederate Army, and had numerous bullet holes in the walls. The tour guides then showed us around the building, told us about the house, including the fact that it was reported to be haunted by various spirits, most notably an 8 year old boy named Jeremy. We then went to participate in a program called “In Their Shoes”, in which we learnt how to use rifles that soldiers used in the war (of course, we used wooden rifles, not real rifles.) We had our lunch there, which was cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, salad, and cornbread. We the headed back to our hotel. Our next stop was the All Star Sports Complex, a sports arena across our hotel. There, we enjoyed a variety of activities to play. As there was a soccer court, I played soccer for the entirety of the time there. We then had our dinner, which was pizza, in the gathering area of the arena. We then headed back to our hotel so we could change our outfits for the dance. As the theme was “America”, I wore an America shirt with an American bandanna. We danced, and got to challenge each other and the teachers to see who was the best dancer. It was a lot of fun, and a nice way to end the night. We headed back to our hotel, and got the opportunity to recharge after a demanding day.
Day 3 – Thursday, June 7
The breakfast was at 7:00, 15 minutes later than yesterday, which gave us some more time to rest after an eventful day. We packed our bags before we went down to breakfast as we were scheduled to depart from Gettysburg around 8:00. We had a travel time of about 3-4 hours to the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. It is a science center similar to the science museum in Boston, and the Boston Children’s Museum. We saw a 3D movie, Hurricane, which demonstrated the effects of Hurricanes Jose and Maria on Puerto Rico, and saw a show in the Cyclorama, an omnitheater which happened to be the largest omnitheater in the Western Hemisphere. We also saw some of the exhibits and animals, which included mice, scorpions, spiders, and a Western Timber Rattlesnake, one of the rattlesnake species found in New Jersey. After a nice tryst with science, we boarded the bus to come back to Quincy. On the way, we stopped at a mall in Connecticut for dinner. We then got in the bus, saw 2 movies, told each other stories until we finally Central at around 11 PM. While the next day was a school day, I did not go, as I was exhausted.
I would like to thank my teachers, especially Mrs. Plaskasovitis, for organizing this wonderful trip for us. It has definitely been the best trip I have been on yet, and will be the highlight of my school year.
So, what do you think ?