Sunday, July 12, 2009

Boston Trip ~ What I've learned:

In no particular order, here are some various lessons I've more or less picked up from my ultra-cool time in Boston, Massachussetts, living all on my own except for my twin sister:
  1. Animaniacs is the best cartoon show in the entire world!!! These guys have the greatest sense of humor I've ever seen in animated characters. Honest. Yakko's World has quite probably become the theme music to this trip. And I can sing it at any time now, at the drop of a hat. I memorized it perfectly, just like my social security number. Animaniacs should get another chance on T.V. I've reserved DVDs of their show from the library, so then I won't need to see them on YouTube anymore.
  2. You're never lost for too long. You always find your way back... eventually. This means that no matter how bad things look, when you have no idea where you are or what's going to happen next, you should hold on to your sanity and trust that everything is happening for a reason and that you'll get home safe and sound. Of course, it really does help if you've got a good map handy on you, and you see street signs nearby to give you a clue where you are. But even if you don't have a map, you have to be smart, and go up and ask people for directions. The people you stop in the street will most probably be very helpful and point you in the right direction. You will get to where you need to go.
  3. Laugh at yourself, and don't worry about the little things! When I look back at some of the things that happened to me, I can't help but think that particular times were just plain funny. Like when it was raining really hard one morning, and I was to go off to the Star market all by myself while Annette made some call at a payphone (I think to organise our Berklee tour), and I didn't get the umbrella. I got soaking wet in that rain like you wouldn't believe, waiting for the train to come. And then later a car splashed me in a puddle, and got me soaked to the skin! And what did I do? I laughed! Literally. It was like I'd been at a water-park or something, and even though I was cold, I had fun, so I laughed. This also applies to when the security guards took away our spaghetti silverware on Independence Day, or confiscated our peanut-butter jar on our flight home. That sure was funny.
  4. Live by the old boy-scout rule: Be prepared. Without our parents around, this lesson definitely worked it's way into my head. When leaving your living quarters for the day, you always have to check whether you have everything you're going to need. Things such as enough money for the day's expenses (Annette and I lived on $40 a day, which was more than enough, btw), an umbrella (in case you're in a place that rains often), a camera (for chronicling adventures ^,~), perhaps snacks (if you're not going to eat out), enough water (must keep hydrated), a watch (for knowing the time), and of course the keys, because you do not want to lock yourself out (luckily this never happened to us). I can't think of any other necessary supplies right now, but as the situation calls for it, just try your best to remember everything, and 9 times out of 10, you won't go wrong (made up statistic. ^,~)
  5. Flying in an airplane is awesome! Yes, it's pricey, but it's so much fun, isn't it?! I highly recommend getting a window seat. There's no better way to spend a flight than gazing out into the sky, a view that just a century ago people would never have dreamed of seeing. Especially if you're flying in the day. If you're unlucky enough to not get a window seat, please take something good to read. You need to be as occupied as possible, because frankly, the ride itself is a little boring after a half hour or something, when you're ears have popped and the novelty of flying has worn off. But still, flying is really fun!
  6. I've realized that I like huge crowds. There are plenty of good and bad aspects of being in a large crowd. Some downsides are that you get pushed around a lot of the time, you have to stand in lines a lot, you could get separated from your party and get lost, and you feel helpless, small and pretty insignificant. But a good thing is that you're usually right in the middle of something big, and you know that everyone's having the same experience you are. When lots of different people come together for a special occasion or purpose, the energy you feel is just... awesome.
  7. Visiting college campuses are educational and fun! Trust me, I went on a lot of such tours. Even the bad ones were pretty fun, to some extent. When you visit a college and get led around by a student who knows a lot about the place they study, it's a really informative and unique experience. No college tour is quite alike (probably because no college offers quite the same things for students). You sure get a lot more info than you can from a website, because you actually talk to real people, and you can ask them questions. Make sure to participate a lot in a tour. Show your interest.
  8. Walking is the best form of exercise around. It sure is a wonder that I didn't wear out the soles of my shoes with all the walking I did! Even all over the Freedom Trail, and the times we got lost, and walks around the reservoir and everything. But walking is really peaceful and relaxing, when you're in the right environment. It's great walking somewhere you've never been before. Better than biking or driving a car or some other transportation, because it's easier to stop and smell the flowers or something. Maybe your feet will hate you at the end of each trip, but you'll feel soooo good inside!
  9. Not all things last forever -,- I was really sad when I learned that various stores and locations I'd grown to love in my Boston summers were closed down, like the Circle Cinema, and the Brighton library, and that Barnes and Nobles close to the three parks. Very disappointed. Some people can be so dumb, getting rid of beloved places like that. >,<
  10. I really ought to stop blabbering on and on about the day, maybe stop writing prolific posts altogether! Even if no one was to read this blog and I didn't have to worry about what others will think, this blog is basically for me and my memories. So if only for my own sake, I ought to stop making lengthy posts like these. The next trip I go on, I promise I will be a lot better about putting in some time to blog a little, and never get sidetracked and leave it for later. Because then the memories won't be very fresh, like a few days old or something, and they might stink when I write them. So I'll make sure to write plenty of notes. I PROMISE!
Phew! Until next time! Traveler Bettina Levy is over and out!

3 comments:

J.N. Future Author said...

I still need to read all the days! ^.^

J.N. Future Author said...

You know, now that I actually had a chance to read this post, it really does seem like you did indeed learn a ton of stuff from Boston!

Its always sad to see something loved leave....

Anonymous said...

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