Student Perspective: Boston Exploration - Harvard, Faneuil Hall, and beyond!

Today's Student Blog post was written by Ralfs Bormanis:

While learning about the business world, our amazing group from BAFF Leadership Academy 2019 also explores interesting and exciting American culture, traditions and cities. So, early Thursday morning, we packed our bags to visit Boston, Massachusetts. The travel to get there was not the shortest, but because of our program's amazing participants, these hours flew by.

Approaching Boston, we came across a scene that was unusual to Baltic students. Miles of buildings, only stopped by the edge of ocean or river. These glass islands, skyscrapers in a concrete jungle, welcomed us into the big city. Watching these glass giants get bigger and bigger as we approached them, I could not help but think about my home city and compare how drastically different they are.

After managing Boston’s’ traffic, which by the way is completely thanks to our amazing bus driver, we arrived at our first stop- Harvard university. We were surprised how compact and relatively small the campus is compared to our UNE one. Knowing that so many talented and famous people had walked on those paths made me feel honored. Although tour was quite short, again, thanks Boston traffic, I got inspired from all the stories Our tour guide told us, from impressive history and prestige of this school. And who knows, maybe someone from our group eventually will walk on Harvard’s hallways again, but only as a student there.

Next stop was the most anticipated one, visiting the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation’s chairman, Kim G. Davis, in his own workplace, in the highest skyscraper of Boston. I was surprised how charismatic and experienced, but at the same time humble and communicable this inspirational person was. In our discussion, we touched on many topics, from the history of the relationship between the Baltics and USA to Mr. Davis’ favorite book. Although this conversation was very engaging and inspirational, a few times I couldn’t help but let my sight wander to the windows where we had an amazing view looking over Boston. I surveyed the horizon, where building silhouettes met the sky and appreciated how lucky I was to experience this. We had the chance to reflect on the things that had brought each one of us here- for some it was dedication, for some willingness, for some diligence, and maybe for some the opportunity of an adventure.

After this amazing visit, it was time to explore Boston even further. We headed over to the museum of science. This stop was very exciting. Between all the exhibits everyone could find something interesting for them. From the exhibit about the human body to the electricity show, the combination of things to see and explore made this experience special. Apart from learning something new we could just have fun and strengthen our friendships. As the day flew by it was time for the last stop - Quincy market and a visit to Fanueil Hall. We could really see the city’s spirit, whilst eating delicious foods and buying souvenirs. After an unplanned show from street artists, our day in Boston concluded.

This field trip was an excellent adventure that allowed us to take a break from our usual classes and have fun. I think we all are more grateful for having the opportunity to participate in this program after our trip to Boston. This was just a small part of our time in the USA, but definitely a big part of our American dream.