As soon as I heard the airplane’s engine stopping, I knew we were there, that a truly amazing trip had just begun. The morning of that day had been a very strange one. Infact, when I woke up, the sky was still dark and it seemed that I had never gone to sleep the night before. But it didn’t matter how tired I felt because I knew that at the same time the next day I would be on the other part of the world. As I was sitting on the plane that was just departing a wave of excitement passed through me.
"I liked it so much that I went through it two whole times"
The most emotional part of the visits, and my favourite one, was when we went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which commemorates the terrorist attack of the twin towers and all of the people who died. First, outside, we saw two fountains placed where the towers had been. The water in them was falling down, sinking under the ground and it was done that way to represent the way the towers, 18 years ago, on the 11th of September 2001, imploded. It was very sad to see all the names of the unlucky people, tears came to my eyes. We went inside the museum to understand more about what had happened. We saw pictures, videos and read quotes and explanations about that terrible day. And again, because we didn’t have much time, we went through it pretty quickly. I liked it so much that I went through it two whole times: once to see it and the second one to catch up with the rest of the class who had already gone up on the other floor to see a video in the amphitheatre!!! But I didn’t do it on purpose, it was just that it was very interesting and I was reading absolutely everything.
Infact, our next destination was really focused on the HMUN (Harvard Model United Nations) in Boston. In simple words it is a model of the real United Nations. Every student in the conference is a delegate and represents a specific country and has an assigned committee. You could also be in pairs, I was with Emilie. We represented Portugal and our conference was a summit about the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The conference was four days long and, at the end, we had to write a resolution aimed at resolving our problems. In the conference, we had to debate about different points regarding our topic and tried to make friends with other countries to form alliances with different ideas. Our committee was very very big. We were more or less 200 and even if you wanted to talk, you couldn’t because there were many other people and you weren’t always chosen. In the end I was satisfied that I managed to talk about our resolution which didn’t pass. However, it was still a fun and interesting experience.
This trip was more than a trip, it was an important life lesson that taught me responsibility, independence and the importance of caring for our world. It left me memories that I will never forget and that I will keep with me forever. I need to thank the teachers and my school for giving me such an amazing, unforgettable opportunity.
Caterina