I'm writing to tell you briefly how my summer went and, more importantly, my trip. The work wasn't hard, but because of the long hours and short breaks I got tired quickly. At first it was easier – we worked from 9 to around 5, but from July on we switched to 12 hours a day. At first I worked 5 days a week, then it became 6; once I even had only half a day off. Several times I was asked to stay extra and I agreed, mainly because I wanted to make a good impression on the managers, and also because the financial side of the trip was still worrying me. In the end, when I left I received good feedback and a good reference. I can sum up by saying that however hard it was, and however many crises I had – mostly emotional, caused either by homesickness or culture shock – I don't regret anything. I learned that money doesn't come easily: you earn it either with hard work or with a lot of hard work. This also gave me extra motivation for my studies, because I realized that without an education, earning a living comes at the cost of extra effort.
So much for the work. I finished on September 2, gave myself 1 day off and on the 4th started my trip. I stayed overnight with some friends, a family of retired teachers whom I had met when I first arrived in the States. With them I traveled to Philadelphia, where we visited the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell and the statue of Rocky Balboa from the movie of the same name. We had dinner in the city and went back home (to their place). The next day they drove me to Atlantic City, from where I made it to Washington with a transfer. I managed to see the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and then strolled around the National Mall. I got to the White House and the Washington Monument, and then I also saw the Lincoln Memorial. In the evening an old friend of mine who has been living in the States for some time picked me up and we went to a Korean spa. A wonderful experience. The next day we stopped by to see Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. The town was small, beautiful and calm, resembling a European one. The reason we visited it was that one of the main US military bases is located there. We took some photos, looked around and set off for the next, more important destination – Niagara.
We reached Niagara the next day. You could see the spray of the falls from far away. We took a boat close to the falls and felt some of their power. We weren't all that impressed, so we decided to try something else – the Cave of the Winds. This attraction was a tunnel that starts at the top of the falls, passes through the rock and comes out right underneath the falls. It was truly impressive. You get the chance to feel the full power of the falls on your back. The braver among us turned to face it and… you can't even catch your breath! In the end, soaking wet, we went to have dinner at a restaurant. The next day we went back to Washington.
In Washington my friend and I walked around a bit and then he dropped me off. I caught the bus to my next destination – Boston. I arrived in the morning. The city was beautiful, with several nice parks and many skyscrapers, unlike Washington (where there is apparently a law that buildings can't be taller than the Capitol). It was very dynamic and restless, perhaps because of the huge number of students there. As I checked later, there are around 100 colleges and universities in and around Boston. Anyway, on the first day I walked around the city, and in the evening I stayed overnight with a very nice American family whom I had met at work. The next day I visited two of the best universities in the world – Harvard and MIT. Both campuses had many interesting buildings and departments, and at Harvard I liked the pleasant, calm academic environment. MIT, on the other hand, offered a wonderful view of the city of Boston itself, which lay on the other side of a river, the Charles River. It gets really beautiful, especially at sunset.
In the morning I set off for the most important destination – the Big Apple. There I was met by a friend of mine from Berlin, who happened to be in the city at the same time. Together we went to my hostel, which was in Upper Manhattan; I left my things and we went for a walk. Central Park was two blocks away, and we spent the first day there. On the second day we went to Lower Manhattan, where we walked around Wall Street, saw the new towers of the World Trade Center and made it to Chinatown. It was a very interesting neighborhood, just like in the movies. A very colorful place. We found a cheap restaurant with an A grade (for hygiene) and had lunch there. In general, many people prefer Chinese food in the States because it is the cheapest. For comparison, we ate our fill for $5. The next day I went to the United Nations, the place where I hope to work someday. I didn't learn many new things on the tour, but at least I'm glad I managed to visit the building and see the halls where they hold their sessions. In the evening I took a free ferry from Lower Manhattan, and an incredible view of Manhattan at sunset opened up before me. I also passed by the Statue of Liberty. Then it was time for the show "Chicago" on Broadway. It was fantastic – I have never seen anything more energizing. That was perhaps the high point of my stay! The next day I met up with my friends from New Jersey, the same ones I had been with in Philadelphia. Together we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. I was very impressed by both, all the more so because they were huge and we managed to see only a small part of them. The Met is considered the largest museum in the world!
The next day I met a Russian girl, with whom I also walked around a bit; she even took me to the roof of New York University! There was a wonderful view from there. Unfortunately, that was also my last day and I didn't have much time. A few hours later I was already at the airport, waiting to return to my native European soil.
Pirin Marinov