Friday, May 18, 2012

Today has been a really dismal day for me because I departed from my host family. I said my goodbyes and handed them a Thank You card. Now I'm in the bus back to Newark; I guess this marks the end of my adventures and my blog.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Today is my last day at my site; I'm sure going to miss all the friends I made and the nice people I met. Now I have a lot of fond memories of the time I spend at Western Massachussetts; memories that will remain intact for years to come and memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I would like give special thanks to Fr. Al and Sabine Mauri for providing me with this tremendous opportunity and I would like to thank the Bigelows for all they've done for me and for being so hospitable. Everyone seems sad that I'm leaving but hopefully I will remain present in their memories.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

After school I, Alex and a couple of Alex's friends visited the city of Northhampton. First we eat at a burger joint; I had a Turkey sandwich and lemonade. Then we visited a ton of stores. By buying me guitar picks, Alex rekindled my interest in improving my guitar skills. Afterwards we attended a church service since it was Ascession day. After church service we drove back home. Today, being my last night in western Massachussetts, I took one last look at the night sky with the Bigelows. I was able to spot both dippers and even Mars. Tomorrow I will be biding farewell to the family in the morning; I'm going to miss them a lot.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Today I woke up really tired probably from all the swimming I did yesterday. After watching the Academy's last frisbee game I headed home as usual. Then me and Alex went swimming in a nearby river. The water was freezing; I could barely hold a second underwater without needing to gasp for air. After that I watched the last scene of Spirited Away. Today I watched a documentary on WWII before finishing up an art project that I plan to take home to present to my mother. Then I had lunch with Alex's friends. After school I'm planning to go with Alex to Northhampton where we are scheduled to attend a special church service so I'm looking foreword to that, maybe we'll do something exciting afterwards.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

After practice I went directly home. I decided to take a shower since I was dirty from the mud that resulted from the all rain. After that I assisted Mr. Bigelow in installing a surround sound system and DVD in the living room. To test the speakers we watched the film Spirited Away, which I enjoyed. Today has been an average day; I attended Alex's Chemistry class. We conducted a lab that tested the pH level of the soil surrounding the school. Then, I snacked on chocolate chip cookies. Right now I'm taking advantage of my free period by using it to finish up this blog.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Yesterday, directly before going to bed, the Bigelows showed me tapes of Alex and Cassandra, Alex's sister, playing in the school band; they played phenomenal. Today I attended humanities class and then headed to an art gallery at Amherst College. My favorite exhibit was the one that displayed works by Nick Cave. Immediately after the tour of the gallery I ate lunch. Later on I will practicing with Alex's frisbee team.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Alex's frisbee game ended 14-12, with his school capturing the victory. Afterwards, I walked over with Mrs. Bigelow and Alex's youngest sister to their neighbor's farm where we fetched a gallon of milk. Their neighbor had all sorts of farm animals, including cows, dogs, chickens, goats and pigs.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Today I had a lot of free blocks so I had plenty of time to work on this blog, read, and catch extra hours of sleep. It's too bad St. Benedict's doesn't offer free periods, that would definately have made my life easier. Other than that I attended Senior Humanities class and English class. I learned about the Great Depression and read a book titled "Breaking the Code." Alex has a frisbee game scheduled for the afternoon so I have something to look forward to.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Overall, today has been an average day. I woke up, eat breakfast and rode the car to school. The school had its daily morning meeting and then the students headed to their 1st block class. Morning meeting is Charlemont's version of convocation. They're very similar; like us they also take attendance as a whole. In addition, they also give announcements, both students and faculty are welcomed to deliver announcements. The main difference is that theirs goes much quicker, partly because they have far fewer students so they aren't divided into groups like we are.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

After the family reunion, I went bike riding with the Bigelows. We rode from their house to their neighbor's (Bob's) house; it was a 3/4 of a mile trip. After arriving I presented Mrs. Bigelow with her mothers day gift; she seemed thrilled. Then, Mr. Bigelow took the whole family, including me, out for ice-cream; I had a vanilla cone. I fell fast asleep within minutes of our arrival.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

I woke up a little bit later today. First, we went to church; the church is Polish and is located a few towns over. I went to Sunday school with Alex, afterwards, we attended mass. Today was a special day because Eliza (Alex's younger sister) was having her first communion. After church we headed home; the Bigelows had a family gathering; a whole bunch of their relatives came over and we ate a whole lot of food. We ate tuna sandwiches, salad, fruit, chips, and cake. Me and Alex also played basketball, pool, and Mario Karts on the Wii, all of which were equally intense. I look forward to the rest of the day; I'm planning on giving Mrs. Bigelow a special mothers day gift.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

After the frisbee tournament we headed home. We eat outside; the Bigelows grilled hamburgers, they were delicious. After that, me, Alex and Alex's pet dog Abbie went hiking in the nearby woods for a while. Abbie took a dip in the river and we found a cow's corpse. Afterwards, before heading to bed, we roasted marshmallows outdoors by a fire in the Bigelow's backyard. It was fun.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Today I had Swedish pancakes for breakfast, they were delicious. Then I ran arrons with Mr. Bigelow; first we visited the dump and then the DMV. We grabed a bite at a nearby Subway after Mr. Bigelow gave me a tour of Shelburne Falls, a nearby town. The town was charming; we visited the market, Performing Arts Center, and other stores. The main attractions included the Bridge of Flowers which was a bridge completely decorated with flowers and the Glacial Potholes which looked absolutely amazing, they were the result of countless years of erosion. After that I went to Greenfield County College for Alex's and Cassandra's (Alex's sister) Ultimate Freesbee tournament. It ran long but was completely worth it. The day is still young so there is much more expect.

Friday, May 11 2012

Yesterday was the Academy at Charlemont's semi-formal. Prior to attending the event, me and Alex (my host) headed to his best friend's (Noah) house; we played Brawl and Wii Sports on the Wii. Afterwards, we headed to the dance; the Bigelows were kind enough to lend me a spare suit. I had fun at the dance; Alex's classmates are really kind and friendly. I especially enjoyed the music, food and entertainment. After the dance I went straight to bed. Last night, for the first time, stars filled the sky.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Today I experienced another typical day at the Academy at Charlemont. Before heading to school I had cearal for breakfast. At school, we had out daily morning meeting then I headed to Humanities class first. Today the Juniors are setting up for the semi-formal that will be going on this evening, I'm looking forward to it.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

After Calculus class I had cake and played basketball briefly. Today I got to see Alex, my host, play in an Ultimate Frisbee match; the sport seems very rigorous, it's a lot like football but it's played with a frisbee.Yesterday I actually had a brief introduction to the sport. Before heading to Alex's Orthodontics appointment I practiced for about 15 minutes. Today, after the game, I had vegetables and fish for dinner, the vegetables included carrots and broccoli. Before heading to bed I snacked on ice cream, it was really delicious.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Last night I attended my very first town meeting; the townspeople were debating about whether they should preserve the town's rural character or make the town more commercial by permitting people to build stores, attractions, and multi-family houses. Both sides presented strong arguments; the discussion ran long so I didn't stay long enough to hear the final decision but I was able to witness them making decions on other issues. Those who are in favor of a preposition yell "Yea!" if they oppose they yell "Nay!" and if it's too close to call they tally votes. Afterwards I I ate dinner, spaghetti and meatballs, and was given a tour of the shed where the family stores five chickens. So far today I attended history class; we had a guest speaker. Then I attended Ceramics class where I constructed a cup for Mother's day. Soon I will be attending Calculus class; I'm not sure what to expect.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Today I woke up at 6 o'clock today and experienced a typical day at the Academy at Charlemont for my very first time. I started the day off with a refreshing shower and a scrumptious breakfast. Afterwards I rode the school bus (suburban) to school. Alex, my host, gave me a tour of the school. Then, I was introduced to the faculty and the majority of the student body. I attended Chemistry and Cooking class first. After receiving my very own schedule I eat lunch. For lunch I had pizza, salad and chocolate milk. After lunch I attended Latin III and Calculus class. I ended the school day with a few minutes of Ultimate Frisbee practice. I’m looking forward to the rest of the day; I believe I will be attending a town meeting.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

After an exhausting 9 hour long journey I finally arrived at Greenfield, Massachusetts where I was introduced to my host family. The whole family is really friendly and amiable, including their pet dog Abbie. Upon my arrival at the bus station Mr. Bigelow took me out to grab a bite at the local McDonald’s. I love Greenfield’s atmosphere; I especially enjoy the layback country setting. Tomorrow I will be attending the Academy; I look forward to the rest of my stay.