Back in Boston...Ten Years Later

This morning, I had breakfast with my aunt and Sunny and then it was off to catch the bus from New York Chinatown to Boston.

Boy, what a marathon trying to run through hordes of people trying to sell you fake purses and pirated DVDs.

The most hilarious moment was the bewildered reaction of a street food vendor when he turned around and saw a whole row of people peddling bags directly in front of his food stand. You can just imagine. =P

I had booked a bus for 1 pm, but I got there well in time for the 12:30 pm bus, so off I went!

I was exhausted so I crashed most of the way, but I woke up to the sound of about five different languages all being spoken at the same time as people were chatting away on their cell phones.

The dude next to me was talking very loudly and just when he finished talking he decided to play tetris...with the loudest, most obnoxious background jingle ever. My goodness.

The drive into Boston was pretty neat because I recognized some buildings from when I was last here, most notably historic Fenway Park.

After arriving, I took "The T" to my friend's apartment near Boston College.

It's been almost six years since we last saw each other, so it was nice to catch up. We grabbed dinner and ended up watching a rather interesting movie...Get Smart with Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway. I guess it got bad reviews, but 'twas pretty amusing.

Tomorrow, I am meeting with two other friends--one for coffee and one for lunch--before I head back to Amherst on yet another delightful bus trip.

Sadly, my short East Coast excursion is quickly coming to an end.

On an exciting note, UW recently announced its 2009 Exploration Seminars, and I'm excited to travel abroad again. My top choices?

• Education, Power, and Intersecting Identities in Central America (Belize)
• Stories of a Lifetime: Film Production in Greece (Athens, Greece)
• Social Democracy, Social Policy, and Saunas in Suomi (Finland)
• Auroville: An Intentional, International, Utopian Community (Auroville, India)
• Language and Culture: Making the Connection (Beijing, China)

Right now, I'm leaning towards Belize. Imagine something like this:

The topic is the most interesting to me, of course, though. Still...too many good choices! Any suggestions or comments? Leave me a note. =)

Alright, bed time before another day of fun catching up time with friends and traveling on a big bus. Night!