I really enjoyed the experience with my pen pal. The only problem is that we didn’t really have enough time to get to know them. It was fun talking and playing with them and finding out what they enjoyed. It has been a long time since I was asked to complete a simple multiplication problem for someone else’s enjoyment. When asked to draw something, I drew a flower, the first thing that came into my head. Little did I know that I would subsequently be required to teach a drawing lesson with step by step instructions for that particular flower. I had forgotten the days of innocence and wonder, so it was wonderful to have a chance to relive them vicariously through my pen pal. I was glad to have a chance to finally meet Stephanie and I hope I was able to teach her something during our short time together. Hopefully we will have a chance to show them our school in the near future. I enjoyed that part of the trip more than I expected, as I do not always get along with little kids.

Walden Pond, on the other hand, I had anticipated with some excitement. I found it to be rather disappointing. It seemed, as Greta pointed out, to be touristy and fake – not at all what it seemed Thoreau would appreciate. The reproductions, welcome center, gift shop, etc seemed forced and decreased my enjoyment of the place. A simple plaque marking the house site would have sufficed. I expected to find a rugged scene that seemed almost untouched by the human hand, though I knew that was untrue, and not the tourist trap it turned out to be. For me, the best part of nature is the feeling of being in a location where few have gone before: a feeling of adventure. The rangers and tour guides ruined that for me. I thought it would have been more effective to have gone on a hike in a path less traveled. We would have had a bigger chance of experiencing a “transcendental moment” even if we only hiked the Great Blue Hill.