The Service Learning Project was definitely a rewarding experience in more ways than one, and turned out to be much more interesting of a day than I expected. In regards to meeting the kids, at first I admit I wasn't too excited about it. My pen pal Esmil played video games and sports like me, but at the same time I thought it would be awkward meeting someone from a totally different background for the first time. It ended up being pretty much the exact opposite. At first it was a little bit awkward asking each other questions from a piece of paper, but as we both realized that we had a lot more in common than we thought we did. I was excited to learn that Esmil plays football, and we talked about our favorite teams and players. We also talked about the latest and greatest video games. Esmil was excited to show me how well he did in a math competition. He came in third place in Boston! This experience showed me a lot about how even in more difficult areas kids can succeed through education and gave me hope for the future of our school system.

Walden Pond was not what I expected at first. From entering the gate the first thing I noticed was the touristy feel of the entrance. That feeling washed away though when I saw the rest of the pond. From the life size statue of Thoreau to the outline of the house foundation, the experience really put into reality the words that Thoreau had written hundreds of years ago. I felt like just by walking around the pond I experienced just a little bit of what Thoreau once experienced. It definitely reminded me of the importance of nature in life and how sometimes it's better to slow down and enjoy the experience rather than rushing through everything.

The field trip overall was a great experience. Blending with urban students was an interesting and thought provoking experience, as was of course the visit to Walden Pond. More students should experience learning in innovative ways like we did that day. I appreciate Service Learning Project funding the trip, Mr. Devlin and his father for helping out, and of course Mr. Fitz thanks for setting up this field trip and for being a legend in general.