Early morning at school, all our parents saying goodbye to
us, last minute checks and we were off! From Delhi airport to JFK, we were jet
lagged but it did not bother us because the excitement was kicking in.
The next morning, it was the much awaited trip to
Disneyland! From the rides and the souvenirs till the firework show, it was a
magical experience. It truly felt as if we had landed in the dream world of
elf’s and fairies.
The next day was the much awaited trip to the Universal
studios. Unfortunately we had to quickly decide which ride to go on as the time
was ticking real fast! Thank God we discovered fast passes to beat the
queues. Of course, the rides were thrilling and the food stalls sold
yummy items to keep us going. But what left us all absolutely breathless
were the fireworks. OMG! So many colors, so high up in the sky,
ever so striking!
The visit to the Kennedy Space Centre was next. The first
day at NASA was the day we toured the whole space centre, we saw IMAX films
about the history of NASA and about the spaceship Colombia. We saw the control
room where engineers, scientists check the spaceship's status and take action.
Our instructors briefed us about the things astronauts eat in space and what
materials the outer layer is made of. We went around in the tour bus and saw
many different types of spaceships and some crocodiles too!
The next day at NASA was all about the simulations. We all
were prepared to see the powerful and humongous engines which power the NASA
rockets and shuttles to reach a thousand miles away. The impact of seeing
these enormous machines simply cannot be described.
We all just loved the simulator where we were spun and
tossed around to get a taste of the training astronauts go through. This
way they learn not to get dizzy in space and to keep their concentration in
case their shuttle goes out of control in space.
We learnt that many brave astronauts had lost their lives
experimenting in space. They themselves thought that it was absolutely
worth the risk because they wanted to discover more. That is why they are
still saluted with such honor and respect.
It was time to travel to Boston! When we reached Boston, we
had an open session with a student at MIT, he talked to us about the facilities
on campus, subjects, scholarships and things the people at MIT do for fun.
The following day was the day we travelled to Niagara. I can
assure you that maid of the mist lives up to its name because we could
definitely see the mist in the air! It was a cold afternoon, above us were dark
and heavy clouds, around us was a spray of mist which drenched us from head to
toe, beneath us was thundering water. We were mesmerized by the power of
the gushing waters of the mystical and majestic Niagara falls.
Up next was New York! Statue of Liberty, time square, Madame
Tussauds, Broadway and the Empire State Building. It was stirring! The people,
the thrill on the streets, such amazing things to see! When we landed in India,
saw our parents, some of us were speechless, Some of us could not stop talking!
I would like to thank all the teachers and instructors who
made this dream of going to USA and visiting these places come true! It was
truly an unforgettable experience of a lifetime!
