USA Trip

The Form Three International Experience this year involved a 5 week visit to the United States of America. For the month of March, 17 students stayed on the East Coast of the USA in the state of Connecticut to sample what it is like to live there. Being located around 2 hours from Boston and New York City, there was plenty of opportunity for exploration and learning about the culture and history of the country.

For many students, this was the first time away from home and was a real test of their ability to be independent. For the first two weeks of the trip, students stayed in a residential campus as a group, following the regular Buckswod curriculum in the mornings and going on excursions in the afternoons and on weekends. Trips included cruising on the Connecticut River, looking for Bald Eagles, Seal watching on Long Island Sound, learning about Native American history and culture at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal museum and a tour of the first Nuclear submarine at the US Navy Sub base in Groton. Students also visited Yale University in New Haven and learned about what it takes to study in the Ivy League.

On the first weekend, the group visited Manhattan, staying a couple of blocks away fro Times Square and explored much of downtown, with the highlight being a night-time trip up the Empire State Building! The second weekend saw the group travel to Boston where they visited another Ivy League school, Harvard, and they had an interesting tour, learning about the rivalry with Yale.

Students also went to the New England Aquarium and IMAX theater before spending time at the famous Quincy Market and walking the Freedom trail. A select few even got a tour of Fenway Park, the home of the best team in baseball - The Boston Red Sox! The second two weeks were spent attending a local high school, where the students followed the US curriculum.

Students took part in a variety of activities and classes, joining in sports as well as a number of social events with their home stay families. Weekends during this part of the trip involved further excursions, with a trip to watch Ice hockey in Hartford as well as tour Mark Twain's house on the agenda.

The girls on the trip greatly enjoyed the visit to Newport, Rhode Island where they were asked to choose their holiday home from the amazing mansions originally built as summer retreats for the rich and powerful in American society.

Some students travelled to Boston with the school orchestra and choir to attend a performance by the Handel and Haydn society - giving them perhaps a different view of culture in America! The final week of the trip saw a return to the residential campus and students sat their end of term exams in the mornings, followed by some further excursions in the afternoons - most notable to the malls to ensure that there was a plentiful supply of designer clothing to flaunt upon return to Buckswood! During this busy but productive trip, our form 3 students grew in independence, became more understanding of each other and learned a great deal about the cultural differences and similarities between the two countries.

Following the lead of our politicians, a few students have developed 'special relationships' with their counterparts across the Atlantic and they are planning to return as soon as possible to spend more time with their new American friends.