Exactly 12 days since the class got back…feels like an eternity. But I just wanted to share a few things that happened after Rita’s last blog account, or things that different students did and saw. Friday night was the options night, and a group of us went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also called the Met by native New Yorkers. There was an exhibit of Picasso there, furniture from the 17th Century, armour from the Middle Ages, and musical instruments from every century and every corner of the earth. Two memorable examples were the antelope-horns string instrument from Africa and a 16th Century shofar (Hebraic ramshorn) from Israel. A bunch of students also went onto the roof of the museum and they could see the entire city at night. Afterwards we got Chinese take-out and either headed back to the hotel or went and ate at Times Square. We took the subway home, another quintessential New York pastime. On Saturday morning, exploring Central Park was on the agenda. It is so lush and beautiful there, with the trees, ponds, and the boulders that can be found at every corner. Some of us wished we could have spent the entire day in Central Park, and none of us wanted to be heading home. But that is what we did at 11 am sharp. New York was an amazing experience with closer bonds formed between friends and fantastic memories created.
Rebecca

It’s true, everyone would agree the bus ride to Quebec City was long. And yes, everyone would agree that the rooms at Laval were tiny. But, I’m positive that everyone would agree that it was definitely worth it. The grade 10’s had a fabulous time on their class trip to Quebec City. During our stay in the 400 year old city, we walked around, visited several museums and pavilions, and enjoyed every moment. A few memories that we’ll always remember include: games on the bus, eating massive amounts of candy, dancing with the music from a local saxophone player, jumping off cliffs, going on a ferry ride, the bus stalling on the steep hill (!), staying up really late, and laughing until we absolutely HAD to stop!
Amara

Hey! It’s 6 pm, we stopped for dinner now. All alive, all tired. Expect us back around 9, as planned.
Luv Rita

This is our last day in NYC. Last night we split into groups and did different things. Some people stayed at the hotel and watched TV because they were tired. Others went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others still had energy for shopping so headed over to the NBA Store on 5th Avenue only to find it closed! I went with Ruth, Kim and Kim’s Mum, Mrs. Young, to see The Lion King on Broadway because Kim knows the actor who plays “Timone”. We got to meet him after the show. The show was phenomenal! This morning we are going to do a bit more sight seeing before we get back on the bus. It’s 9:00 a.m. and people are staggering down the stairs with their luggage. Mrs. Einnarson wins the prize for the most shopping bags! Mr. Grootenboer is hanging in there! He keeps counting us. We’re still all here, surprisingly! Well, we’re going to try our best to enjoy these last few hours in the “Big Apple”!
Rita

We’ve had a great day so far. This morning we all took the subway to Wall Street and toured around. We saw the World Trade Center memorial and Trinity Church. Then we ate pizza and some unidentifiable meat for lunch from a street vendor, ha ha! We think it was chicken and it was actually pretty good. Then we spent the majority of the afternoon on Canal Street, finding sweet deals on bags, sunglasses, etc. It’s 6 pm, we’re at Macy’s Department Store right now, and soon will head back to the hotel. The weather has been great – no rain like the forecast had said. Yeah! A few of us are going to see the Lion King tonight, and the rest of the class is figuring out where they want to go. That’s it for now!
Rita

7:45 Friday morning. Another day in NYC. We’re all pretty tired this morning, and sunburned from yesterday’s boat cruise. The worst sunburn award goes to Matt, followed by Dave, then Harrison. Thankfully Bethany brought Aloe Vera! Looks like it’ll rain today, unfortunately. We’re off to Ground Zero and other sites, so more walking ahead! gtg get breakfast. Later!

It’s 7 pm Thursday and we just finished a lovely dinner at the Olive Garden restaurant. I had the fetticcini. Yum! Now we’re splitting up in smaller groups and we’re going shopping on Fifth Avenue. Carolyn, Jee Hee, Alicia and I are in seach of designer “knock offs”. We’ll see what we find! Everyone is a little tired already, so as much as we are excited to be on Fifth Avenue and later Times Square, we need to get more sleep tonight!

Hey! Just finished our boat tour of the Hudson River. It was so much fun. Beautiful sunshine today, gorgeous weather. We all took a tons of pictures, including some hilarious “Titanic” style photos on the bow of the boat. Ha ha ha. It’s Thursday afternoon and we’re heading out to grab something to eat and do a little shopping. Then it’s off to Times Square 2nite!
Rita

Phantom of the Opera was amazing! We all loved the elaborate costumes and set. Fantastic! Then we went back to the hotel for some…rest
Rita

Made it safely to NYC. Just checked into the hotel. Now we’re headed out to dinner, and then off to Phantom of the Opera! Can’t wait. I’ll give an update after the show is over…gotta go!