field trips

Colleges and Universities A-Z Merchant Marine Academy - Kings Point
1

<p>KP10 called me from a van coming back from a field trip in NJ. They went to a solar powered home, I believe. </p>

<p>The point of the matter wasn't where they went but how good he sounded. </p>

<p>Only three other people went on this field trip. </p>

<p>But I had the feeling that this was a good way to get off campus, relax a little and also learn. </p>

<p>He had me on speaker phone for a moment to tell the people in the van that they should have stopped for ice cream in Princeton at Thomas Sweets. And the morale sounded friendly and relaxed. </p>

<p>So plebes, take advantage of field trips.....</p>

<p>Val</p>

2

<p>yes, field trips are a great way to get off campus.</p>

<p>My son has gone on several chorus events and has LOVED the time away. </p>

<p>Maybe it is just me and my family, and maybe we have catered to our children tooo much, but to hear Royce joyfully talking about the privledge of his first soda one Friday night and the privledge of ordering takeout makes him SO excited. So Just the simple things make these kids so happy. </p>

<p>They have chosen this path of self-denial, they have learned to enjoy the simple things.</p>

<p>This more than anything makes me proud of my son. We really tried to not over spend on material things, and at times I felt we may have failed, but now, I think we did a pretty good job of parenting, as he has learned to appreciated the simple things.</p>

<p>Also, to hear him talk about his time management. He has scheduled how is gonna study for his first finals week. In HS he would complain about all this studying/homework he had to do, and come out of his room 20 min later, with his work complete. We would tell him how he needed to do more.... but he was a slacker. so to see him do more... and all on his own without us nagging him, makes me proud.</p>

<p>Sorry to highjack your thread on field trips, but it all just came tumbling out of my fingers.</p>

3

<p>No, you didn't hijack it at all. Your comments are well understood and agreed upon wholeheartedly. We all don't realize how much we have to appreciate, we are so busy aren't even mindful of the joy that can be generated in living a simple experience. That joy is from within and the experience is only a mild cathartic.</p>

<p>On your comments I will say that I have this saying, "what Mom and Dad couldn't do for Joseph, the USMMA is". </p>

<p>While it sometimes is painfully hard to hear him when he is stressed, I know fully well and am confident in his ability; the combination of the program and KP10's tenacity will develop him into a finer individual than he is now. </p>

<p>Learning to appreciate the simple things is an act often neglected in raising kids in this day and age. My youngest has a whirlwind life of activity and when he sits still for a moment he becomes agitated and "bored" (said with the whine in his voice a parent all to well cringes at!!) </p>

<p>I try to impress upon him that happiness comes from inside and is seen and shared with by others around him; not that happiness comes from his external environment and hence seen and felt by him only. Maybe someday he too will go to a service academy!!! :) </p>

<p>Another thing that KP10 is doing is taking advantage of the cultural events in the city when he does have leave. NYC has so many things to do. And it is my understanding that if they do end up paying for something that broadens their cultural view, there is grant money at USMMA to reimburse them.</p>

<p>Last weekend he ended up at Avery Fisher Hall in a Mozart Concert. </p>

<p>On Friday after finals he will not be heading home directly. He has an itineray to hit an opera in the afternoon and a concert featuringthe following in the morning. The Ravel String quartet from the small excerpt sounds outstanding.</p>

<p>HAYDN String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77, No.1
R. MURRAY SCHAFER String Quartet No. 3
RAVEL String Quartet in F Major </p>

<p><a href="http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_8019.html?selecteddate=10272006%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/box_office/events/evt_8019.html?selecteddate=10272006&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I know for many young adults this might not be appealing but I'd encourage them to try it. Sometimes sitting in a hall of this sort of music is a way to decompress from the stresses that occur on campus. It does the body good.</p>

4

<p>KP10sMOM, the solar and cultural outings are fantastic. What a great way to take advantage of the proximity to New York.</p>

<p>Please tell me what club or group is bringing the cultural offerings to KP10's attention. I'd like to pass it along to my son who is also interested, when he has time.</p>

<p>I also enjoyed the off-campus activities at USNA. I didn't manage my study time as well as I should have, so I had to cut back a bit on the field trips. However, not getting out enough is one of most common mistakes college students make. It's would be a shame to spend four years at USMMA and miss the nearby world-class cutural opprtunities.</p>

5

<p>Joseph is going to these things alone. Sometimes he just likes to take out on his own. He takes after his father and grandfather in always seeking something new to see, do or learn. </p>

<p>Next week after finals he will be hanging around for a regatta on the weekend and he figures there won't be many other people hanging around so plans to just go in to the city by himself. </p>

<p>Hey maybe KP10 should start his own culture club!</p>

6

<p>Well, KP10 is already showing intiative by deciding to go. He has probably figured out that if you always have to wait until someone agrees to go with you to these cultural events, you'll miss out on several. Prior to KP, my son typically first decided to go, then checked to see if friends might follow his leadership. Overall, classical performing arts is a tough sell.</p>

7

<p>I bet there is enough people on campus that they could start a small "fine arts" group to go to these events together. </p>

<p>We brough KP10 up with a very eclectic taste in music, art, entertainment etc. </p>

<p>Most of it I have to thank his Father for. He is the traveler and the well read one in the household. </p>

<p>But we have been able to travel a bit with our kids, have taken them to museums at a very young age and exposed them to just about every genre of music. TV in this household had typically been educational, documentary and news worthy. Very little sit coms, etc... (Although I bet KP10 will make it to Spamalot eventually!!!!!)</p>

<p>While the education at the USMMA is a good one, yes I believe that a great portion of education happens outside of the classroom and it would be a shame to not take every advantage of what NYC can teach a young adult.</p>

8

<p>I intend to depart friday at 12 oclock to pen station then up to lincoln center on the 1 or 2 train. at 2 oclock doors open for beetovans sp? fith. email me if you are interested in attending... i will also be trying to get into the st. lawrence string quartet at 1900 at carnagie.</p>

<p>-kp10</p>

9

<p>here is something my youngest and I are seeing in our area today, but I noticed it is showing in NYC also. Not for the faint at heart but very interesting to the scientific minded: <a href="http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

10

<p>the other day i forget who asked me why do i go into the city alone... i quoted this from a warren miller movie,</p>

<p>"the man who follows the crowd will usually get no farther than the crowd but the man who walks alone is likely to find himselve in places that no one has been"</p>

<p>its just a though...</p>

11

<p>field trips/ TMs are worth it. i'm on the Crew team, and during our season we were in a different part of the north east every week. from Philidelphia to Boston-- and many times we got to stay overnight in nice hotels. quite the experience. if any other plebes read this that haven't figured it out yet. go on every TM you can.</p>