We were all so eager to experience Ireland and forget about home for a while, but then news from the Boston Marathon started to make its way through busy WiFi signals. The rest of that trip was filled with more bad news. We had a few sick students and I had some money stolen from my suitcase, and of course, we lost Nancy Lemoine a beloved friend, coach, and colleague. And yet, with all of that tragedy, the trip was amazing. Our group bonded with each other and we connected to the world through a Choir in Wales. Humanity shown through and it proved the slogan "One Must Travel To Learn" to be true.
From that trip, through all of my student trips, I hold that lesson dear. I still learn from each and every experience. I try to take those lessons and share them with my students too. I am pretty confident that most of the Alumni of our #Eurotrips and Belize still hold those memories as among their favorites. This trip, #Eurotrip26 will most likely be my last European adventure with Saugus High School students. I'm getting too old to give these trips the time I think they deserve and while I will miss the overall experience, I will look fondly upon the words I've typed here, over the years, as a reminder of all we've seen and all we've done.
Hundreds of kids have traveled with us, over the years, and we've been to dozens of countries. Along the way, we've danced, ate, and experienced local customs and cultures. In just a few days, we will embark on another journey back in time. We will land in Greece and spend just over a week in a magical place where antiquity meets modernity. It's been ten years since I've been to Greece and to be honest, I don't remember that trip as much as I'd like. So, I am thrilled to be heading back.
We will travel through Canada and land in Athens on Sunday. Our itinerary looks packed, but our pace looks relaxing. I've been in contact with our Tour Director and he has an expertise in ancient architecture. I am sure we will get along. We are also sharing our experience with 19 others from a rural school outside of Alberta, Canada. The time will pass quickly even though we will be in a place where it looks like time has stood still.
Frequent readers of this blog have come to know that I think through symbolism and symmetry. I am sure as we travel, I will be doing more of the same. I am already sensing that this will not just be a new adventure, but also a trip down memory lane. One that reminds me that the further we travel from the places we call home the more likely we are to see connections to those places. And that while we must travel to learn, the thing we learn most about is ourselves.
I hope you will follow us this year as we head to Greece on Saturday. I would love to see some comments, either here or on Facebook, from former students, their parents, or their loved ones. They blazed a trail for future generations of Sachems. We've endured lots of challenges along the way, but have always found smiles on the other sides. I hope, on the other side of these words, there are more and more smiles.
Mr. Lavoie, sitting at his desk top, almost packed, but not nearly ready to go.
