It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted on my blog, and I’m here now to write all about my opportunity I had to travel to New Mexico early this October. I was slightly confused why we were traveling to New Mexico before we started our trips unit, sure maybe the green chile and breakfast burritos were apart of the appeal, but as my class and I were presented with the story of the Manhattan Project, the destination choice was unquestionably important to our learning. This trip was extremely intense, 3am wake ups, late nights, and jam packed days in the sun. Each day I learnt more than my brain could process, and it was difficult to process all of the amazing information we were discovering each day. 

 

Throughout each of our jam packed days, I was reminded of my past PLP trips when I felt as though I hadn’t gotten the most information I possibly could, which had ended up making the process of the final project much more difficult to put together. So each day, I made the effort, even when I wasn’t up for it, to take notes on my phone during each tour, take pictures of information boards from museum, and try to ask any questions had. Each time I take part in a PLP trip, I think about what I could’ve done better based off the last trip, and I definitely improved from my last trip. 

 

As this is my third year in PLP, I’m finally feeling confident in the system of field schools. I used to feel very dependant on my other classmates to understand what I was supposed to be doing to collect information, I would only interview people that my other classmates were interviewing, and would collect similar information to my classmates. I’m proud to say that I took initiative multiple times this trip, if I wanted something in particular from a location we were visiting, I had the drive to go and find it. 

For example, our tour guide Terry, at The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, had a lot of great stories to tell during our tour, he was very knowledgeable and I wanted to interview him for my final project. After our tour he left the museum, and everyone thought that he was gone for good, and we unfortunately wouldn’t be able to get an interview with him. Grade 9 or 10 me would’ve just left it at that, but I was determined to speak with Terry, so I walked throughout the museum, until I finally found him, and was able to speak with a veteran, and get information that I couldn’t have gotten from a textbook, or website. This was one of the responsible risks I took during the trip, I could’ve completely wasted my time looking for Terry, but it was important to me, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to interview him.  

 

Groundbreaking, remarkable, terrifying, remembered, were some of the words we used to describe historical significance in class. Not only was the development, and the effects of the atomic bomb the significant event that our class studied, but it is the most significant historical event ever. Not until after our trip to New Mexico, did I realize this.

How did the development of the atomic bomb change the world in a historically significant way?

From the very moment the trinity test was executed, the world had changed. This bomb was the first of its kind. No one had ever seen anything like this in the history of the world, and would never forget it. But once the US dropped them on Japan, it’s  significance heightened. In seconds the bomb had impacted thousands of people, in seconds miles upon miles of land had been eradicated, in seconds the world had physically, and potentially changed forever. Nothing in history had ever had that kind of power, and the beholder of this deathly weapon had as much power as it did.

 

Most of our trip was explained to us pretty throughly, enough where we had known what to expect at each location. But there were a few sites that we visited that were a surprise. They had been mentioned but not the focus of the trip, these sites ended up being some of my favourite parts of the trip.

Meow Wolf was one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen. When I first entered the experience, I was fascinated, but the more I walked around the more starstruck I became. It never stopped, one amazing thing after another. Every part of Meow Wolf was unique, but somehow flowed together as one.

When the itinerary read, balloon fiesta, for the entire Sunday I was a bit scared. Spending the whole day in the middle of a field? Boy did I underestimate this, the balloon fiesta was absolutely gorgeous. I had never seen the sky look so crowed before. We got to the field at 3am, when the very first balloons got set up, by noon, everywhere you looked there was a balloon being set up, or a balloon taking off. 

After a long day of museums, it was safe to say the class wasn’t too pleased about doing a hike in the direct sunlight. I won’t speak for anyone else, but as soon as we got to hiking I realized how much I needed to be outside. And it was a really interesting hike to be on, lots to see and do. I made the mistake of wearing a black long sleeve shirt, and jeans that day though, so that was the only downer.

Lastly, I want to thank my teachers for such an amazing trip! I’m so thankful for all of the amazing experiences 🙂