SUMMER EXCURSION TRIP TO USA - RJBS PRESS CLUB

Written by participating RJBS Press Club members.

Students drawn from the SS1 and SS2 classes of Ray Jacobs Boarding School embarked on a summer excursion to the United States of America. The trip lasted for five days. It was organized by the school management and sponsored by the parents. It was successful and the students had a lot of fun. The students visited many memorable places and popular universities such as Havard University, The Statue of Liberty, The White House, etc .

The students left for Lagos from the school premises on 28th July by buses charted by the school. The flight was the next morning so they lodged into a hotel in Lagos. The next day, students got up early, went to the airport, checked in and took off at 6:25a.m. It was a transit flight. The students stopped at Casablanca after spending four hours in-flight and boarded another flight to New York at 10:50p.m. The second flight lasted for eight hours. The students arrived at John .F. Kennedy International Airport at 1:50a.m.

The tour started on 30th July in New York. The students used a coach bus throughout the tour and they had a tour guide. In New York, they went to Times Square where there were huge screens which advertised products and had the whole place illuminated at night. Also, Times Square is always bustling with activities notably the Broadway Shows, concerts and shopping. They also visited The U.S.S Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that belongs to the U.S military. The students then visited the Empire State building which was the tallest building in New York and the Trump Tower, a hotel owned by Donald Trump the U.S President. Other places visited were Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and Central Park. At the end of the tour for the day, the group passed the night at Holiday Inn in New Jersey.

The next day, the group set off to Philadelphia. Over there, they visited The Liberty Bell. It is a symbol of American Civilization. They also visited the Independence Hall were both the declaration of independence and United States Constitution were debated, written and ratified. They moved on to Washington DC where they visited Lincoln Memorial which honors the 16th President of the United State of America. Next stop was the US Capitol which has been the meeting place for the US congress for more than 200 years. They also visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial which were in honour of soldiers of the US whose lives were lost during the Vietnam War and Korean War respectively.

Still in the Washington DC, the students also visited the famous White House which is the official residence of the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump and where most of the policy work are done. Moving to the Jefferson Memorial, the students visited a memorial to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The days tour was brought to an end by visiting the National Air and Space Museum which talked about the history of flight.

The next day, students visited Niagara Falls, NY which is among the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. On the way from Washington DC, the bus made a stop in Corning New York at the Glass It is comprised of the three waterfalls that thunder and astound, producing higher flow rate than other waterfalls in the world as it stood at a height of 167 feet. Seeing the Niagara Falls Illumination; the night sight for more than 75 years old, visitors to Niagara Falls have been able to enjoy a night-time illumination of the impressive American and Horseshoe falls. Every night of the year at dusk, visitors can experience the falls a new way. The group was fortunate to take the Maid of Mist boat tour. This famous boat ride is perhaps the falls’ most popular attraction. The Maid of the Mist takes its passengers as close to the falls themselves as it is possible for anyone to get. After that the students spent the night at Radisson Hotel in the Niagara Falls city. The following day was spent on an eight hour trip to Boston, Massachusetts.

Thursday, which was the final day for the tour, the student went to Boston where they saw the Trinity church, an episcopal church built in the 1800s. Then, they visited the oldest university in the United States of America. It is also the most famous institution of higher education in the world. Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts (MA) has been standing since 1636. Tourists come from different parts of the world to see this university.

They also visited the Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge. Massachusetts Institution of Technology is a research university known throughout the world for its highly selective and intense academics, and MIT alumni include 24 Nobel prize and 22 Rhodes Scholars. Last year, 20000 students had applied into this university and only 1400 students were admitted. This to show how high their level of education is and it also has the highest population of students who are billionaires after they had graduated out of the university. The students then took a group photo while others also took personal photos and they headed to the Quincy Market.

The students took a tour of the Quincy Market which was the last place they visited in Boston. The Faneuil Hall marketplace of downtown Boston, is a historic building that still serves as a souvenir marketplace and food court today. The area has expanded to include two other marketplaces as well.

The students headed back to New York City where they departed for home on board Royal Air Maroc landing in Lagos on 5th of August.

List of Sites Visited:

1. USS Intrepid (Former US Navy Aircraft Carrier)

2. Empire State Building New York

3. Trump Tower New York

4. Madamme Taussaud Wax Museum

5. Times Square New York

6. Central Park New York

7. Lincoln Memorial Washington DC

8. Jefferson Memorial Washington DC

9. White House Washington DC

10. Vietnam War Memorial Washington DC