It's Time to Move On

It's cliche to say that all good things must come to an end. I have a hard time looking back over the past ten months of my adventures and writing them off as simply "coming to an end." And though this will be my final blog post on this blog, this journal celebrating the trials and tribulations of my gap year, I cannot close with a sorrowful tone. Yes, the school year is over (congratulations to all of my friends who graduated last weekend), and yes, I am home from the third planned phase of my year off, but as I've raced around Williamstown the past week or so attempting to prepare for what lies ahead, I've experienced no feelings of letdown. My gap year may be over based on the calendar, but I don't feel as if anything has ended--I only feel more ready to move on to the next chapter.

Back home on Lake Champlain

Today, in a few hours, I will report to 126 Camp Dudley Road. I will walk through the main gates, give big hugs that say "I've missed you," and meander down to Williams Cabin, my home for Summer 2013. We'll all be busy. This stellar crew of leaders and staff gracing the Dudley campus today has ten days to prepare for the start of camp. I know we'll be ready when the campers arrive next Tuesday.

There will be time for reminiscing--time to collect all of our individual stories from the offseason and pool them together in joy of reconvened friendship. But sooner than I care to realize, my tales of adventure from my gap year will have to settle themselves in a small corner of my cabin. They will always be there for when I need them, but for now, they'll have to take a backseat to the new memories we'll create this summer. I do know, however, that I have a better place than a dark corner to keep my stories--I have this blog. 

And that's the cool part. How cool it's been that I got to live in Germany, tuning my soccer skills as I tuned my ears to the rough vernacular of a beautiful people. How cool it's been that I was able to visit Dudley friends at college campuses all over the east coast, rekindling the Dudley spirit far from the campus here on Lake Champlain. How cool it's been that I got to spend sunny spring days outside on the golf course--and get paid to do so! And how cool it's been that I woke up every morning and asked myself, "What do I want to do today?" 

Every day I think back to some segment of my year and remember something new. I've discovered so much for myself that as I look back, remembering forgotten instances is almost like seeing them for the first time. I'm always filled with excitement when I think about my adventures. I just attempted to sum up my year in four sentences, but I'm not concerned whether or not I hit on all of the right points. The coolest thing for me is knowing that in this blog, I have an encyclopedia of memories. Who knows what will come of these stories or what my gap year experiences will lead to, but I know that this year has changed me for the better. 

It's been exactly ten months since I boarded my plane to Germany. Start to finish, this year has been a little bit surreal for me. I was able to set off on my own and find success wherever I went. But I was never really alone. Before I say goodbye, I have to thank everyone who has helped my this year. Thank you to my wonderful hosts, the Jusdons and the Scobles, who in very different ways helped my to grow up. Thank you to my friends, new and old, who opened up their doors for a night so that I could stop and see somewhere new before continuing on my journey. Thank you to my grandparents, Mommom and Babo and Mimi and Papa, for providing so much love and support, and always caring whether I was thousands of miles away or staying with them for a week. And thank you to my family. Thank you for all of the emails, phone calls, bits of advice, and words of wisdom as I set off into the unknown, promising to return safely. Thank you for trusting me, and thank you for knowing that my favorite place will always be at home with the five of us together. I love you all. 

A Memorial Day To Remember

As a dedicated soccer player, Memorial Day weekend always meant one thing to me: the Needham Soccer Tournament. Every year, I've made the trip east with my club, Berkshire Ajax, for lots of soccer, guaranteed stops at Boloco, and cookouts at the home of Kerry and Lou Collins. We've gotten to know the Collins family well through the Foehls, and as the years have gone by, the size of the cookout has only increased. 

When I was home for Dylan's book party, I found myself lamenting that this year would be the first time in a long while that I would miss out on the Memorial Day festivities. I returned to Hamden praying for the off chance that some part of my long weekend would open up. Sure enough, I found my Sunday evening restaurant shift switched to Saturday, and with the fifty degree weather, we had no need for caddies at the country club. I went to be Saturday night with no commitments for the next day, except a drive to Wellesley to enjoy my day off the way I had hoped. 

Well, not only did I make it to Wellesley, but I also found myself with front row seats for a slightly more meaningful sporting event than a U12 soccer game. Let me explain. 

I arrived in plenty of time to see Toby Foehl's 11:30 match, coached by my dad and Brooks Foehl. With my brother Sam and the rest of the Foehl boys in attendance, we watched the Willamstown squad beat up on its competition. As soon as the final whistle blew, the eight of us piled in the van. Soon, we were on the Mass Pike heading east towards downtown Boston. We listened to the Red Sox pre-game show on the radio, and as we jumped out of the car, the first pitch was about to be thrown. 

I remember Red Sox games when I was younger where my dad and I bought cheap bleacher or standing-room-only seats and then moved closer and closer as the game went along. It was always my favorite way to watch the game, because jumping around from seat to seat was a game in itself. Well, that was our plan, except we had a crew of eight plus Nick Fogel, who saved us a spot in the SRO ticket line. 

Our plan was set; though our execution was spotty, if you consider that we had everyone inside the ballpark with a ticket by the bottom of the second inning, then we did just about as well as we could've hoped. Soon our conglomerate was broken up into twos and threes, but we all managed to find free seats on the first base side of park somewhere near Sections 16 and 17. For $20, it wasn't a bad deal.

First it was this...

Though the Sox were putting on a lackluster performance at best, and though various members of our crew were forced to relocate from time to time, we all seemed to be enjoying the chilly Sunday afternoon game to its fullest. That was, until I discovered that two of my Greylock classmates--Eric Leitch and Alex Majetich--were also in the ballpark, sitting below us in the first row. I told Eric to turn around and look at us, and after successfully making the connection, Eric sent me a message that would drastically change my viewing experience. He told me there were two free seats next to him in the front row that hadn't been occupied yet. It was the fifth inning. I was willing to take the risk. So, between innings, Jake Foehl and I pulled some stealth moves to sneak by the ticket-checkers, and just like that, we were in the first row. As we gawked at how close we were to the field and fiddled with the TV fixed on the facade in front of us, the Indians tacked on another run to make it 4-1. It was cool to be just yards from the Sox players as they took practice swings, but it wasn't so cool when they proceeded to ground out weakly to second. 

And then this. Not bad, considering I had a $20 standing-room-only ticket in my pocket.

Soon it was the ninth. The thrill of being in the front row (and making appearances on TV from time to time) hadn't worn off, but our time was running out. It was 5-2, and the Sox were three outs away from falling to Terry's new team. Then Pedroia walked. Papi blasted one over the center fielder's head. Soon we were only down by one run. Then again, there were two outs. It was the end of the batting order--newer members of the Red Sox like Johnny Gomes, Stephen Drew, and Jose Iglesias--that got the two out rally going. Don't forget, I'm still sitting in the first row. Standing and cheering is the better description, because the bases were now loaded for Jacobe Ellsbury. 

I'm surprised the camera was able to capture me at a moment when I wasn't cheering.

Moments later, Ellsbury took a fastball out to centerfield that hit the Monster on the bounce. Fenway went berserk. Two runs scored with ease, and the Sox walked off with the win. I don't make it to Fenway often, so watching a walk-off ninth inning from the front row was one of the most exhilarating things I've witnessed at a live sporting event.  We gathered our crew together as the fans finally began to exit the stadium. We were lucky to get into the park, lucky to find decent seats, and lucky to celebrate a come-from-behind Red Sox victory. 

It was a phenomenal afternoon at the ballpark. Back in Wellesley, our cookout at the Collins's was bigger and better than ever, complete with Corn Hole and Kan-Jam in the yard and a big fire that was the perfect thing for the chilly evening. Around that fire, sitting next to old friends and others I'd just met, it was the perfect time to share stories and reminisce. I've gotten good at telling my Germany story, but with all of my other adventures since the new year, I have even more to share. And I can compare my discoveries, too. Like girls in Germany versus girls in the South (I think we all know which ones I prefer). It was great to see the Collins's and participate in another eventful Memorial Day weekend, even though I wasn't out on the soccer pitch. I know this one will be hard to forget.

I can't fail to mention my lunch the next day. We always make a point to hit Bolocco--that's been a tradition for years--but we've discovered another favorite spot: Pinkberry. Frozen yogurt is the new ice cream, and Pinkberry does FroYo right. If only we could get one in Williamstown...