Although I’m a Junior here at UD I’m ashamed to admit that, until very recently, I’d never been on one of the fantastic bus trips the University sponsors. From what I’ve seen on the Student Center’s website (which is linked here for the curious reader), the bus trips run to amazing locations like the Poconos, New York, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. There’s almost no planning involved on the students’ parts, and the trips provide us with the chance to get off campus and enjoy a day of relaxation at a seriously reduced cost.
As I mentioned above, I hadn’t taken advantage of any of these bus trips until this past weekend, when, after a bit of hedging, my friend Nick and I went into Baltimore to see The Book of Mormon on tour at the Hippodrome. My mother (and if you’ve read some of my previous blog posts, you know she’s the sort of woman who pokes around on the UD website and finds these sorts of things out) discovered the bus trip and immediately emailed insisting I go, not that I needed much persuading. Nick and I planned to sign up for the trip… Until a rescheduled choir festival put a wrench in our plans.
A few weeks and a twist of fate later, however, and the cancellation of the choir festival put that date back on our calendars. Nick emailed the trip coordinator even though the website said the trip was sold out, and somehow managed to secure us two tickets on the bus, if we wanted them.
If you know or are like me, or even if you know or are like the archetypal Honours student, you know how hard it is to get us to take breaks from studying or working. An entire day in Baltimore, frittering away time on the bus, in the show, and at dinner afterward seemed like an impossibility for me. But our chances to take those tickets had an expiration time on them, and, just this once, I decided to do the unthinkable: take the day off.
The day of the trip was beautiful: warmer than most we’ve seen these past few months, and sunny to boot. Though I will admit I’m guilty of having read one of my books for class on the bus, I spent the actual bulk of the trip itself doing what I think I’d earned the right to: relaxing. The touring performance of The Book of Mormon, I should add, was just as well-written, thought-provoking, and hilarious as you’ve heard. Paired with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and a trip to the inner harbor Barnes & Noble after the show, and Nick and I wrapped up what we both agreed was a vacation with no planning required. And as someone (read, the Honours student) who plans everything to the T, that was just what I needed.
~Claire Davanzo
