Today is my last day in England... I only had 8 full days in England and yet I managed to travel 1,415 miles within the country. If I were to include the flight miles the total would be 8,319 miles. I can honestly say that this has been the most interesting, informative, and fun trip I have gone on. Not to mention that is was school related! I am really glad I choose this topic. I understand why some of my peers decided to do more laid back projects, because after a year of hard work we kind of deserve it. I am not putting down their projects, I would have loved to take pictures of puppies or cooked Greek food, it's just that I love history and I love England. This trip allowed me to combine these interests while visiting family, taking fun road trips, and learning to surf. Looking back I did a lot in 8 days.

I was surprised at what I learned from this trip. The main purpose was to discover if King Richard III was actually the villain Shakespeare made him out to be. I did investigate this question but I also learned other things along the way. I learned that my irrational fear of writing stemmed from the restrictions of writing in school. In my opinion this blog is just as informative as any paper I have written at Williams. The difference is that I was allowed to set my own guidelines. I could make it as informal and funny as I wanted and I could included pictures. While writing I knew that no teacher would be grading my words and anyone who wanted to read it could and those who didn't care for the topic could choose not to read it. I doubt many people will come to my Senior Project presentation because I admit my enthusiasm for the English monarchy is strange and that most people fall asleep in History Class when the topic comes up. But you know what? I don't care. I love history and this project gave me the opportunity to explore a subject that I love in depth and I had a blast.

Another thing I learned is that when you reach out to people (like the Visits Officer I contacted to find out more about the exhibit in Leicester) they are more willing to accommodate you because you showed interest. I would not have known about all the places to visit if I have not put aside my fear of reaching out to a professional and asking for help. A bonus to this is that I am only 18. The adults I have talked to about the project are surprised and impressed by the fact that I picked an academic project when I could have done something more relaxing. As long as you show interest people will always be willing to help an this is a very important lesson for my future.