It took a while for the fact to sink in, that I was walking the halls of MIT.
It seemed a little mundane when we first got off the bus from Camp Wonderland. Perhaps it was because, having never set foot in a University from the West, the closest thing I had to compare it with was Hogwarts. Or maybe because it currently is the summer break, and without the usual droves of students (I am pretty sure I have seen more tourists than students) the place seems less magical.
While it was no secret that we were going to be building electric boats during the stay, the exact details were a mystery until we arrived at the MIT IDC. As it turns out, the boats of last year were very sucessful but played it a little too safe; we were thus told to innovate in a particular aspect of the design (which mostly meant either the hull or the drivetrain). As it turns out, we were a crazy bunch with some cool designs.
There were interesting lessons sprinkled througout the working hours, from Ceramics (spinning clay with the potters’ wheel) to Globalization (a new HASS module). Also, in addition to the activities at MIT, we went to a Wilderness Trip to Maine (which was a 3 hour ride away from Boston). While many of us might have experienced camping or sea kayaking, it was definitely my first time making a gas stove out of cans.
