HHD: The Field Trip!

There was something strangely surreal about the school field trip. Most school days involve a programmed, predictable schedule. However, once in a blue moon children are given the greatest news ever, “We will be going on a field trip”. Ah, the field trip, a chance to broaden one’s horizons and learn about something new hands-on. As if. The field trip was essentially a day off from school, except it’s a day off from school with your teacher and everyone you went to school with, and if you were unlucky, with your mom as a chaperone.



By now I’ve probably mentioned my field trip lament a half a dozen times. For reasons unknown Rhode Island is home to the Hasbro Toy factory. When I was in first grade my class was going to go on a field trip to Hasbro to learn how toys were made. As you might imagine this is just about the greatest news a young boy might ever hear in a lifetime. Who am I kidding; it would be the greatest news even at my current age. On the morning of the big field trip I woke up scratching. Yep, I had the chicken pox and I missed the field trip. A week or two later when I returned to school the teacher gave me a Weeble. Apparently the class learned how Weebles were manufactured. My only consolation was that the rest of the class developed chicken pox soon after I returned.



I generally have a terrible memory (it’s pretty scary, actually), but I remember every single school field trip. It’s called flashbulb memory and it’s why you all remember where you were when the space shuttle blew up or when Princess Diana perished. I don’t have a lot of fond memories of school (years of being bullied and a very average academic record are not things I like to think about), but I recall the joy of the field trip. Granted I live in Rhode Island and there are not too many interesting field trip opportunities in the near vicinity, but still, I’ll never forget those outings.



So where did your field trips take you? What were your best outings? Your worst? The most bizarre? Come on Horrorthonners, I’m in a bad mood, cheer me up with your haikus!