New York
NEW YORK CITY, USA – HOME!!!!!!!!
All of us spend the crossing of the Atlantic doing finals, finishing and presenting final papers, PACKING, with a Memories Show, and reminiscing about our experiences. We wished that we could turn the ship around and do it all over again. We had become a family!
This was our final dinner after the Convocation and Awards Ceremony put on by the crew as our final dinner. I’m at the end. We all dressed up which we hadn’t done for five and a half months!
These are the flags on the Ryndam indicating the countries we had visited.
The highest scholarship award went to the oldest student. AWESOME!!!
These are my two partners on our final project to be presented. Maurice and Debbie. We worked for over 6 weeks on the project. We became very close friends!
The Memory Show had highlights of all the places we’d been. We were all so overwhelmed by the hugeness of it as we crossed the Atlantic.
Everybody has been up since 3 AM to see the New York harbor.
We’re in blankets and coats, but we’re so excited. We can see the harbor boat coming to us to check papers, bring mail, and finally admit us into the NY Harbor.
Approaching Queen’s Bridge – the official entry into New York City.
The Statue of Liberty welcoming us home. “Give us you tired…” We were tired and excited and ready.
When you travel in any ocean-going ship, you fly the flag of the country you are GOING TO in front of the ship, and your flag (USA) in the back of the ship.
Approaching New York’s harbor early in the morning, we finally got to raise the US flag in the front of the ship. We cheered and some of us cried, it was so emotional! We were coming HOME!!!
US flag at 5:00 AM New York time.
We arrived in New York City, USA on May 27, 1970 at 0800 hours – which is 8:00 AM 😊
I had worried about how I was to get through Customs and board a flight with all of my “stuff” for Minneapolis – completing the full Trip Around the World. I had 13 “things” to get on a plane. I had to pay some attention to weight and the cost of the customs duty. I looked at my pretty amethyst rock and decided it was too heavy. SO, I THREW IT INTO THE NEW YORK HARBOR. (Later to find out I could have paid for the entire trip with the crystals…oh well!) I was blessed to receive at the last minute my tax return. I had no money left. I figured if necessary, I would leave my stuff at port and hitch hike home, stopping for the Indianapolis 500 on the way, but I was SAVED!!!
I got in line EARLY so as to get through Customs early and to the airport early. I had 13 items to check on the plane. In 1970 you could do that. I dressed in my best clothes so as not to look shabby in Customs. I took a cab to the airport and flew back to Minneapolis. A friend picked me up and took me home!
I’m so grateful that when the opportunity for an adventure presented itself, I said,
“YES!!”
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
WITH HEARTFELT APPRECIATION OF MR. JOSH BENJAMIN, ENTREPRENEUR, AND FOUNDER OF PADDOCK FOUNDATION, FOR GRACIOUSLY SHARING HIS TIME, HIS VISION, HIS EXPEERTISE IN DESIGNING AND BUILDING THIS WEBSITE, AND THE GUIDANCE TO BRING THIS 54-YEAR-OLD DREAM INTO REALITY.
WHEN, through ONE MAN…a little more love and caring, a little more understanding and compassion, and a little more authentic, gracious giving…comes into this world, THEN, that man’s life has meaning!
THANK YOU, JOSH!!!!