My name is Erica Petriciole. I am a member of Study Circles in Aurora, which is financially supported by Lucent Technologies. Two members of our group were invited to go to New Jersey for three days. I was one of the two girls chosen. The other girl was Susanna. We were accompanied by Mary Jane Hollis who is the Study Circles coordinator.
We stayed at the Gateway Hilton Hotel, which had excellent food and great service. We got to see a Brazilian ballet in New Jersey. We also went a museum that had some really interesting paintings and sculptures, among other things.
Once we stepped off the plane we were all busy with obstacles coming our way. The bus drivers were practically crazy in their driving. Several times I feared that we would be involved in a collision, but we got to our hotel in one piece.
There were a lot of interesting people at the hotel. There were a few that weren't from the United States so that was an exciting experience.
Later after the trip Mary Jane, Susanna and I went to New York by train. The city is big! There are people everywhere you turn, cars in every area. It was crowded and busy. We saw the MTV location, a model shoot, a bunch of theatres, and many signs that advertised different items. I couldn't stop moving my head. There was something new to look at at every angle. Even though my feet were sore and bruised I had the time of my life. If someone came up to me and asked if I would do it again, I would immediately say yes.