Boston: A Sanctuary For Whales And Curious Minds Alike

On a sunny yet chilling Spring morning in Boston, I boarded a boat at the Long Wharf to fulfill a lifelong dream: whale watching. Whales are one of the most fascinating creatures on this planet. They are intelligent, have their language, and migrate. At this time of the year, Massachusetts offshore waters welcome different species of whales. They spend part of the year at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, located east of Boston. It is a nurturing spot where they intake all the calories (a million per day!) needed to stay alive for five months without eating while migrating to Caribbean breeding spots.

Watching a whale swim and hearing it breathe in its natural habitat is a magical experience. The New England Aquarium staff, which promotes the trip, doesn’t use any technique to attract or annoy the whales; hence they appear by chance. Chance, though, favors the watchers. The Sanctuary is so nutritious that, at the high season, it’s harder to miss a whale than to spot one.

Back to the land, I acknowledged everything that makes Boston unique and attractive. Like a whale, I have migrated temporarily to get nourished. Taking classes at MIT, attending events, visiting museums, and connecting with some of the world’s most talented people: Boston is food for thought. Not only to me but to the thousands of students, scientists, and researchers across the globe, coming diligently to Boston to learn and teach.

I was never the best Math student in class, so going to MIT was beyond my imagination. Well, MIT taught me that everything starts with our imagination, and any argument under the laws of physics achievable during a lifetime is worth pursuing.

Picture of a sunset on a river, in the golden hour. There's a boat sailing towards the sun

Sunset on Charles River as seen from the bridge connecting Boston and Cambridge

During the last four months, I spent most of my time studying some of humanity’s most pressing issues. How can we solve the climate emergency? Will AI potentialize social injustice, or will it enhance development? Can the world prevent and respond to future pandemics? There are too many questions and uncertainties. But I shared the room with scholars doing their best to figure it out with all their hearts, and that only makes me hopeful.

I took one million lessons in Boston. That’s a lot to digest in the coming months! I feel nurtured, hoping that, sometime in the future, I find my way to the city.