My Seymour Experience - Asa

Seymour, Texas is a tiny, barren, dust-ridden town in North Texas; on the surface, it is nothing more than a town one drives through, and does not ponder thereafter. Despite the apparent emptiness of the town, I enjoyed stepping beyond that, and acquainting myself with the town’s lovely residents. Whether that be the Colthorpe brothers, who showed the group both the Texas Longhorns and the Brazos River, respectively, Carl Porter, who owns a feedlot and handed out rattlesnake rattles and hats, or the exuberant waitress at the New Maverick Cafe, they were all very kind and welcoming. Furthermore, the trip would not have been complete without Dr. Robert Bakker and Mr. David Temple, two very intelligent paleontologists; their deadpan humor and dry wit was always making the group laugh, and their fervor and enthusiasm for what they love is inspiring.

In addition to excavating the ubiquitous amounts of fossils hidden within the dig sites, and experiencing the sense of gratification when we uncovered these fragments of our past, the trip offered the group of students a chance to relax. We had relaxing evenings on the ranch every night, playing Ping-Pong and a selection of board games, and watching the occasional movie. Additionally, these evenings, and, more generally, the trip as a whole, allowed for the group to experience an accentuated sense of camaraderie. In my case, the trip gave me time to think. As someone who is attempting to fulfill the requirements for the International Baccalaureate Program, and someone who will soon be making decisions about where to go to college, having a little time to think freely is something I am truly grateful for.

It took me four years to go to Seymour, Texas, and partake in the Paleontology A-Term. From my freshman year until a couple days into the trip, I had preconceptions of the A-Term and Seymour that were, in essence, directly contrary to those that I have now. Despite initially thinking that I would never be a student on the aforementioned A-Term, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip in its entirety.