How did you spend your fall break? A family dinner? Maybe an overseas trip? I spent mine on a three-day trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, organized by the Office of International Service. My original plan was to visit Chicago with friends, but I couldn't because of some reasons. However, I heard that the Office of International Service was offering a low-cost trip for international students and their Polar Pals. So I signed up just two days before the deadline. To be honest, I wasn't highly anticipating the Cincinnati trip because I had been looking forward to a free-and-easy solo trip to Chicago. But since I was going with close friends, I packed my bags with the relaxed goal of just making memories with them.
Contrary to my low expectations, the Cincinnati trip was truly fun! The most memorable and exciting day of the three-day journey was definitely the first day, which we spent at Kings Island amusement park. Are you a fan of huge roller coasters? I’m a huge coaster person; in South Korea, I always seek out the major coasters, even if I should wait for them up to three hours. At Kings Island, there were three to four major coasters, and they were all thrilling with reasonable waiting times. My favorites were Orion and The Beast.
Orion was the first ride we took right after arriving. I felt its ride duration was much longer than Korean roller coasters, which average about one minute of ride time, and it felt much more dynamic. The Beast was the last ride we took at 10 p.m. It’s the favorite coaster of my friend who has a season pass to Kings Island. The Beast gave two major thrills during its incredibly long four-and-a-half-minute ride time. Because it is a wooden coaster, the whole structure seemed to shake as the ride sped up, making it feel even more thrilling!
My visit on Oct. 12 coincided with the park’s special Halloween event. Since Halloween isn't celebrated as intensely in Korea as it is in the U.S., I knew almost nothing about American Halloween culture. But I quickly realized that Americans are truly serious about the holiday! Starting at 6 p.m., a Halloween parade began, and thick fog rolled across the park. In addition, people in scary costumes started roaming around, intentionally startling guests. As someone who intensely dislikes watching horror movies, I found the atmosphere genuinely frightening. My friends, however, actively enjoyed the horror atmosphere and even visited three haunted houses. I reluctantly followed them, squeezing my eyes shut the whole time until we safely exited.
Despite feeling overwhelmed by the scary, unfamiliar Halloween atmosphere, I was thoroughly satisfied with Kings Island overall. The variety of intense roller coasters was the main highlight, and I am so excited that I’m already planning to visit Cedar Point with my friends in two weeks. I hope all of you also had a fun fall break like mine!
This trip sounded like so much fun. I am sorry your break did not go as planned but it sounds like you enjoyed your time anyway. I have never thought about how we celebrate Halloween and how strange it is. I am also scared of horror movies so I know exactly how you feel.
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