Before anything else, I have to give my compliments to the people who designed the Madison Regional Airport. It's a very cozy place that feels more like a home furnishing catalogue than a travel hub.  Right away, I got the sense that Madison was going to be a great place, and I wasn't disappointed.  There's nothing quite like a college town. Throw in a beautiful campus, some of the best folks I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and a remarkable state capitol, and you have Madison, Wisconsin.  I've always had a natural affection for the city, as my mom went to UW Madison. But not until I visited did I fully realize what an amazing city it is!

I had a few hours to kill on the first Wednesday, so I relaxed in the hotel. While there, I first partook of an amazing Wisconsin tradition: the fried cheese curd. I am truly going to miss those delectable little morsels!

On Thursday, it was time to film the promotional ads.  That meant meeting the man himself – Alex Trebek!  I've grown up watching the show, so meeting Alex was naturally a big deal.  Heck, the man is an American icon!  I've known he was smart and maybe even a trifle eccentric (in a good way!), but I also found out that he's very funny!  This was a particularly pleasant surprise, and his sense of humor made the experience very enjoyable.  That same day, I had the honor of meeting Jim Doyle, the Governor of Wisconsin.  That too was quite a thrill!  After a delicious dinner with my family (I had a cheese melt burger; I figured I had to have plenty of cheese while I was in American's Dairyland), I went to sleep very nervous, but also very excited for the next day – filming!

I'm going to go ahead and save my recollections of the taping for later, so I'd like to finish up by saying something about my fellow competitors.  The only thing I knew about all of them before we met was their schools.  I quickly found out, though, that each and every one of them is incredibly smart, endlessly nice, and a truly remarkable person.  I couldn't have asked for a better group with which to spend those fantastic days.  In the short time since I've come back to Harvard, I've realized something.  I'll probably someday forget the answers I got right on the show and (thankfully!) the answers I got wrong.  I might even forget the words I shared with Alex.  But I won't soon forget the memories of that wonderful group of friends I got to know.  They made my experiences all the richer, and I can't thank them enough!