What's Bonding Time without Pizza?

Today, the Cornell cohort took one step closer to this summer's big trip. All six members got together at Extreme Pizza in Hercules to meet our chaperone, Mr. Chan-Law, for the first time. When I arrived at 5:57 with a few minutes to spare, the aroma of pizza soon captivated me. With Italian being my favorite cuisine, anything with a hint of oregano or mozzarella lures me; pizza definitely was no exception.

The kitchen and counter of Extreme Pizza. 

Can you smell the pizza? 

Instead of searching all over the walls for a nice logo, all I had to
 do was look down since I was standing right on top of one. 

A true delight! 

While we waited for other  members of the cohort to arrive, Jun talked to me, Mr. Chan-Law, and Natalie about her unique high school experience as her method  of schooling deviates from the  traditional high school setting. 

As  soon as everyone arrived, we began to order dinner. I went for  the "Drag It Thru the Garden" pizza slice. Perhaps, it was the  name that attracted me more than the pizza. With a perfect blend of various veggies ranging from  artichokes to vine ripe tomatoes, the pizza was a true delight -- especially after a tiresome testing day at school followed by a victorious badminton match. To wash this all down, coconut water provided the perfect side.

Captivating Name =  Clever Marketing Tactic

As we ate our scrumptious meals, Mr. Chan-Law discussed his past experiences with ILC and as he mentioned places like Niagara Falls, Baseball Hall of Fame, Chicago, and St. Louis, all of our eyes lit up with true excitement. He gave us a brief itinerary that was subject to change. This itinerary mentioned St. Louis, Chicago, and Ithaca.  To end this meeting, we took the infamous "selfie" sans Katelyn and Mr. Chan-Law since Katelyn had to leave early and since Mr. Chan-Law was busy communicating with a parent.

Our first "selfie" with a partial cohort

Altogether, this "Chaperone Meet-and-Greet Event" was a great way to bond with my other cohort members before the fancy dinners, school meetings, and eventually, the big trip. Since it was informal, we were all more casual and relaxed. And because of this friendly atmosphere, we were being ourselves and really enjoying spending time together. Since the summer is not too far away, I really believe communication is key and that the cohort should know each other well as we'll be spending a good portion of our summer together. Additionally, this chaperone meet-and-greet helps us prepare for the trip as it builds up the excitement and expectations that definitely will be worth the month and a half wait. 

Until then, stay tuned because the best is yet to come.