As the Weeks Turn into Days

My view of tonight's orientation at
Pinole Middle School's Multipurpose room.

I ran into a wall today--literally. Or you could say the wall ran into my car. Either way, I was having a less than pleasant day prior to tonight's Orientation meeting. But as usual the ILC surprised me. I left the meeting invigorated, brimming with excitement. Nonetheless, I am ready to embark on my journey--thanks, in part, to tonight's meeting. 

Both of my parents came with me to the meeting tonight. We arrived at Pinole Middle School with six minutes to spare and, promptly at 6, Tour Guide Don began his spiel. He told us about travel basics, such as TSA guidelines and efficient packing tips and then proceeded to remind us of the ILC rules and their expectations of us while we are back East.

 He stressed how we are ambassadors of our district and will thus be held to certain standards. (Of course, I, just as the rest of the ILCers I am sure, will be conscious of my responsibilities throughout my trip and will indubitably try to be the best representative of WCCUSD as possible.) After our Don's speech, we dispersed into meetings with our respective cohort. 

Mr. Chan-Law handed out a few forms and began discussing our weekend trips, one to Niagara Falls and another possible one to be determined. (No Baseball Hall of Fame, but I digress). What came next was the best part of the night--to me anyways: Mr. Chan-Law gave us each our itinerary. 

We depart around 4 AM to SFO and begin a hectic 5 day trip, from St. Louis to Chicago to Ithaca. I love to travel and am even more excited that we are visiting colleges I'm actually interested in applying to next year. I love to travel and am even more excited that we are visiting colleges I'm actually interested in applying to next year. 

My loving parents. Leaving them makes my trip 
bittersweet, but I'm determined to make them proud.

Once in Ithaca we will find our dorms, take part in Cornell's orientation (which includes a scavenger hunt) and familiarize ourselves with the campus. Then the fun begins. Class will be in session. I'm quite nervous about the rigor of the Hotel Management class, but I am ready to get to work. We wrapped up our Cornell session with a few more questions, then returned as a whole to hear more from Don. 

Don showcased what travel necessities he offers. I don't need to borrow much, but I may take him up on his offer of a portable fan, based on what I've heard about Ithaca. The meeting adjourned shortly after. 

As the weeks until we "set sail" for Cornell turn into days, I am filled with mixed emotions of excitement and anxiety since it will be my first time away from my parents for an extended period of time.