Farewell to Cornell

The Risley Trio (L to R): Nora, Ying, and Me

Three weeks ago, I walked into Cornell with mixed feelings. I was excited for my class and to learn something new, but at the same time, I was nervous for finding my way through campus and making new friends. Now that Summer College is over, it's rather disappointing to leave everything behind. Luckily, the memories and connections I've made will always travel with me. Since I'm back home, I'm definitely missing Cornell, but now, (after practically living on my own for three weeks) I can go home with increased confidence and maturity.

Because all of us were parting ways really soon, my roommate Ying, my floor-mate Nora, and I went for our last breakfast together. I finally got to try out the waffle machine and I made my own waffles for breakfast! After taking pictures with my dorm friends and others I've met through class, it was time to head to the airport once I completed check-out in my room.

Though I was extremely nervous since I thought my luggage would weigh more than 50 pounds, it turned out to be alright. In fact, my check-in baggage was only 44.5 pounds. An achievement indeed.

The scrumptious sandwich 

After dropping off our check-in baggage at the airport, we went to the Statler Hotel for lunch. This certainly had to be the day with the best food. Being a vegetarian, it can be quite hard to order food as the options are limited. Today however, I ordered a mixed greens salad. And every piece of lettuce was coated with the perfectly crafted dressing. This was hands-down the best salad I've had on this trip. For my entree, I decided to go with my vegetable trend and stuck with an avocado sandwich. I ordered this sandwich as it brought me back home. My mom would make me this sandwich for lunch at times and tasting this in Ithaca made me feel quite excited to go back home.

The delicious salad

The orange cream float

A selfie on the flight

For dessert, my cohort was extremely determined to try out Dairy Bar (a Cornell factory that makes its own ice cream) So we walked and walked in the humid Cornell weather until we finally arrived at a building which had a milk bottle statue in the front. I ordered the orange cream float. Basically, it is only vanilla ice cream with orange soda. But this is my all time favorite. And if you know me well, then it is quite apparent that I love anything orange-related.

After the rather long time traveling, I was finally able to see my parents. And trust me, this was way more special than discovering the orange cream float at Dairy Bar. It was just so amazing to see the priceless smiles on their faces again. And what can I say, I'm happy to be home.