I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

I entered the classroom feeling nervous but excited about the class. I came back feeling uncertain. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t know what I was doing.

Inside the lecture hall.

The groggy Monday morning started like any other. A group of Hotelies from our dorm gathered in our hall at 7 and walked down to the RPCC for some breakfast. We made it to class ten minutes before the start time. The seats were labeled with names and during the search for my seat, Stephen pointed to the front of the room. The smile that spread across my lips left just as quickly as it had come. I was definitely in the front, but my seat was smack center of the first row.

Class started soon after. Reneta and Mark started right when the clock struck 8:30. After briefly discussing the reading from last night, we split into groups. We did an activity where two people introduce each other. Bonnie Wong from San Francisco and I were paired and called up first. After the activity, group A and group B switched and we went into the computer lab to write a page to introduce ourselves to the professors.

The Trillion dining hall.

The session reminded me of writing college acceptance essays, except we only had an hour. Instead of grabbing lunch at the RPCC, we stopped by the Trillium to grab some food. Unlike our usual buffet styled meals, the Trillium accepted the credit system in which students would have $10 to spend on their meals each day. We returned to the classroom for a lecture. 

Everyone in the class was brilliant. Reneta would barely finish her sentence before a dozen hands shot into the air. Some students went above and beyond on the first day, asking question using foreign hotel terminology. When Reneta asked about their experiences, many students would exclaim their parent’s prestige in the hotel business or share their experiences about owning a platinum Marriott card. I was deathly intimidated. My pencil spent more time hanging in the air than actually writing because the conversation was so advanced. Reneta and Mark assured our class that those without beginning knowledge would succeed, but I’m not too sure.

After dinner, we met with Chan-Law and the other cohort members. The front of the RPCC was busy with chatter as everyone described their experiences of the first day. Chan-Law reassured us that the first day is always difficult and it would take time to get used to the pace of the course. The talk with Chan-Law and the other cohort members brought back my confidence, but I’m still hesitant. I think I can do it. I’ll cross my fingers.