A wonderful Wednesday today to see the new Pixar movie, Inside Out. My psychology class and I headed toward the theater to watch this emotional film. It was funny to have people look at us in a funny way because we were a group of 60 or more. It was nice to be able to learn about emotions in our class prior to watching the movie because I really analyzed different parts of the movie. I enjoyed the movie, sitting with Reese and Lucy, as we laughed and cried at certain parts. Sometimes I would look at Lucy to see her reaction, and the river of tears made me emotional as well. At times, I was frustrated with the characters' choices but that is bound to happen to build up tension and stress. Overall, I had a fun time seeing the movie with the entire class. I didn't expect to be able to go to the movies for this psychology field trip, but it happened. I feel as if I am forming a closer relationship with Professor Gilovich because he knew that I was really excited to watch the film. His comment made me feel honored because in a classroom of 60 students, I was not sure that he would actually know me as an enthusiastic individual. When the movie was done, we went out to catch the bus. On the bus ride, I was able to know more about Steve, such as where he came from and what his hobbies are. He is from Michigan, and what surprised me was that he plays tennis with Professor Gilovich. Professor Gilovich is an active adult, so I found it cool to be able to have a close connection with a him. My overall experience will leave me a lasting impression because when I was watching the film, I realized that even though everyone may be from different parts of the world; yet we had similar reactions to certain parts, an emotional bond between all of us.
My seminar today was more focused on counseling, specifically E.A.R.S, the Empathy Assistance Referral Assistance. This is another student organization that Jeremy is in which teaches students about active listening. And that was what we are leaning today. We were taught important behaviors and attitudes of being a active listener, a necessary when counseling. Casey and Jeremy began the seminar with an activity. We were to pair up with someone and take turns being the speaker and the listener. The speaker would talk for two minutes, and then the listener would recap what was said in thirty seconds. I was paired up with Elaine, an classmate that I never met. I learned that she is from San Diego, California and has similar hobbies as me. For instance, she finds interest in watching anime and reading manga, and she also swims. I asked her time for 100 Fly, the stroke that she said she swims, and her reply was a 1:15. It was nice to find someone new in my class, but she was not the only new person I met. I was able to meet George and Justine when we did another activity thirty minutes later. At this point, we all knew about empathetic statements, and questions that allow the speaker to go into more depth about his/her problem. We also observed what to not do when trying to help a friend or stranger. A few things include, using your phone, giving advice that does not help the situation, and being quick to judge on someone's problem. So with this information, we broke up into groups of three to use what we learned into action. One person was the speaker, me; one was the listener/counselor, George; and the last person was the observer, Justine. I began to openly tell George about my problem. As I continued to talk to him, I began to realize the "why" to my stress, irritation, and dissatisfaction. When I had stopped to think about more things to say, George was quick to ask my open ended questions to make me think about what I could possibly do. At the end of our conversation, I felt a weight lifted off of me. He did an amazing job keeping eye contact that made me feel as if he understood my situation, and he did because he was once in the same situation as I am in now. At the end of the seminar, I was able to get Jeremy's email if I ever needed any answers about Cornell or any advice because he is a counselor for E.A.R.S.
After the seminar, I quickly changed into my swimsuit. I was eager to go to the swimming pool at Helen Newman because I had an urge to swim. When I was getting ready, I realized that my goggles were ripped and that was why my goggles kept filling up with water. I was disappointed, but decided to use the kick board and do a kick set. I went swimming with Melissa and Reese. Reese and I were swimming while Melissa was chilling on the wall. At one point, Reese's goggle strap broke, so I gave him my bungee cord. It was a great metaphor for life. Our relationship, our connection, was united when our goggle parts were combined. It was as if the reason why the situation happened was because we together at Cornell University.
This college program has given me the opportunity to meet international students like Reese and Rachel. If it wasn't for the Ivy League Connection, I wouldn't have been friends with many people around the world. The fact that I only had my bungee cord and he only had his goggle, made this moment memorable and coincidental. With our pair of goggles, we shared them, taking turns using them when swimming or diving. I really felt a true connection, so I would like to thank the Ivy League Connection and Cornell University for making our friendship possible. Another reason why I want to thank the Ivy League Connection is for the sweater that I got. I find it nice and generous for the ILC to give us something that we can hold and cherish for the rest of our lives. So, thank you. Thank you very much.
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