In a Nutshell

A week of traveling around the East Coast and a summer course at Cornell later, I’m back in the Bay area. Of course, being away for so long, my family was buzzling with questions. After a nights rest in my warm cozy bed and a morning of unpacking, everyone sat outside for some storytelling.

I started off with day one— the day we left California. I didn’t think so much could happen in one day. Our activities seem to last an entire week! There was no time to stop during that first week. We went through city after city and tour after tour. The first city was Atlanta Georgia, followed by Washington D.C., Pennsylvania and finally, Cornell. In this time, we visited Emory University, Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, several national monuments in D.C. and the holocaust museum. From these college tours, I’ve discovered that I’m interested in living in a city bustling with activity. I’ve also learned to watch out for the weather when picking a college. Not only as this the first time I got to tour so many colleges, but I also got to experience traveling around some beautiful cities in the East Coast. On top of housing the nation’s capital, the East Coast has many companies and historical buildings that I would never think about. After days of nonstop travels, it was time for Ithaca.

Ithaca, New York, is the city where Cornell University is located; it was also my home for the next

The gorgeous Cornell campus.

three weeks. In middle school, my mother sent me away to camp in the Berkeley Mountains for a week, but this was different. I got my first taste of independence then, but the experience here was much more different. During camp, my most difficult task was figuring out how to organize a group of ten year olds into a straight line. Here, I had to wake up early enough to run through my morning routine, study for exams while keeping on a set of clean clothes. Although the tasks seem mundane, it was difficult to get used to. I had to create my own schedule and make my own meal choices. Everything was up for me to decide. It was the first time I was faced with these tasks.

Things got better over time. Everyone agrees that the first week was definitely the longest. It took time to get used to everything. On top of the nine hour school day, students had eat their meals and shower on time for check-in. Not to mention everyone who had a habit of procrastination learned to organize themselves within the first week. I didn’t just learn when the best time to shower would be, but I also realized the importance of eating healthy. At first, the cheeseburgers and pizza on a daily basis sound great, but over time, you learn that just because it’s offered, doesn’t mean you need to eat it.

Of course, there was lots of learning that went on inside the classroom as well. The most difficult part was getting over that stage of intimidation and doubt. I was hit really hard in the first few days. I was sitting in a classroom full of students whose parents run major hotel companies, and here I am. The only hotels I know are the few I’ve stayed in the times my family got to travel, and here are a classroom full of brilliant students asking about brands on the first day of class. I was terrified. I didn’t think that I’d make it through the course, but it happened. After the first quiz, I realized that this would be like any other course. Everyone is studying from the same book in the same classroom, and I had the chance to succeed. On top of this, I was on equal grounds with top students from all over the world. That itself is amazing. Over the past few weeks, we learned a lot about marketing, franchising and managing a hotel. In addition, everyone learned about business computing. We learned how to use different functions in Microsoft word, PowerPoint and Excel.

A wonderful hotel class.

After three amazing weeks out in the beautiful city of Ithaca, it was time to head home. Although my time at Cornell adds up to less than a month, it was really like my second home. The people, the energy and the classes came together to compose a brilliant summer experience.

The end of the trip.

What Cornell Means to Me

The Beginning...

My school district is not as wealthy as I'd wish it could be. Compared to other school districts, we lack on almost everything when it comes to school essentials. Being a student from this particular school district, I find myself, at times, with no hope or faith in the school system. While other schools have funds to buy new technology for their students, my school still struggles teaching with the outdated books. I am not blaming the school district, nor the administration for the financial state they are in, but I am simply speaking out for my fellow peers who have to try extra hard with the insufficient resources we have. 

From the three weeks of being at Cornell, I have extracted so much information about college life and have learned so much about myself. All that I have learned was based on a raw lively experience that my school could never really offer me. Being part of the Cornell community has given me the fuel to ignite the light that will motivate me and carry me on for the rest of my educational career. Some may as why? I would simply reply that Cornell has brought me the hope that there is such a thing of seeking a higher and better education. It taught me that anything is possible, regardless of who one might be. 

The Gorges!

At the beginning, I was a little skeptical about the Cornell Campus. I wasn't sure why but I wasn't comfortable. Maybe it was due to me missing home or maybe it was because I had to walk 15 minutes to my class in the rain. But as soon as the school schedule sunk in, I began to fall in love with the campus around me. I stopped missing my family and started to absorb the Cornell community and its beauty. I didn't mind the long walks, in facts I found myself talking the scenic route to almost most of my destinations. This made me realize that no matter where I might go to college, I will always experience uncomfortably. But regardless of being uncomfortable, I know I will love it as soon as I take in the beauty of the college.   

At times when I was uncomfortable and felt unfamiliar of the place, I tended to lean to my cohort. I would hang out with them at the beginning. It didn't occur to me how much I needed to push myself to make new friends until one day I was about to eat dinner alone. I didn't have my cohort to lean on because they were all busy, I had only myself. As I stood there looking for a spot to eat, I knew I had to be independent and take charge of the situation. Therefore, I walked up to a group of my classmates and sat next to them. From this I realized that I do have the capability of making new friends. I realized I had the capability of familiarizing and integrating myself into a new community and environment.

Aside from what I learned from the Cornell community, I learned so much from my course itself. I realized that there is a hospitably aspect in business. Being part of this class and having great professors, really motivated me to work in the most diligent way. I don't think I've been in a class has worked me so hard. I think what interested me the most about the class, was the real life application of what we learned. I loved all the business computing and all the business aspects that tied in with the Hospitality Industry. It really opened my eyes of what I may or may not be interested in college. Most importantly I treasure the one-on-one contact I had with all the professors, all the TA's and my fellow peers. I made relationships that I only hope will last for a long time. 

Our Outstanding Class!

Being part of the summer college has made me realize a variety of things. It made me realize how important it meant to be independent and social. It motivated me to have hope and strive for a better education. I believe I am a more focused and dedicated student. I am so appreciative for those who have allowed me to become the new person that I am proud to be.

If someone were to ask me what Cornell meant to me, I would say it meant family. Through Cornell I have met and connected with so many people. I have learned so much through living on the campus and taking one of the most rigorous courses offered. I have fallen in love with the beautiful campus enough to call it my home. The community that surrounds Cornell is the most loving and friendly community that I've taken part of. The Cornell community is like a family. Within this family is nothing less of what a really family is. It full of heart, generosity, and love.

I will miss Cornell and only hope that I will come and visit it again. Maybe I can visit it a little bit sooner than later!

The End.

To Wrap It All Up

"How long were you gone?" asked my friends. Well to me it felt like a day, but in reality, 26 days. 26 days of fun, hard work, and laughter. This trip can't be explained in words. I will try my best to describe my experience at Cornell. However, the events that have occurred this past month, are something that one would have to be there to understand it all. 

As I woke up this morning, I grabbed my phone expecting to see messages from my cohort and friends asking what we were going to do today. Sadly, I realized that everyone was back at home, snuggled in their beds just as I. In three weeks, relationships could grow fast and become strong. 

Being up everyone morning at 6 o'clock sharp and not going to bed until 3 o'clock could take it's toll on a person. However, it did not stop me from being able to push myself to complete this program. I was not forced to stay up so late or forced to work as hard as I did, I chose to. I decided that I was going to balance my social and study life for my stay at Cornell. If I chose to focus on my studies, I would have been able to sleep at a decent hour, but that would ruin the opportunity to meet new people. Putting aside an hour or two to spend time outside of class with my friends made this trip that much more special. To me, I thought losing a couple hours of sleep was worth it. I would never get another opportunity like this anytime soon and the program was only three weeks.

Ivy League Connection Cornell Cohort 2015

Spending time with my friends after class meant that all my studies had to happen late at night. I was fine with this and I pushed myself to finish all assignments, study for all my tests, and most importantly, blog. Having an experience like this gave me a chance to experience how Junior year was going to look like. Now when I return to school for eight hours, I can ask, "That's it?" When my teacher assigns a ten page essay, I can question, "Only ten?" 

Hotel Management gave me an experience I will never forget. The long hours of lectures and office hours to the presentations that made everyone nervous. This does not sound like fun, but it was. It gave me the opportunity to expand on my teamwork skills and public speaking. Mark, one of two professors, taught us how to make Word templates for future letters, reports, or papers. Reneta taught us the many different hotels and how difficult it is to run and operate a single hotel. Last but not least, the amazing TA's who stayed with us everyday to the last minute of office hours, answering all of our questions. 

Hotel Management class of 2015

This trip was not all about Cornell. Before arriving in Ithaca, my cohort and I explored three different colleges, Emory, Georgetown, and UPenn. Now that I have explored these different campuses, I narrowed down what I look for in my future college. As I went on the campus tours and listened in on their lectures, I found the universities personal strengths and weaknesses. At Cornell, I was able to experience the life of a college student. In my opinion, Cornell is a great school that I will consider when I apply. The staff is amazing and there is so much to do inside the small town of Ithaca. 

My trip overall created some of the best memories I will never forget. I have enjoyed my time at Cornell and wish to one day experience it again. 

Cornell Summary (I'm sorry if that title is too boring for some of you)

This journey started many months ago. It started with a last-minute decision to apply to the Ivy League Connection for a chance to go to Cornell University. That decision was one of the best I have made in my life. Looking back, though, I remember how the Ivy League Connection almost didn't happen this year, through funding issues and other roadblocks. I'll talk about the Ivy League Connection in my next post though, just to keep things organized. (Also, the photos in this blog may have already been posted in previous blogs, but that's on purpose.)

In the past month, I have traveled on planes, trains, and in automobiles. I saw lightning, rain, and sunny skies. I went on tours of Emory University, Georgetown University, and University of Pennsylvania. I spent three weeks at Cornell's summer college. I met people from Hong Kong, Rome, Paris, Florida, New Jersey, Panama, India, and more. One of the nicest things about summer college, that I'm not used to, is how everyone wants to be there. You don't hear profanities everywhere. Trash isn't thrown on the ground. People say please and thank you, like civilized humans. It was an environment of growth, and safety, and education. It was a time to make your own schedule, care for yourself. It was a time to grow. 

Cornell University is gorgeous, what can I say. Risley Hall looks like a castle. Balch Hall is made of stone. The Mary-Donlon building is modern and air-conditioned. Trees are everywhere, grass is everywhere. Birds live in the roof, rabbits make frequent appearances. 

Niagara Falls

My class taught me logic. I learned how to identify fallacies, how to diagram logic to prove if it makes sense or not. I learned how asking specific questions can lead to the answer that you want. I learned that the power of words is most dangerous to the masses who don't understand how to protect themselves against arguments that aren't as true as they sound. 

                       

My daily routine let me be in charge. I set my routine of eating, sleeping, and working. I was responsible for laundry and taking out my trash. I could go to Target by myself on the bus to get what I needed. It was an experience of freedom and responsibility that I couldn't get at home, even if I really wanted to. I could eat as much ice-cream as I wanted. I could eat as many pears as I wanted. Those are both important points. 

Balch Courtyard

My experience at Cornell went beyond the classroom. My world was opened to decisions that I made, activities I decided to do. It was up to me to meet people. I learned that just because someone is from Panama or from Puerto Rico, doesn't mean we have nothing in common. 

I was gifted with the opportunity to be a college student for three weeks. This may sound unimportant to some of you readers, but I also learned that in my last two years of high school, I should (and I want to) take advantage of everything, do everything, enjoy everything, because nothing lasts forever, and often people don't realize what they've missed until it is gone. 

To My Friends, Farewell

I woke up in the morning to find myself realizing how much I was going to miss Reese, Lucy, and Melissa. It was 6 o’clock when I had my last shower with Melissa. It was a very sentimental moment for us because we were always shower buddies with Rachel. At the end of the shower, I quickly headed to my room to pack the sheets and clean the room. Afterwards, I had one last meal with my psychology buddies, Reese and Lucy at College Town Bagels. It was yesterday night when we decided to go to College Town Bagels to eat one last meal, and enjoy the cool atmosphere surrounding us. It was a good walk. While walking, we had our last, fun moments with each other. We bantered around under the morning sun, like any usual day, but my emotions overflowed as we returned from College Town. With a few tears here and there, I watched everyone go in their own direction as I went in my own direction as well. Unfortunately, the three of us didn’t see Melissa off. Her taxi arrived at 8 AM, and we were only a few minutes late, just a few. After saying goodbye to Reese and Lucy, as they continued to pack their luggage, I finished my room inspection and met Shanti, Julie, and Helen at the Balch Arch. Helen called for a taxi to take us to Statler Hall, where we placed our luggage in the Hotel Management class. On our way to Statler, I was quite nervous. Since I missed saying my last farewells to Melissa, I didn't want to miss saying goodbye to Reese. He said that he was going to be arriving at the RPCC at 9:30 AM, and that overlapped with my plan to come back to North Campus because with the taxi ride to Statler, plus the unloading of our luggage, and my walk back. made it seem impossible for me to see his departure. Yet, I made it to say farewell.

After placing our luggage with the Hotel Management class, I quickly ran to RPCC. I was frequently checking my phone and texting him where he was. I was lucky to find him still waiting for his room inspection in Donlon, as I hurriedly speed walked my way there. I was lucky to meet them at the same time when they were leaving the dormitory.  I felt relieved to see my bud off but I cried a ton, even though I did so this morning. The moment that got to me was when he asked for a goodbye hug. That was truly touching and I allowed the waterworks to flow. Lucy was also letting her eyes “sweat” profusely, and the three of us had a moment together. Reese kept telling us not to cry, but that made matters worse as the mere thought of it made our tears stream out.  At last it was time for him to get on the bus. The moment the bus moved, I made the dramatic attempt to chase after it and kept crying as Reese disappeared. Afterwards, Lucy and I went back to Donlon to hang out a bit. When it was 11 o’clock, we walked together to the main bridge, where we separated. The walk there was de ja vu because we walked down the same path together on the first day of class. It was nostalgic and ironic to end my final moments with the girl I started it with.

 While on the bridge, we hugged one last time and soon went our ways. I didn’t look back, or to be more specific, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see her cry because I knew that she would have made me cry as well. Once reaching Statler, we made our way into Mr. Chan-Law’s room to chill.  We had our final lunch at College Town Bagels, which was delicious. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to wait for our shuttle. Our shuttle came at 2 PM, and once we entered the bus we took a row to ourselves since there weren’t many passengers riding. We all slept in the bus, but I felt sweaty after waking up.

With Lucy and Her Sister

The bus didn’t have any cool air to bring my body temperature down but blew warm, hot air as a substitute. The weather outside the bus was more preferable and I was glad to be leaving. Our flight to Chicago got delayed by half an hour which really screwed us up because we had a limited amount of time to run over to our gate to catch the plane to San Francisco. Shanti and I were the last ones to get our luggage, and therefore had to use more energy to literally run across the airport. I was tired by then when I reached the gate, but once sitting down, I revived. The plane ride was packed, and I was glad that we were able to make it to the flight with a few minutes to spare. Once we arrived at SFO, we quickly grabbed our luggage and left to go to the shuttle. I was glad to be home, but at the same time sad to leave Cornell. During the past three weeks, I have been able to meet the greatest people who have changed my perspective of the world. To those people, I would like to say thanks for being with me throughout the program even though I was “unique.”

To my friends, I bid a farewell for now and if we were to meet each other again, may it be where we met each other at Cornell University. 

We made it!

I woke up this morning with a little bit of anxiety. My room wasn’t quite ready for the room inspection and I still had to prepare for graduation. Trying be on schedule, I missed breakfast but that didn’t matter to me as much. Being at Cornell and participating in the summer college has really shaped me up when it comes to being on time. While other classes had the tendency of students being late, Hotel Management class had the problem of students coming in too early. Class officially start as 8:30 AM, but then students would fight for front row seats at 7:30 AM. Getting a great seat in class was like being a contestant for the Hunger Games, but it didn’t take away the fact that it motivated each and every students to get to class early. This is just one of the important and useful habits that being part of the summer college has incorporated in my life.

For the remainder of the morning, my mindset was strictly focused on being on time and following my schedule. I cleared out my trash bins as well as put away my linens in the linen exchange. I wiped down all the tables, chairs, shelves and even the windows. I wanted to make sure that the next student, who is blessed enough to live in South Balch 5364, would want the room to be in mint condition when they arrived, just as I did. I also went to the sink room and wiped down anything and everything.

After I finished most of the room it was time for me to get prepared for the graduation ceremony, I didn’t realize how nervous I was for the graduation until I started to get prepared for it. I was so anxious about being on time that it covered any trace of my nervousness. As I was getting ready I made a finial check throughout my whole dorm room because I didn’t want to leave anything, Right around the time I was done, my RA walks in for the room inspection and I passed.

When she left, I zipped up my bags and headed out. Before I could even leave, I looked at the room I called home for the past three weeks. It looked so empty and lifeless. It was the only place I found refuge to do my work quietly and the only place I could enjoy myself by embarrassingly dancing around knowing no one would see me. I was comfortable with this room and if I had a few picture frames and decorations, it would have seemed to be mine overall.

As cheesy as this sounds, I said good bye to me room and walked away. I stopped by the lounge area to drop off my keys and proceeded to the base floor on the elevator. I walked outside and saw Helen and Thao. They were waiting a taxi that would take us from North Campus to the Statler Hotel. We quickly snatched a taxi driver that was strolling passed us and left North Campus.

After leaving our luggage at the Statler Hotel, the whole cohort parted ways. We all had our own graduation ceremonies to attend. Luckily my graduation ceremony was located at the Statler. When the ceremony began, the whole class walked in a line across the stage and sat in their seats. It was an amazing and entertaining ceremony. What I loved about it the most was that it was student run. There were groups of students who went up and presented a few things that we did throughout the course. For example, one of the groups preformed their presentation they did earlier in the course. Other groups gave a simple presentation on what the class was learning. One of my favorite moments of the ceremony would be the picture slideshow at the end of the ceremony. The slideshow had pictures that depicted the loving family we had become. With each photo there was a memory and a story to be remembered. Just by watching the slideshow, I began to miss the class, even though the entire class was just among the audience with me.

After the ceremony, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. I took pictures with as many friends as I could. These are the photos are the ones I will cherish for a lifetime. At the end, I began to gather contact information of all the students that I didn’t have. As I was getting the students information, I happened to get some of the TA’s contact information as well. I was really happy to have made these connections with them and so honored to have worked alongside with them during this course. Even if I don’t meet them again or don’t get into the same college, I knew that the friends I made from the summer college are friends that I will definitely keep in touch.

My Lovely Professors and I

My Amazing TAs

My Group Member, Matt, and I

After the graduation ceremony, the whole cohort met together once more for our final hours in Ithaca. We went down on a stroll to College Town Bagels and got lunch. During our lunch, it was a time that we somewhat reflected over our trip and what we learned at Cornell. After lunch we headed back to Statler Hotel to wait for our shuttle.

I was told that the shuttle ride from Ithaca to Syracuse was about two hours; therefore I was planning to rest a bit before I got entangled in to the airport system. I got on the bus, closed my eyes and right as I opened them, we were at the Syracuse Airport. I was so confused, Mr.Chan-Law got us out and proceeded on. I checked the time and it has only been an hour since we left. I realized I had underestimated how long the ride was, but I had enough of a nap to keep me awake for the rest of the night.

We checked in our bags and went through TSA check in. Mr.Chan-Law wanted us to get an early dinner because he knew that we would have enough time to get something at Chicago. We got food and went on to our gate. We had a bit of time because our flight had been delayed. We weren’t in much of a rush at all but we were afraid that we would miss the flight going from Chicago to San Francisco. Chicago forecasted there would be a thunderstorm that would affect the airline schedule. We could be sure of what would happen. To add on to the tension we only had a 15 minute period to get from one terminal to another at the Chicago Airport. The flight being delayed made in seem as if the odds were not in our favor. In addition there wasn’t much we could do but cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Nevertheless our flight got to the terminal and we began to board. Before we could board they informed us that they would have to take the carry-on luggage to the storage room. Thao and I were the only ones who got our luggage taken to the storage room. From that point on, it was just a waiting and probability game. We didn’t want to miss the flight because all of us desperately wanted to go home and see our families.

We made our way to the Chicago Airport just fine. The weather was decent since there wasn’t a thunder storm and we get there a little earlier. The airplane arrived there a little earlier than projected but we still had the issue of only having 20 minutes to switch terminals. Thao and I still had to get our luggage, but Justice, Helen, Steven, and Julie sprinted to the next terminal to make sure we would make it. When Thao and I finally got our carry-ons, we only had ten minutes left to get there. It was at the point where Mr.Chan-Law, Thao and I had to sprint as fast as we could to just make it in time to not miss the flight.  We got on the plane and from here it was home free.

My View

The flight was very calming. Maybe it was because we were reassured that we wouldn’t miss a flight. Regardless of what it was, the only thing that mattered was that we were going home. Something that this program does is makes students realize what their families really mean. Being in this program, I realized how much my family supports me and how much they are there for me. It gave me a sense of how much I needed to appreciate them.

After being on the plane for around three or four hours, we finally landed. I was so excited and exhausted, as well. We got out of the plane, got our luggage and rushed outside to get the shuttle. After sometime of waiting a white limo rolls up. Mr.Chan-Law says, “Hey, let’s go.” We all looked at the limo and were dumbfounded. One of us said, “You are lying!” Mr.Chan-Law turn around and expresses that he was just joking around. All of us looked at each other happy to know that we were right about the limo not being ours. We walked closer to the limo and Mr.Chan-Law puts his luggage in the bag. We were so confused. It didn’t really hit us that we got a limo until a few seconds later. We were so amazed and excited.  The real question was “could this day get any better?” We honestly thought it was a great way to end off our little journey.

I’ve learned so much from being in Cornell for the past three weeks. I can’t believe that it all over now, but I am grateful for everything that I have learned and accomplished from this trip. This college experience, has not only educated myself about the college lifestyle, but it also has opened my eye to what I think I would like to do in the future. I am thankful for all the connections I’ve made with the amazing and scholarly students and people. Most importantly, I’d like to thank each and every one of the sponsors, parents, cohort member, and the Ivy League Connection’s supporters for allowing me to experience this. Just as it did for mine, I can’t  wait for this program to change the lives of the future generation.   

Representation of Cornell at its Finest!

"The Real Cornell Squad"

A Graduating Take Off

As my eyes fluttered open, the rays of the bright sun forced me to dig my face into my blanket. I did not get up as the thoughts of my last morning was today. However, knowing that my check out time was at 7:15 A.M and it being 6:30, I pushed myself to get up. I got ready and started organizing my bags. Afterwards, I prepared the room for the RCA to check it out. Trying to be as quiet as possible due to my roommate still sleeping, I took out the trash and brought my linens and towels to the lobby for cleaning. 

The laundry mountain

RCA Jake knocked on my door right on time. He checked my room in order to make sure there was no new damages made by me. The check out went swiftly and within five minutes I was in the elevator going to the lobby with my luggage. Wait! I forgot to say see you later to my roommate! Before I turned in my keys to the RCA in the lobby, I went back to my room and woke up my roommate. Surprised that I woke up so soon, he got out of bed and gave me a solid handshake. We exchanged comments such as,"I hope to see you soon" and "If you are ever visiting my part of town tell me and I will show you around." Matthew is a great roommate who is polite, caring, and very intelligent. 

Before graduation happened, I ran over to RPCC and enjoyed my last meal there. I will miss the great buffet style food and the great memories I created with all my friends at RPCC. Most of all, I will miss Karen's smile and "Enjoy your meal" comment as she swiped our cards and let us in. By the time I finished my meal, I met up with my friend Nick. Since he had a later start, I helped him pack and carry his items into the lobby. Each and every time I visited the lobby, more students were packing their parent's cars and the laundry pile became a mountain full of blankets and towels. 

As I entered Statler, I realized how much I was going to miss my second home. The place where I would spend ten hours or more each and every week day and even a couple of hours on the weekend. Mark and Reneta had set aside a smaller lecture hall where the students gathered and where we dropped off our luggage. Taking the spare room to our advantage, my cohort including Thao and Helen, placed all our baggage here. 

After a quick review of how we were going to walk into the next lecture hall, we personally, students to teachers, said our last farewells to Mark and Reneta, hoping that maybe one day we will be their students in the Hotel class. Since all the students and I were so brilliant, we executed the plan of entering the lecture hall perfectly. 

The ILC Hotel Management cohort and professors
Mark and Reneta.

Graduation was beautiful. It began with Mark saying a few words, but quickly switching it off to one of my classmates Sean Koval. Sean did an amazing job in his speech and introduced key items that we learned throughout the year. Afterwards, two groups shared their presentations from class. Once all the students shared their work, Mark and Reneta began to say the names and handing out the certificates saying we completed their class. However, they surprised the students when they said that they had printed and turned our 20+ page long report that we turned in yesterday, into a book. This was an amazing gift from Mark and Reneta that I truly treasure, thank you for everything. 

Then came the heart breaker. Was it time already? No. I did not want to say see you later to my friends. I felt like we just truly got to know each other. How is it that we are departing already. Sadly, it was that time. The time had come where pictures were taken and many phone numbers and social media accounts were exchanged. I did not know how many people I had actually met until earlier when I counted all my new contacts and I realized there were 52 new names and numbers in my address book. Thanks to the ILC and the opportunity they gave me, I was able to execute my promise of meeting new life long friends. 

Nick, a person I became real close to and
hope to see soon

Sooner than I wanted it to be, I said my farewells to all my friends and departed the building with my cohort. We all dropped our luggage in Chan-Law's room in the Statler Hotel and grabbed a bite at College Town Bagels. After our yummy lunch, we chilled in Chan-Law's room until one o' clock. Since his check out was at this time and the shuttle did not arrive until two o' clock, we relaxed in the lobby until then. 

Surprisingly, the shuttle bus was larger than I expected. Also, we had the entire bus to ourselves. This was a great time to catch up on my sleep and rest up before our two flights. As I expected, the moment I closed my eyes, I knocked out until we arrived at the Syracuse airport. Still a couple hours ahead of schedule, we decided to eat our early dinner at Johnny Rocket's. This was our last meal together as a cohort. We got to spend more time together due to a slight 30 minute delay on our flight. We had not eaten together as a cohort in a while, so this was the perfect time for everyone to share their personal experience and any funny stories. 

Boarding for our flight happened smoothly. Since the seats were assigned, I sat next to Justice and we were able to catch up during the flight. Once we landed, we had to rush and move quickly. Due to the slight delay, once we landed, we were forced to run to the gate for our next flight. With our luck, the next gate was all the across the airport. However, Justice and I ran as fast as we could to only hear that there was still 15 minutes left of boarding. We called Chan-Law and informed them that there was no need to rush anymore. However, by the time we entered the airplane, all one could hear was the heavy panting of our cohort. 

The inside of our sweet limousine 

This time, I sat in the window seat once again, but was placed next to a middle age woman who was very pleasant. Thao sat in the aisle seat directly next to her. Since she was either plugged in, asleep, or reading, I did not get the chance to make much conversation or even get her name. However, I spent my first 3 hours of the flight asleep. I awoke to Thao talking to Helen and Shanti and the airplane TV's playing the ending of Avengers two. I checked in and asked how they were all doing. With plenty of sleep in my system, I decided to begin my blog. This killed time quickly and before I knew it, we were landing in the SFO airport. 

This time we did not need to rush to another flight. Instead we went to get our check in luggage and waited for our shuttle back home. Taxis, vans, a limo, but no shuttle. A limo? I wonder who that was for, probably someone rich. A few minutes later, Chan-Law received a call. His eyes widened and he looked at the limo. He excitedly hurries to the limo and tells us to get in. Just as surprised as him, we jumped with joy and piled in. Due to a lack of storage, we had to pile luggage in the back, trunk, and even the front seat. This was the best way we could have ended our trip. We arrived back to El Cerrito High School, turned in our loaner items and went back home with our parents.

This trip was amazing. Hopefully, I will see my friends back at Cornell again. Even though I just saw them today, I can tell I will miss all of them in the upcoming weeks. 

I would also like to thank Don Gosney, the ILC, and sponsors for working so hard in order for any of this to happen. They deserve a lot more than they receive and they are amazing people. Thank you! This does it for my Cornell ILC 2015 blogging session, its been fun and I hope to experience this again next year. 

It's a Wrap!

I woke up this morning to a room I couldn’t recognize. There were zipped up bags laying across the floor. The shelves were cleared off of candy wrappers and shampoo bottles. The closet no longer held a week’s worth of rotting laundry and hanging sweatshirts. The tables no longer held mountains of wires and cables. It was certainly a room I recognize, but it’s no longer mine.

I rose out of bed bright an early letting my roommate sleep in one last time. I’ve gotten used to

Meet Maddie, my roommate!

waking up earlier than she did, and she’s gotten used to my blaring alarm and gushing water from my morning routine. She got up a little later and we finished taking the trash and linen down to the basement. Most of the packing happened yesterday, but there were still some drawers to clean out. She took out a bag of detergent from the fridge and the two of us stared melancholy at the bag. Dierdra came in at 8:15 for room check, and then I was on my way.

I left my bags in my room and went down for breakfast. Maddie, Elana and Daniella had gone while I waited for my room check, so I saw her on my way to RPCC. We both knew this would be the end. Elana came forward, refusing to utter the forbidden words. We hugged and expressed ourselves through restrained sniffs and went on our way. Behind her was Maddie, the best roommate anyone could ask for. We hugged, the both of us reliving our jokes and shielding our eyes from one another. Then, we went our opposite ways, Maddie continuing to the dorms and me heading to RPCC.

After breakfast with Katie, Barry and a few other dorm members, I went to meet with Thao, Shanti and Helen in front of Balch to take a cab to the Hotel graduation ceremony. I went back to my dorm for the last time, taking in the empty feeling. I was the first to arrive and the last to leave. Maddie

Graduation Presentations

already left, and the room was the same way it was the day I arrived that late Friday night. It was goodbye to the dorm.

We dropped our bags off in the hotel building. Mark and Reneta ran through the program, mapping out where everyone should be sitting and walking through the ceremony. At 10, the curtains parted, and we were in the orientation room, except it wasn’t an orientation room. It was a graduation hall. The same people were in the crowd, but they weren’t the same people. Three weeks later, we’ve grown and matured. Parents watched as their child walked up and around to the front of the room and into their seats.

Mark began the evening, warming up the audience and introducing the occasion, but the show was focused on the students tonight. Our peer, Sean taught our first lesson to the audience; group 1B gave their Marriott hotel presentation; Ricky and Matt discussed the CHESS hotel simulation; and Remi and Katie went over our three-week long agenda. After the student speakers, Mark and Reneta returned to the stage. There was an endless roar of applause as the names were called, one by one. Each person who reached the front was greeted by a copy of the final report, a diploma and a handshake from Reneta. Once all the names were called, a slideshow of our three weeks played on the screen. Everything from lectures to jokes to computing to napping was relived through pictures of the three weeks.

Reneta, Julie and Mark. A picture with the
finest and the funniest teachers.

After the ceremony, everyone met outside for our last goodbyes. I promised myself I would save the tears for the plane ride, but I broke that rule. After a series of camera snaps and hugs with friends, our cohort approached Mark and Reneta for a thank you for the three weeks they provided us.

The rest of the day was filled with activity similar to that of the first week. Everyone brought back their skill of one minute packing and got ready for the rides back home. After eating our last Ithaca at College Town Bagles, our cohort took a shuttle bus to the Syracuse airport. The flight was delayed, leaving everyone anxious about the schedule to come.

During our wait, I bumped into Daniella and Ann at the airport. Her flight to Canada wasn’t due until half an hour later, so we spent the time chatting and reminiscing about Summer College. That was the last goodbye.

The plane ride to Chicago was only about two hours. We rushed across the airport to meet our next plane and made it with three minutes to spare. It was a cloudy day, but nonetheless a

Goodbye New York!

suitable day for flight. Everyone whipped out our laptops for the four hour ride.

After a long airplane ride and a worrysome waiting period regarding the whereabouts of the plane, our cohort arrived in San Francisco. Everyone was eager to get back to bed, considering the three hour time difference and the tiresome day lugging around our packed goods. Chan-Law announced that our ride had arrived, and everyone followed his command. When we saw the white limousine parked outside, we rolled our eyes at the prank, except Chan-Law entered the vehicle and handed his bags off to the chauffeur. The energy levels surged at that moment and everyone giddily hopped into the vehicle, stuffing luggage and boddies in all at once. It was time to go home.

Nothing Was The Same

All That Remains

So…this is it.  After three and a half long weeks, the show is finally over.  This is the end.  Sometime last week, I began to think of reasons as to why I wanted to be back home.  The biggest reason was my personal life.  Last week, I was looking forward to coming back to the Bay Area.  I missed it dearly.  I missed my friends, my family, my home, everything.  Late one night last week, I got a call from one of my good friends whom I hadn’t spoken to in a while.  She asked me if I wanted to hang out and I had to tell her I was still in Ithaca, New York for my summer program at Cornell University.  Having to say that was a little disheartening because it made me homesick; I couldn’t wait to get back home.  Secondly, the Debate and Rhetoric class was starting to take its toll on me.  As stated in yesterday’s blog, I unfortunately picked up a minor sickness, which I believe was due to a combination of the intense workload, long studying hours, and, of course, playing frisbee in the rain (personally, I wanted to believe the former).  The stress of having to work on such demanding assignments so early into the summer time made it feel as though the week and a half prior to this program was more like a Winter Break than that of a Summer Vacation.  Personally, both of these reasons were reason enough to want to have to go back Bay Area.  

When I woke up this morning, I felt drastically different.  When I rose out of my bed, the only items that remained in my room was my luggage and my backpack.  Other than that, the room was empty.  After brushing my teeth, I walked into the room and stopped in my tracks.  I examined the dorm and its emptiness.  What used to be filled with papers, dirty laundry, and unmade beds was now completely barren.  I took my time here for granted and now it was gone with the wind.  All I could do was make the most out of the little time I had left and take it all in one last time.  At around 10, my room was inspected, which took about ten minutes.  Once everything was set, I grabbed my luggage, walked out of the room, and took one last look at my dorm.  I didn’t just close the door of a room that I considered my home for the past three weeks; By closing that door, I ended a saga that was of the best experiences of my life.  

While walking to graduation, a million things were going through my head.  I started to remember all the people that I had met during the trip and all of the people I never got a chance to say goodbye to.  Sure, I had their cell phone numbers or the accounts of their social media, but not being able to say goodbye crushed me a bit.  I had formed friendships with great people and I wanted to be able to cap off the trip in the right way.  I got to say goodbye to a few people, but unfortunately, I never got a shot to say goodbye to everyone that made this trip memorable.

The graduation, again, was a bittersweet experience.  On one hand, it was great to be acknowledged for all of the hard work I put into the class and receive a certificate for my efforts.  On the other hand, that might have been the last time I attended Cornell University and it was sad to leave such a fantastic institution.  As I was handed my diploma and I walked across the stage, I had so many different emotions going on inside my head that all I could do was throw on a grin and walk graciously off the stage.  I couldn’t stay for the whole graduation ceremony because we were on a schedule with a shuttle bus, but it was a privilege to see what I could.  After the ceremony I headed to the Statler Hotel, where I met up with my cohort.  We grabbed a bite to eat at Collegetown Bagels, then headed back to the Statler to wait until the shuttle bus arrived.  While waiting, we encountered a couple students from the school and we were able to say our goodbyes.  

We got picked up at the hotel around two, which began the monotonous cycle of travel.  The shuttle ride to Syracuse itself was about an hour and a half.  Once we got to the airport, we went through protocol and grabbed a bite to eat a Johnny Rockets.  The food left much to be desired, but you can’t really expect much from an airport.  Around six, we boarded our plane on a two-hour flight to Chicago.  The plane was delayed by thirty minutes prior to takeoff, which was terrible because we only had a 45-minute layover from the Syracuse flight to the Chicago flight.  Once we landed in Chicago, me and Stephen sprinted to the gate in order to ensure that our ride didn’t leave us behind.  It was about a mile long to get from point A to point B, so needless to say, it wasn’t fun.  When we eventually did arrive, we were told that we still had about fifteen minutes to board.  This flight, like the Syracuse flight, was boring and uneventful.  I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life so I cycled through playing with my phone, reading, and listening to music, which is a lot duller than it seems on a plane.  After five hours in the air, we finally touched down in San Francisco.  Back in the Bay.  Excited couldn’t describe how I felt to be back home.  There’s just something magical about this place that I missed out in the East.

After picking up our luggage from baggage claim, we waited outside for our shuttle.  A stream of shuttles passed us by and yet no shuttle stopped for us.  A limo pulled up to the curb and I jokingly said to Mr. Chan-Law, “Our ride is here.”  He said “Yeah, right,” and we continued to wait for our shuttle.  In reality, the limo was our shuttle!  Apparently there was no actual shuttle to pick us up so we all got to ride back to El Cerrito High in style!  We crammed our luggage into the car, threw on music, and got to enjoying the place that raised us.  When we arrived at El Cerrito High, the place where it all started, I rolled down the window and casually stared down Don as if the limo itself wasn’t enough to announce our arrival.  We unpacked, said our goodbyes, then when our separate ways.  The trip was over.  But we still have a month and a half of summer and memories will last forever.  

One Last Squad Picture

We Just Want to Go Home

Going home.  Sleeping in your own bed.  Sharing the embrace of family.  There’s nothing like it and when you know it’s coming it can’t come soon enough.

Sadly for our Cornell cohort it seemed like the world was against them and didn’t want to let them come home.

When we tried to check-in the day before for their flights the American Airlines site required that they select their seats before allowing them to check in.  For their second leg of the trip home this wasn’t a problem but for the first leg, the AA site said that all seats bit one were already assigned.

Packed in like sardines

Four hours on and off of the phone with customer service representatives in faraway countries was a fruitless endeavor.  Representative after representative pawned me off on someone else before they just decided that nothing could be done online and the cohort would have to check in when they got to the airport.  Even though they offered assurances that there would be no problems at the airport, with their shoddy service to date we were not convinced.

On Return Day the airport shuttle demanded payment—something that was supposed to have already been taken care of by others.

And then American texts Mr. Chan-Law that the flight will be delayed.  Delays are always bad but when you have a connecting flight in Chicago it can be a real concern.  There were no explanations for the delay—it was just delayed.

When the plane finally took off we were all concerned because the time between the scheduled arrival in Chicago and the scheduled departure from Chicago was only 20 minutes.

Even before the first leg took off American’s web site now added a new twist to the itinerary when they showed a flight at 7:00 AM Sunday morning leaving Chicago for SFO.

Even after they landed in Chicago and made their connecting flight, there was no guarantee that their luggage would be with them.

Fast forward several hours and the plane landed—20 minutes early!  Will wonders never cease.

And to top it off, the luggage was on the same plane.

Shortly before midnight the parents started to gather was the Cornell shuttle arrived.  Alfredo had texted a few minutes earlier that they wouldn’t be easy to miss and he was right.  Their shuttle was a stretch limo.

While stretch limos may be nice, their trunk space is limited so finding a place for the luggage for seven travelers meant that the interior was filled not only with the passengers but with their luggage as well.

Nonetheless, when their ride came to a halt and the doors opened, the weary Cornellians started rolling out of their ride and into the arms of their waiting parents.

Considering that they were still on East Coast time it was just after 3 AM their time and they were whooped—and well they should be.

Welcome home Cornellians.