I walked in between two rows of sign-in sheets and into one of Pinole Middle's newer buildings. The room was practically full of people. For five minutes until six, the whole room watched the last stragglers make their way in. We continued to wait for another fifteen minutes to make sure every single student and their parent was present. Don officially began the orientation with a reiteration of the importance in punctuality and went into what we would discuss in the breakout sessions as well as the other important requirements of the ILC.
We broke into our cohorts and met in designated areas. Mr. Chan-Law passed out our permission slips and a rough itinerary. I was holding 25 days of my life in my hands. The realization that two weeks from today I'd be blogging in Chicago hit me. I'd be at the Drake Hotel, after a long day of flights and exploring. Don came in to see where each of us was with our required reading. Luckily I'v been reading, so I was able to swiftly dodge a visit from Evil Don. Mr. Chan-Law continued by telling us the people that would be present at our dinner and gave us some possible site visits. If there's not too much work to do over the weekend, we may go to Rochester University and Syracuse University. He also told us about the amazing Cornell hotel. Just looking at our departure back to the bay written on a piece of paper made me cringe, but this was only a time for happy thoughts.
At 7:35, it was time to regroup with all of the ILC. I got to talk to Rochelle about getting over finals and meeting people at Cornell. The more we talk, the more excited I am to embark on our journey. It's indescribable how easily the six of us get along and how ready we are for Cornell. Don and Mr. Ramsey made a few closing remarks to end the night. Every ILC event reminds us about what's expected of us and of what we can expect of our consequences or successes. School ends this week, graduations will follow, and soon I'll be on my way to attending a graduation of my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment