From the Midwest to the East Coast

Time surely flies when having fun. Our three days in Chicago, while exciting, had to come to an end.

At 9:20 AM, we departed from the beautiful Drake Hotel and went to the O'Hare International Airport. Once we ate a swift brunch, we began our flight to Detroit, Michigan, from where we transferred to another flight to Ithaca, New York.

Jenna and I had adjacent aisle seats during both flights

The very colorful halls of the Delta Aiport

Unfortunately, the passengers I sat with during both flights were all fast asleep. Therefore, in order to make use of the short time I had, I reviewed several excerpts from St. Augustine. Despite the initial turbulence of the Detroit flight, we landed rather smoothly and entered the Delta Metropolitan Airport. We only had a short window of time to reach the terminal for our departure to Ithaca, New York. The quickest way to do so was by hurriedly walking through a colorful passageway.

The plane for the Delta flight was the smallest out of the three planes we have flown in. Instead of the usual three seats per aisle, there only two. Moreover, the compartments were too small for my carry-on so it had be to flown in separately. After an hour long trip, we finally arrived to the town of Ithaca.

I immediately felt the humidity of this New York area once we left the airport. Mr. Chan-Law rented a large white van for the day to take us to Cornell University. In about ten minutes, I found myself immersed in the breathtaking campus of Cornell, my temporary home away from home for the next three weeks.

[From Left to Right]: RCA Carol, Tamilyn, Michelle, and Tomi's arms

A Residential College adviser, or RCA, named Carol helped us with our early arrival check-in, during which we got our Cornell IDs, room assignments, dorm keys, and mail box keys. Tamilyn, Michelle, Jenna, and I were assigned to Balch Hall while Rochelle and Tomi were situated at Risley Hall. Unfortunately, I was placed in a single room so I will not enjoy the experience of having a roommate. However, I hope to get to know my fellow hall mates who are in the adjoining rooms. After settling into our rooms, we had to get ready for the last luxurious dinner will enjoy at the John Thomas Steakhouse.

Since we were the only ones in the entire establishment, its atmosphere was peaceful. The decorum of the restaurant was so elegant with its depictions of game hen and unique designs. Our additional guest was John Schechter, one of the main directors of Cornell's summer program. We all described to Mr. Schechter our reasons for participating in the Ivy League Connection and what we hope to gain from the experience.

For my last 'fancy' meal, I chose the ten ounce small filet mignon with a side of mashed potatoes. Little to my knowledge, the portions were extremely generous; the mashed potatoes were even larger than my entree.

Mashed potatoes with a side of filet mignon

Triple layer chocolate cake for dessert

Thankfully, most of us shared the enormous side and even had room for dessert. By 10:30 PM, we returned to our respective halls to begin our blogging. 

It has not hit me yet that in two days I will begin the Freedom and Justice program. Before that, tomorrow my cohort and I will go to the opening ceremony and later in the evening meet up with our RCAs and fellow dormmates. I am sure that this weekend will allow me to become more oriented with my new found surroundings and I cannot wait to enjoy all that Cornell has to offer.