Fireworks!

Most people attended class today, but the International Human Rights in Theory and Practice course was granted an extra day off because our professor wasn’t available.

Initially, I planned on waking up before 6 and running alongside Beebe Lake. That didn’t work out in my favor. A painful cramp in my leg woke me up at 4 AM and in order to relieve the pain, I had to walk around my room for a good 10 minutes. Getting back to sleep afterward was a nightmare. At 6 AM, Robson called and woke me up again, because we had made plans to go to Ithaca Commons with J’nai and Sultana. We ate breakfast and then Robson, Sultana, and I walked a good thirty minutes towards downtown.

J’nai was meeting us there, or so I thought. She had misinterpreted my words over the phone and headed off to Ithaca mall instead. We barely spent any time in Ithaca Commons. All we managed to do in that short time frame was take pictures and break a couple of dollars into quarters. The moment I heard about the mix-up, we hopped onto the next bus and arrived at the mall a half-hour later. 

Janna Dawn and I!

Apparently, we had forgotten to tell J’nai all of this, so she decided it would be best for her to take the bus back to the Commons. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken her too far before she hopped off and met us at Target.

I felt stressed out and annoyed at the situation that we were previously in, and sometimes what I do best when I’m not thinking straight is splurge on items that I don’t need. It helped that Sultana made the choice to try on clothes we had picked because I ended up eliminating almost everything. I ended up scoring a cute yellow dress. 

Back on campus, we ate together at Trillium and then stopped at the Cornell store for an ID holder to hang on my lanyard. It helps to have the Cornell card and my debit card on me so that I don’t physically have to carry extra items or worry constantly about losing either.

J'nai and my ice cream 

3:30 PM was when a meeting with Associate Director of Special Program and Professional Studies, Janna Dawn, was scheduled for Noor, Robson, and I. Before that, our little friend group consisting of Sultana, Robson, J'nai, and I went to the Dairy Bar for ice cream. The extreme heat at that time of day made it a great choice. I was beyond excited because eating there had been on my list of top things to do while in Ithaca. The ice cream tasted just as good as the recommendations had described it. I got a scoop of mint chocolate chip. I’m going to go ahead and say that it was probably the best one I’ve ever had.  The consistency wasn't too runny nor thick and it didn’t taste like it had any artificial flavoring either. In the words of Robson: “I could literally taste how happy those cows were.”

Getting a picture in the dark was difficult.
People really didn't want the flash in their eyes.

All three of us cohort members met Ms. Dawn at her office in B20 Day Hall before 3:30 PM. She insisted on moving the meeting outside into the open instead, and that is exactly where we went to speak to her more in depth. I had the chance to introduce myself and discuss whether or not I felt comfortable here on Campus. We also talked about the natural beauty of Ithaca and how gorgeous the gorges really were.  Janna was an easy person to talk to. She made us feel comfortable, acknowledged our experiences, and engaged in conversation with us.  We also touched on potentially moving out of state (California) for college, schools we might consider, and what makes Cornell unique compared to the other Ivy leagues. Janna encouraged us to drop by if we ever had any questions/concerns. It was a pleasure meeting her, and I'm glad that I have yet another person to consult with if needed. 

Around 7 PM I headed over to the Libe Slope with snacks and a desire to see pretty views. Fireworks were starting at 9:24 PM but I wanted to be there early to secure a good spot. We spent a good amount of time there snacking on food and completing assignments. My friend Muskaan from India who is doing the Architecture course brought her guitar and attempted to teach me some songs. Eventually, we gave up and played old Hindi songs from our childhoods in the background. Fireworks of all colors, shapes, and sizes went off directly above Cayuga Lake. Watching the lights and listening to familiar tunes made me feel like I was dreaming.