A Day Well Spent

This picture of Noor and I is the cutest    

Getting to De Anza High School this morning for the ILC tutorial session was stressful to say the least. Although I had woken up an extra two hours early to get ready and make it on time, our GPS stopped working last minute. I was able to arrive only a few minutes before 8 AM, partly due to my dad’s illegitimate lack of trust for the iPhone version of the navigation system.

A couple of ILCers were already there helping Don put up the banner and moving additional items from his car into the computer lab. I had the opportunity to not only join my fellow El Cerrito Schoolmates, but also to meet some new people while we were waiting for everyone else to arrive.

Eventually, we joined Don in the computer lab and started going over ILC protocol, expectations, and blog formatting. In addition to that we each received a packet with more in-depth information and a packing list. Discussing and looking over everything that we are expected to take with us this summer made me anticipate my trip to Cornell even more.

Afterwards, we had to practice our blogging skills. Initially I had trouble finding a computer with a working connection and had to switch several times. I wasn’t the only one put in this position and although it did get somewhat frustrating, we made it work in the end. I was happy with where I was sitting. It provided me with the chance to talk to Joceline, a former Cornell cohort member, about Ithaca and what to expect in terms of weather, buildings, and classes. She recommended The State Diner, a restaurant near the Cornell campus. Apparently the chocolate chip pancakes they serve are heavenly. I look forward to trying them out for myself. I was able to learn a lot from Joceline, and appreciated the conversation that we had.

At some point, everyone went outside to take pictures. It was slightly cold, but photographing one another turned out to be a great way for us to bond. We struck poses in front of various backgrounds including the perfectly customized ILC banner, and uploaded them to MediaFire to share with each other.

The Cornell Cohort    

The tutorial was slowly coming to an end and people were starting to leave. We learned to use security cables and had our medical and ID cards scanned. I felt very productive and was proud of everything that we had accomplished in that time.

Don drove Madison and I home. We talked about El Cerrito High School, financial aid, and college on the way back. I always enjoy the conversations that Don and I have on the many rides that he’s had to give me over the past few weeks. To top it off, I got to take two giant boxes of chips home. I couldn’t think of a better way to end the tutorial