New Beginnings

Today was another great milestone that we all., as a cohort, had a achieved. After long months of waiting and extensive work and preparation that was required of us to get to this point, we were finally going to be able to move into the dorms at Columbia. Excitement rushed through the entire cohort and we were all very curious as to what we would find when we did get there.

Our day began after a nice, long sleeping period. Our call time for the morning was at 9:30 A.M and we all breathed a sighed of relief for be able to sleep a bit longer. Once we all were all gathered in the lobby of the hotel, he headed next door for brunch. It was a very emotional moment because after today, the we would probably not have breakfast or lunch together for the remainder of the trip. During the few days we have been here, we have grown as friends and have become a small family.

When we finished eating, we once again gathered in the lobby, where Ms. L had a few things to say before we went to retrieve our bags. She first off wanted to congratulate all of us for having made it this far on our journey. Looking back, the work that was required to reach this point was intensive at times, however all has prepared us for this moment. As Ms. L emphasized that the main reason that the Ivy League Connection pays so much money is for all of us to succeed in our respective colleges. A purpose that would allow us to soak in the knowledge of the course and the variety of people living on the campus and to then bring that back to our communities to educate other. Furthermore she also touched upon how we all had to look out for each other while were at Columbia, we are a family and we have to support and look out for each other.

After Ms. L concluded, she let us go to finish any last minute packing and head down the lobby to check-out. Due to the incredibly large quantity of bags that were present, we were forced to take two taxi cabs. Our experience with the cab made all of us realize how crazy drivers are in New York; the driver in Ms. L's taxi even ran two red lights and veered continuously out of his lane. This experience made us realize that we had to be extremely careful when crossing streets because unlike drivers back in California, here they will not stop for you. It became very apparent why the city is notorious for its hustle and bustle personality.

The beginning of all of our adventures.

When we finally arrived at the school, we were speechless. Unlike many of the other schools we had visited, Columbia seemed compact. However, the beauty of the campus still shines through, specifically the architecture and landscape. To me it appeared as if the campus was a haven in a city known for its fast-paced lifestyle. Time seemed to slow down here and it appeared as if time had never touched the school. Much of the architecture and building designs were breathtaking and really amazing. I felt that many had a more Greco-Roman type of design and that the highly advanced city that had sprawled around it had spared the traditional art that was represented in the architecture. 

My bed for the next three weeks

After check-in, we all noticed that we were pretty spread out around the campus. Unlike at the hotel, many of us were at different ends of the school. However, there were some that were lucky enough to be placed in the same building. From that point we each headed to our respective dorms and began to settle. Ms. L headed to each of the dorms to observe the layout of it and check in on how well we were settling. Once everyone had been check up on we headed out to buy the necessary supplies we would need for our stay. We first went to the book store to pick up the school supplies we all needed for our classes and  a jacket to commemorate our journey here. From there we went to a local drug store that was similar to Walgreens that we had back at home. There we bought other essential items such as laundry detergent, coat hanger, etc. On our way back from our trip stopped a frozen yogurt and we all sat down together. It was easy to tell that everyone knew that pretty soon we would all be set loose by Ms. L to have an adventure in Columbia. I personally felt a bit nostalgic about being set free because over the past few days, we had all bonded together and now we were, for the majority of the remainder of the trip, going our own separate ways. Even though some of us would still have class together there is still the a melancholy feeling to being split up.

Once we all had finished eating, Ms. L walked us to the corner of the street and said her goodbyes. As we crossed the street I felt as if I were crossing a bridge into an entirely different world. It was a change of pace and lifestyle. Not only were we going to have to become accustomed to living with complete strangers ( who we would hopefully establish really close ties with) but we would also need to grow used to the style of academics that each of our courses would have. This entire journey would, for all of us, be an exceptional learning experience. 

The campus just never ceases to amaze



Up until the point where I had gotten back to my room after saying goodbye to Ms. L, I had yet to meet any of my suitemates. However, when I did finally return, I was able to meet a handful of them. Thanks to all the preparation the ILC had given me through the dinners, city council meeting and campus tours, my confidence level when approaching complete strangers really increased. Therefore I walked up to the two students who's rooms are located right next to mine and introduced myself. We quickly became friends and began to learn more about each other. For example one of students, whose name is Alejandro, is from all the way in Brazil while the other student, whose name is Simon is from Beijing. They both were really funny and I felt proud of myself for being able to become friends instantaneously with complete strangers using the skills that the ILC had taught. After a brief chat we set out to venture the campus and locate our other suitemates.

At around 5:30 everyone one from my suite gathered in the common room to wait for our RA, Arjun, to take us to dinner. To begin he made us all say our names and the place where we were all from. I was surprised at the diversity there was among my suite. There were students from Brazil, Norway, Turkey etc. I knew there would be many international students attending this summer program but I was shocked that out of my entire suite, which is made of nine boys, there was only one other American. After the formal introduction we headed out to have dinner, which I must say was very good. It was not necessarily the gourmet cuisine such as the type served at the locations where we had our dinners, but it was not that bad either.

After dinner, our RA gave us a brief version of orientation where he covered the basic rules of the program. Curfew is extremely important and I could immediately notice why. New York is an extremely large city, and it becomes even worse when you need to handle a group of 700 students that each want to do their own thing. Just like in the real world, 1 minute after curfew is LATE, and there is no excuse that can change that. This message was made absolutely crystal clear during our orientation.  

A campus with true remarkable beauty

Upon conclusion of the orientation, our RA gave us a rudimentary tour of the school. However he is not actually a student at Columbia so there were some locations he simply did not know the location of. He never once said no though, and would ask if he needed to know where something was instead. We were able to see the locations of some of the buildings in which some of us would take classes tomorrow. Also, it be came very clear that Columbia has an obsession with statues. Everywhere we went around campus we would see a statue. Some had an image that was more clearer than others, and some nobody knew what they were. Once we had circled the school, we made our way back to the dorms where we were free to do whatever we wanted until curfew. I took advantage of this time to get everything organized for my big day at class tomorrow and make sure I had absolutely everything I could need. 

 

Today's experiences were really life-changing for. First off I realized that being able to go up to a complete stranger and spark a conversation is within my capabilities. Also that being on your own carried heavy responsibilities. No one would be there to monitor your actions and ensure you would get something done. However there would be serious consequences if you did not get them done on time. This entire day made me realize how the ILC has been tremendously helpful to me. It has been able to build my confidence level to the point where I can easily walk up to a stranger and begin a conversation. The work that each of the members of the ILC does should be commended because without them this program would not be able to illuminate the minds of countless students in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The sponsors and donors should also receive high amounts of commandment because without them, no one could afford to send us to such prestigious schools and receive an education that would otherwise is far beyond the capabilities of obtaining for an ordinary student such as myself.