In the Light

There's a light at the end of every tunnel, an end to every adventure. My cohort and I are now in the light. I remember when we first arrived at Columbia Mrs. L advised us to use our time wisely and enjoy every moment because the three weeks would fly by. At the time, I didn't believe her, now I fully understand. Looking back, that early morning at El Cerrito High and departure for New York feels like it happened yesterday. I just spent nearly a month on the other side of the country taking an economics course at Columbia University! Inconceivable! (Yes that was a Princess Bride reference, which actually has nothing to do with anything relevant, I just like the movie.)

Last night, extending through to early this morning, I spent packing. It took me much longer than I expected it would. After three weeks you begin to accumulate things, especially after going shopping on several occasions. It was much more difficult for me to close my suitcase today than when I originally packed. I was so afraid that I was going to be overweight. At the baggage claim at the airport they weighed my luggage and it was only 48 lbs! I am so proud of myself.

Because I was unable to say goodbye to Jackee as well as some other friends last night, I met them this morning for a light breakfast. It is so sad that I may never see some of the amazing people that I've met ever again. Although, thanks to technological advances in social networking, we will keep in touch. For me, when it comes to goodbyes, I am not the most emotional person. I know that I will have some way to stay in contact with them so why be sad?

After my light breakfast and unfortunate goodbyes I made it back to my dorm for the last time. That room was my home for three weeks. After getting back I had just enough time to put the final bit of my belongings together and meet the group. We planned to meet at 10:00 AM. Once we were all together we took two cabs to the Hotel Beacon to drop off our bags at Mrs. L's room. Then we walked to Central Park.

I love Central Park! It is so beautiful and is so unbelievable that such a green and serene place could be in the center of such a busy city. If I lived in New York City I would visit Central Park all of the time. It is definitely a gorgeous escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

Once in Central Park we went to a lovely restaurant called the Boathouse for brunch. We had a table right next to the lake. Not only was my french toast amazing, I greatly enjoyed watching the turtles swim back and forth in the lake.

Finally at about 1:45 the shuttle came to pick us up from the hotel. Other than our flight being delayed an hour, it went very well. I sat between Anmol and Bryan. I had a ton of fun talking with them and reminiscing about our past month. It is going to be so strange not seeing my cohort everyday. I'm going to miss them! My favorite part about returning was seeing the smile on my dad's face when I met him at the baggage claim.

Although this whole adventure was absolutely amazing and the end came far too soon, I'm glad to be home.