Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Watch Out, Atlanta: Here Comes Dat Boi

Wow. Only one day has passed, and so much has already happened. I'm already feeling the effects of waking up super early this morning (To be accurate, I've been feeling the effects since I woke up), and already want to pass out on this super comfy hotel bed that I'm sitting in at the moment.

Waking up this morning was surprisingly easy; usually it takes at least 3 alarms and several visits from my dad to get up, but today I was the one giving wake-up calls. After doing my typical final paranoid checks of my luggage, we left for school.

The setup for departure goods
I was dressed in shorts to prepare for the muggy weather in Atlanta, but the icy wind left me shivering in regret. Don went over the last minute details and reminders, and handed out the final itinerary for the trip; all the information reminded me of the cram session before an exam. While this experience definitely won't be as tedious or stressful (I hope) as final exams, this will be a personal test for me, an assessment of how ready I truly am for independence. 

Soon, it was time to leave. I bid a quick farewell to my parents and boarded the airport shuttle. The ride and the flight to Atlanta were largely uneventful, with the only incidents being a slight mixup in the seating arrangement on the plane. I sat between Ms. Thomas (whom we now call Mom) and a kindly lady. I would have started a conversation, but she seemed more interested in her own devices, so I delved into Delta Airline's collection of free movies. Hopefully I'll be more successful at engaging with new people from here on out.

Upon arriving in Atlanta, we headed straight to the place we would be staying at, the conference center of Emory University. The rest of the afternoon was a jumble of random activities: we played pool, ate a late lunch of sandwiches, walked around the area in search of a park, swam in an actual pool, and then ate dinner. It was great to hang out with and just get to know Edward, Jahnvi, Jackie, and Mom; we talked about our lives, vegetarian converts and sweatshop children, the weather, and how to get away with murder (wait...what?).
The Vandy Squaaad, minus Mom :( 
Today was a great start to our time together. By now, I already feel like I've known the cohort forever...then again, it does feel like it's been an eternity since we met outside El Cerrito High School this morning...I can only imagine what things will be like by the time the trip is over.
Tribute to memes everywhere. Don't ask why.

1 comment:

  1. You're so funny Jae-An! I noticed you all gelling into being good friends on this day. All of you have this ability to be incredibly exacting and random in the same conversation. Cracks me up!

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