The Last Day

Today was definitely a bitter sweet day. Part of me can't wait to go home and be with my family but the other half of me wants this to last forever. In the morning, we had a goodbye party in class that was less fun than it sounds. The teachers stood up and told us the impact we had on their lives and the students got up to say a few words as well. Professor Lamas was especially sad because he had lost a family member that helped raise him, and he felt like he was losing us as well. When I got up to say a few words and to reminisce on memories, I started to tear up. I couldn't get out all the words I wanted to say. I really don't like goodbyes, and most of the goodbyes I said were probably for good. 

SJRA > EVERYTHING ELSE

At Lunch, we had a demonstration in front of the infamous LOVE statue. A couple of students from my class got together to protest mass incarceration, racism, and bias teaching in schools. They protested through means of poetry and it was absolutely beautiful. Most of what they said resonated with me and it amazes me how many people my age really like poetry. Many people gathered to hear their poetry and there was even room for an encore. I applaud them for their bravery. 

After lunch, we gathered back in class for a mini concert. We first heard a mix of different kinds of instruments that originate from Africa. Then we had a chance to listen to a group called Mahina Movement. They empower women and write songs about their life stories. After listening to their stories, we also wrote a verse as a class. Our chorus emphasized how small things make up everything in our universe and how those very small things bring people together. I tried not to cry as I looked around the room and saw tear streaked faces as we sang our Grammy worthy song.  After singing, we took more time for pictures and saying goodbye. As I said before, I hate goodbyes. 

I love Levi's inability to take a normal photo <3

After class, Elexis, Jun, Ariana, Joanne, and I got together to watch Ant-Man. I've been wanting to watch Ant-Man for a while now and I'm glad that my last movie in Philadelphia is a Marvel one. After the movie, our cohort got together to buy our sweatshirts. It was a very tough decision picking one, but I think I have the one for me. John treated us out to a nice dinner at the WhiteDog Cafe and it was a great last dinner here at Penn. The restaurant had a fancy but casual feel to it; I can't describe it. After dinner, my cohort and I signed in for the last time and that's when it finally hit me that I'm going home. Elexis called me around midnight and we both cried on the phone together talking about how close we've gotten. I was so worried about not getting too close to the other people here at Penn because I didn't want to risk the chance of never seeing them again, I didn't realize how close I became with my cohort members. We have a higher chance of meeting each other because we're from the same area. But it still feels like we're also saying goodbye.