Atlanta Meets the ILC

My alarm went off at exactly 5 AM, and surprisingly, I woke up the first time it went off. The bed at the Hilton was so comfortable that I didn’t even want to leave. When I finally convinced myself to get up, I got ready and packed my things. Elexis and I were downstairs by 5:40 AM, and we all got into another shuttle. Now we were off to the airport yet again.

When we checked in at the airport, Joanne, Rudy, Elexis, and I got TSA Pre-Approval, so we didn't have to take off our shoes at security, and made the entire process go a lot smoother. At this time, everyone was starving, so we went to go eat breakfast at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant before we boarded the plane. The day was off to a good start with good food and good music. (The restaurant played all of the songs that I loved)

On the plane, I was sitting next to Rudy and Joanne yet again, and everyone fell asleep right when the plane took off. What was interesting about this flight was that we wished a girl named Alexa happy birthday, but not in an ordinary way. Instead of having candles to blow out, all of the passengers on board pressed the assistance button, which lit up the entire plane, and we sang happy birthday to her. Afterwards, she blew on the mic and we all turned off the lights. It was really nice, and I’ve never seen that before.

The Plane Train

We safely landed in Atlanta at 11 AM. The airport really surprised me because we had to ride a train just to go from the gate to the luggage claim, and I was just amazed at how humongous it was. When we were getting our luggage, Jun was “randomly” inspected by a police officer to make sure it was her luggage. Maybe she thought the innocent Jun was suspicious?

After we all grabbed our luggage, we rode on another shuttle and headed to Holiday Inn, where we just dropped our things and went straight to Emory University. What I noticed about the drive was that there were A LOT of trees on the way. It practically looked like a jungle to me, not that there was anything wrong about that. I also learned that Pepsi was not that welcomed in Atlanta, since Coca-Cola was founded here. Anyways, when we went to Emory University, we first went to the information session, with Scott Allen, an Admissions Officer, as our speaker. I actually learned a lot about the application process, and what they specifically look for when we apply. According to Mr. Allen, Admissions Officers look for the four P's: Preparation, Potential, Personality, and Perspective. I also learned a little bit of the history of Emory and Oxford University, which was pretty interesting.

When all questions were answered, we went on a tour around the university led by Maddie Clifton. I honestly believe that our cohort has the perfect timing for everything, because yesterday when we arrived at Houston, it was pouring the entire day, and today Atlanta was raining at random times. It even rained right when the tour began, then it went back to the sunshine, and back to rain yet again. After the tour ended at around 3:30 PM, we were wet and sweaty at the same time. The weather in the East Coast is definitely not forgiving. After this tour, I realized that Emory University wasn't really the right university for me, mostly because it was a Liberal Arts school and I want to major in Engineering. Don't get me wrong, I loved the campus, but it just didn't feel like the right university for me.

The inside of the DOC

For lunch, we took yet another shuttle to a restaurant called Community Barbecue. Right when we opened the door,  the smell of freshly cooked barbecue filled our noses. They had an extensive menu, and we couldn't decide on what to eat, so we all agreed on ordering a combo platter. We basically got one of everything, and we just shared it with each other. Their food was truly amazing, and I'm glad we ate lunch there. 

The aftermath

To burn off all of the food we ate, we just walked back to our hotel, which was incredibly close by. Then, we checked into our hotel rooms and decided on who gets what room again. This time, the decision was made by a coin toss, and as a result, Joanne, Elexis, and I shared a room, while Jun and Chiamaka share another. Sadly, Holiday Inn didn't have an extra bed for us, so Elexis and I had to share one bed. After we relaxed a bit in our rooms, we all went to the pool for a quick swim, and it was back to our hotel rooms. Initially, we were supposed to go downtown, but Mr. Hillyer said that it would be too expensive so we just stayed in the hotel for the rest of the night.

Today actually wasn't as tiring as I thought, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when we finally arrive in Philadelphia!

At the entrance to Emory University

Crazy Weather,..."CRAZILY" Good BBQ

I like to point out one thing before I babble on about today. It was crazy. Furthermore, the weather forecasters were crazier, but maybe we just picked the wrong days to be at places. On the day we leave Houston, its weather was bright, sunny, and glamorous without any thunderstorms. Why, because the thunderstorm decided to travel alongside us to Atlanta. What even.

Ready for another awesome day!

I was the first to wake up from our double-turned-triple room but Joanne heard my lovely loud cookadoodle-doo alarm and decided it was the right time to be awake. I finally felt how precious sleep was after that intense day yesterday of walking and tripping and stumbling. We mumbled in agreement and got ready for today's awesome trip to Atlanta (not you weather). We grabbed breakfast in Houston and crammed it all in since the wait for our food to come out was way longer than expected. Southwest did a great job today as we landed in Atlanta on schedule despite the various reports of having signs of potential thunderstorms around the area. The moment we landed in Atlanta, I felt the vibe of Coca Cola dominance. There were actually Coca Cola vending machines spread throughout the domestic terminals to remind everyone, whether you know or not, that Atlanta is the birthplace of the well-loved beverage. After getting our luggage, we were greeted with a rush of humid, sticky air. I was okay with this weather as summertime in China's WAY worse, but Rudy let out a loud, " Oh my God, it's so hot!" He then did a small dance to commemorate this feeling; nice one Rudy. While waiting for a taxi-van, a security officer introduced us to the immediate shuttle service down the street; she explained that we might have a shorter wait there. We got a van almost immediately and the driver was nice and friendly. He offered to give us a ride to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, to drop off our stuff plus giving a ride to Emory University. That was convenient in many ways and we thanked the driver for his service. 

#Emory 2020? :)

Thankfully this time, we arrived at Emory on the dot. Scott Allen, a well experienced admissions counselor, was kind enough to take his holiday weekend off tomorrow and gave his undivided attention to us. I loved his presentation because he did not simply give admissions statistics or personal statement claims and comments, but a background of Emory and how it was made upon and how everything ties together. Their holistic view on your application revolves around these four principles: preparation, potential, personality, and perspectives; the four P's. Are you open minded? Did you prepare before applying? Do you have raw talent that you like to invest time in? Who are you? This gave me a better sense of what I should do to create a well- rounded application when the time comes. The campus tour followed immediately and so did the rain. Five minutes into the tour, it started raining cats and dogs on us so we took shelter at one of the libraries. Our tour resumed indoors until it stopped pouring. We passed by museums and architectural buildings that were pleasant to view even in the rain. And yes, the rain came and went throughout the whole tour but that did not stop us from getting the full view of Emory.

Picture within a picture

I am very glad that we finally got a tour done since the weather prevented us yesterday. When we got to the Duck which was the dining commons, I realized how hungry I was. We had breakfast at 7AM and it was already 3:50PM when my tummy couldn't take it. Mr. Hillyer was aware of our cohort's stomache and assured us that we will get barbeque once the tour ends. Elexis and I nodded in approval to BBQ instantly. Our tour ended with a bang and we decided to do a quick group photo. Did it come out well?

We beat the weather!

Our Holiday Inn shuttle arrived promptly and delivered us to one of the most delicious BBQ place ever: the Community BBQ. When we got there, the menu sounded delicious. I mean like, real delicioso. Because we were so indecisive, Mr. Hillyer decided to take the lead and ordered combos so we all could share and try more flavors. This turned out to be a great idea and boy I had to say that my links were amazing. The sauce was amazing too but it could have been hotter. Our California self kicked in when we saw how big and scrumptous the meals looked and decided to get our selfie stick out and take a group selfie with our foods. We were commented by a worker there and she said something that surprised us, "I've never seen those in action." I guess selfie sticks aren't popular everywhere? Anyways, we gobbled down food portions probably enough for a table of 10. The food was simply too good to stop eating. If you've eaten the coleslaw at Community BBQ, you will never want to taste KFC coleslaw ever, at least that's how I feel now. 

Yummmmm-y

Can ribs get any better?

This is the bomb

Without wanting to feel bloated, we decided to walk back to Holiday Inn as it was only a ten minute walk. This was a nice walk because the weather decided to let us off the hook and gave us some sunny time. The grass was lively as ever and everyone was tired yet happy from today's experience. We got to our hotel in no time by cracking jokes along the way. Our way of dividing the girls hotel rooms switched from yesterday's ro-sham-bo to today's coin flipping. Of course, Chiamaka who had to sleep on the uncomfortable steeled sofa couch, had immediately been placed in doubles room. One more slot in that two person room was in play. Both Joanne and I guessed heads and we had a final facedown. I eventually won with my scissors, but Joanne was in good hands with Elexis and Justeen so all was good. Since everyone still had some leftover energy from the tasty BBQ, we decided to hit the pool and swim. The pool was clean and this was a nice way to end the day. I'm sad that this is our first and last tour of the out-of-state trips but I can't wait until we land in Philly tomorrow. Here I come!

An Eagle Soars to Houston

I woke up to the sound of a low but very annoying chirping of my alarm. I reached down to grab my phone to shut off the ear piercing noise. The time read 2:21 a.m, excitement rushed through my body. Immediately, I jolted out of bed to wake my mom yet, to my surprise she is already awake. Stumbling around in the dark trying not to wake my sleeping sisters and grandma, I made my way into the bathroom. A splash of cool water to fully take me out of sleep-mode, started my normal routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face, etc. Next, I proceed downstairs to make my mom some coffee to help get her out of sleep-mode too. 

The smell of Folgers fills the kitchen and the aroma finds its way into my nostrils. It was captivating. At that moment I realized I was behind schedule. It was 2:35 a.m when I started the coffee, it only takes 5 minutes to make a cup.  Which isn't bad but if you plan on leaving at 2:50 a.m that throws you off schedule a little bit. 

I made my way back up the stairs with the small cup. I was still in my pajamas when I gave it to my mom.  After, she took the cup I rushed into my room to start getting dressed. I quickly put on my clothes, made my bed and "fixed" my hair. I raced down the stairs to find my mom sitting in the living room sipping her coffee.  

We grabbed my luggage placed it in the car and made our way to El Cerrito high. We got there at 3:10 a.m. the first people I saw were Don, Rudy and Justeen. My mom and I unloaded my luggage, then rolled it over to where Don, Rudy and Justeen were standing. Next, Joanne, Jun, and Chiamaka arrived. John came shortly after Chiamaka. After, everyone had arrived Don has my mom and I sign two forms. 

He then, begins to weigh our luggage. At that moment I was a little nervous because I didn't pre-weigh my bags.  The recommended weight was 42 pounds, I felt that one of mine weighed at least 50! The moment of truth arises.  Don made his way to my luggage,  he pulls out a small hook like tool. Placed it to the handle and dangles the duffel bag slightly above the ground. "26 pounds" he called out, next is the one I was nervous about. (The one I believed weighed 50 pounds.) He repeats the same process for this bag too.  "37" he exclaimed,with a sigh of relief I wheeled it over to the luggage pile. 

We then headed over to a large wall to take our departure picture(s). The reason I pluralized it, is because Don had to take several practice shots before taking the perfect one.  One thing, I can say is that the photos Don takes always come out perfect in the end.  

On our way to Houston!!!!!!!

Next,  we went back to the luggage pile area to see that the airport shuttle had arrived. Right then and there I knew there was no turning back.  Don went over the itineraries before he gave us the okay on saying our goodbyes to our parents. I hugged my mom twice and she told me to have fun and that she loved me.  I said the same to her as I boarded the bus.  

I sat in the first row ( from the front) next to the window, to my immediate right was Chiamaka, and to her immediate right was Justeen. In the row behind us was Jun, Joanne, and Rudy. The ride to the airport was long.  Yet, it was fine because we talked the whole ride. Our conversations ranged from field trips to boxing to how we are. I found out that Justeen is cranky when she gets hungry and Chiamaka she gets really tired when she doesn't eat.  I shared with them that I'm not that much of a morning person but I'm not straight up rude or mean. 

We finally made it to the Oakland Airport we were flying Southwest airlines. Our luggage is unloaded and we proceed to the check-in line. We then enter the airport and made our way to the security check line. the line was so long like always but, luckily for Jun and I we had TSA Pre. Which allowed us to go to an entirely shorter line and place our carry on bags through the scanner an walk through the metal detector without having to remove our shoes or anything like that.   

When John gave us our boarding passes he told us exactly what gate to go to so we weren't stuck waiting for them on the first floor. We walked up the stairs to find our gate it was on our immediate left but then I saw Starbucks, I knew that we had to go get some and it didn't take much convincing to get Jun to come along with me. To be totally truthful she is the one who wanted Starbucks, from the time we left El Cerrito high. It was worth the wait. We waited for 20 minutes and ordered our hot chocolate. I never tried their hot chocolate, all I can say is that I'm happy I did. 

As we waited

Finally, we head to gate twenty-five, the last door we had to enter before we got to Houston. By that time the rest of my cohort had made it out of the security check. Then, we boarded our plane.

Last sight I saw in Oakland

It took about 15 minutes before we actually took off . At the beginning of the flight I was sort of uneasy but as we continued I got used to it. Our flight took way longer than expected. The expected time was only about 3 hours and 30 minutes but it actually took closer to about 7! At first we were flying on schedule but then of course something happens. A thunderstorm over Houston. The flight attendant said that we would be doing some circling because of the storm. We circled for I don't know how long but it was long. Then, the pilot said that we were heading to Austin, Texas because we were nearly out of fuel.The plane had decreased in altitude so I assumed we were going to be landing yet again that was not the case. The plane shoots back up into the air fast. The flight attendant says that we will be landing in San Antonio,Texas this time.

The flight finally lands and we sit for only about 30 minutes then we take off. Onto Houston I thought to myself as the plane lifted into the air. It took what felt like an hour to get to Houston. We finally, landed at 2;15 and were directed to the baggage claim. At that time everyone was hungry and hot due to the weather change. We pick up our luggage and make our way to the food court, trying to figure out if we wanted to eat there or wait until we got to the hotel. We decided to eat at the hotel. Great choice might I add. After, the decision was made we went out to the airport shuttle. from there we were driven to our hotel. 

The hotel was gorgeous it was a very tall, elegant type building in the medical district of Texas. As I entered into the building I was mesmerized by the shear peace of the place. It was also very cool inside compared to the humid outer air. When we made our way to the check in desk I looked around out the beautiful building thinking wow I never thought I would be in a place like this. John gave us a moment to decide how we were going to workout the roommate situation. It wasn't very hard because we just played rock,paper scissors for the rooms. I ended up sharing a room with Justeen which was cool because that means I got my own queen sized bed. No chance of a roll-a-way. 

Justeen and I made our way to our room which was on the 11th floor room number 6. With this being such a fancy hotel we rode a beautiful elevator. We then reached our room to find that it was beautiful. A living room space, half bathroom near the door, a bedroom, and a full bath. We quickly, placed our luggage down and made our way back downstairs to meet John. 

When we got downstairs John asked us what we wanted to do because we had missed our tour of Rice due to the weather delays. He then said lets meet back in a few minutes because its still raining, so we headed back upstairs. Waited a little while then came back down to find John saying we aren't going to be able to do anything because of the rain. So, yet again we head back upstairs only for Justeen to get a text from him asking if we wanted to eat. Her and I were both hungry so we went down and walked over to the hotel restaurant. 

In ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich which was more like a burger. It was delicious and so huge I couldn't finish it all. After, everyone finished eating we noticed that the rain had decreased a lot. John proposed the question that if any of us wanted to go walk around Rice he was down to go. As a group we all agreed to go and do it. 

It was still sprinkling a little bit although it was still humid. But, we pressed our way around the university. The campus was beautiful it was full of green grass and lavish trees that shaded the area perfectly from the hot sun. I really enjoyed the walk that lasted for only about an hour and a half. I just wish that the weather conditions would have allowed us to attend the tour. Overall, I had an amazing day full of new experiences and I am grateful.   

Houston We Have a Problem

There is a saying that goes "God laughs when we make plans," boy was that true today. I arrived at El Cerrito High School about 2 minutes later than we were supposed to meet up, but my dad and I still had more than enough time to put the name tags on my suitcases and eat a couple Twizzlers. I had this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I forgot to pack something, or that something was wrong. This nagging feeling proved to be right as we arrived at the airport. 

The first thing to go wrong was the fact that I accidentally packed my new lotion bottle in my carry on bag instead of my check in. Of course it was over 6 ounces and was tossed out right away...(sorry mom.) That hick up in the day brought my spirits down a bit, but I kept going. I convinced myself that my day could only go up from there. I was wrong. 

Once we reached the terminal, I wanted to take a few pictures but the camera I brought refused to turn on completely. I was unable to take quality pictures with the camera and had to settle with my phone. On the bright side, I did get a window seat and the view was breathtaking. The sky was an exaggerated blue at times and the clouds were as white as snow. Everything was beautiful. Little moments like these make me happy to be alive. Just looking out into Nature. 

I took time off from gazing out into the sky and attempted to read my summer assignment book but it bored me to sleep. I woke up in time to hear the pilot say that due to the thunderstorm happening in Houston, we would have to stop by Austin. This back up plan was later changed and we all ended up in San Antonio. The delay in our flight time caused us to miss our Information Session and our Campus tour of Rice University. I thought to myself that today was just not our lucky day.

The day took a turn for the better as we got into our Shuttle towards our hotel. Our driver was congenial; he had a lot of amazing things to say about Houston and about Rice. When we arrived at the hotel, we took a short 15 minutes break to unload and change out of our sweaters. We then all met downstairs at a cute restaurant in the hotel for dinner. I believe it was the best pasta I have ever had. The cheese mixed in with the sauce in all the right ways, the noodles were perfectly boiled, and the shrimp was juicy and cooked to perfection. 

The company was better than the food. Our cohort engaged in hilarious conversation topics such as Rudy's "bubble bath." We all decided to take a short walk to Rice for an informal tour. The rain had let up by then so the walk was nice. We met a man named Josh in the MBA building who offered us a couple of facts about Rice, such as where the name came from and the admission's rate. 

Our walk back to the hotel was less structured in a  good way. We were adventurous and strayed from the path. Our actions mirrored Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous words, "don't go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path...and leave a trail." Tomorrow we are on our way to Atlanta Georgia. Who knows what adventures await us there. 

A rare sighting of the Penn group following the trail

Things Don't Always Work Out

The day started out with one hour of sleep. I got up at 2:30 A.M. and ate one and a half slices of bread; it was not enough food. I got to El Cerrito High School at 3:05 A.M. and saw Rudy and Justeen. Next to them was Don and a table full of different sheets of paper and luggage tags. Don had prepared five luggage tags for each of us. I only had one carry on and one luggage for check in so I used two luggage tags. Don insisted that we take the ones that had our names because he would not have any use of them. Don weighed my bags and my worst nightmare came true, my luggage was over weight by four pounds. As I took some stuff out of my luggage, Rudy was kind enough to offer to put some of my stuff into his luggage since his bag weighed much less and just like that, my luggage weighed 45 pounds. 

Don went over what he expected our blogs to look like and the quality it should be. After that, we took a couple group departure pictures. 

Our shuttle arrived not too long after and everyone helped to load luggage onto the car. We said our goodbyes to our parents and hopped into the shuttle. It took us about 20 minutes to get to Oakland Airport (OAK). We checked in our luggage where we were dropped off. Then we went into the TSA line. The TSA line went by moderately fast. I had to take off my shoes and laptop out of my backpack and place them in separate bins. We then walked over to our gate and waited around for 30 minutes until we boarded our flight. I sat next to a girl named Kailani who was from Albany and informed her about the ILC. 

Still dark outside!

The flight to Houston was suppose to be 3 hours and 50 minutes long except we had to divert to Austin because of the thunderstorm in Houston. Everyone was very disappointed and angry about this news. We knew that this could mean that we would not be able to make it for the tour at Rice University. When we were near Austin, there was also a storm so we had to go to San Antonio to fill up the plane's gas tank and stay there until we were clear to go to Houston. We were in San Antonio for about 15 to 30 minutes. I spoke to the flight attendant about the situation and she said that in the 10 years she has worked for the airline, this was the first time that we had to be diverted to another airport because of weather conditions. I told her that I was going to visit Rice University and she thought it was great but knew that we would not be able to make it for the info session and tour. 

After 34 minutes of flying from San Antonio airport to Houston airport, we were finally there. By this time, it was already too late to join the tour at Rice University. We picked up our luggage and took a Super Shuttle to the Hilton hotel we were staying at. The Hilton hotel was extremely nice. Everything was all clean and sparkly. I roomed with Jun and Chiamaka. We dropped off our stuff in the room and went downstairs. We have not had food for the last 12 hours and were starving. It was raining hard outside and we couldn't go out and explore so all of us sat down and ate at the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. I ordered a Steak Sandwich and it was good considering how I have not had food for the 12 hours. We asked Mr. Hillyer about what would happen in the next couple days and he told us that we will need to meet up at 5:30 A.M. in the lobby tomorrow morning for our flight to Atlanta, Georgia. If I survived the day with only one hour of sleep, I can survive the next day when I  wake up at 5:30 A.M. 

Room with only 2 beds. We need another one. 

To burn off the calories that we had just consumed, we decided to tour Rice University by ourselves after seeing that the storm calmed down and it was sprinkling. The campus was really nice and it reminded me of Stanford University. There was a lot of lush green grass all over the campus and everyone was admiring the grass because we had not seen super green grass in a long time. Animals such as squirrels, birds, and rabbits ran around the campus and did not seem to be scared of humans.

Welcome to Rice University after a stormy day

Mr. Hillyer guided us around the campus even though he had never been here before and he was pretty good at it. If I did not know that this was his first time here, I would have thought that he's been here before. He guided us into the MBA admissions center and there we met Joshua Lunow or Josh. He gave us a map of the college and Mr. Hillyer informed him about our situation and where we were from. We asked him about the admission rate for the college and although he was unsure and told us that it was 40%, it gave us some reassurance even though we don't know if the information was valid or not (turns out the acceptance rate for Rice University is 14%). As we exited the MBA admission office, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the architectural design was. It was very elegant and modern, it was a mix of UCLA and Stanford. Seeing how everyone was tired, we started to head back to our hotel. Tomorrow is another day and I hope that no matter what happens, we will still think positively and hopefully, there won't be storm in Atlanta. 

Diverting and Bonding

The laborious waiting and yearning for this day has finally came. Because I knew today was going to be fun and exhausting, I slept shortly after blogging last night so I can wake up at 2:15AM feeling vitalized. I was full of energy while making my parents rise from their comfy bed positions but absorbed the laziness of the atmosphere when I arrived at El Cerrito High School. I arrived promptly to be given instructions and mingled with my cohort; the five people that I'll be hanging out with for a month. You can totally see how awake we are but believe me, deep inside we are all super excited to start this amazing journey.

Departure Photo!

The airport shuttle arrived at 4:30AM and we made it to Oakland International Airport at 5:10AM. Lucky for Elexis and I, we were picked for TSA Pre-Check and zoomed our way across the security stage. While waiting for the others to go through screening, we decided to make our way across to Starbucks coffee to get hot chocolate. This treat was probably the trick that kept me awake and alive for the next upcoming seven hours in air.

Our lovely airplane was on schedule and we left Bay Area at 6:30AM. But who would have known that we would be diverted twice in Texas. All was good on the plane until it started going around in circles. Everyone felt it and it was evident when we rose from 3000ft to 20,000ft in merely seconds. The cabin attendant finally announced that due to the sever thunderstorm that was happening in Houston, we were to divert our plane towards Austin instead and wait for the storm to clear. When this was announced, I was well convinced and accepted the fact that we would be late and it would be the weather's fault. Never would I have known that they also ran out of fuel so they are once again diverting our flight to San Antonio, instead. What?!?! 

This eventually made a 3 1/2 hour flight into a 6 hour flight. When we finally arrived in Houston, it was already 2:54PM. Our planned informational session and campus tour at Rice University was reluctantly sidelined. Although this had to be the outcome, we decided not give in to the weather. We agreed to check into our rooms and grab something to eat before heading out towards Rice to explore its wonderful campus.

Busy Houston afternoon @Hilton

We checked into Hilton Houston Plaza and I got paired with the amazing Chiamaka and Joanne from my cohort. Our bond tightened as we laughed our way up the elevator, taking several failed selfies and talking about our "air" adventure we had. Our cohort met up for lunch-dinnereon at 4:30PM. After filling up with these wonderful foods, Mr. Hillyer led us onto our own, ILC Rice tour. We made our way into the Jones Graduate School of Business and amazingly, it was open! Despite the national holiday coming up, the door was open for us to know a little bit more about Rice.

Joshua Lunow aka. Josh was kind enough to give us a campus map and answered a few of the many questions we had in mind. This gave me a little more information about the campus as a whole than just looking at its amazing architectural designs.Our tour ended with a splash on muddy soil and soaked T-shirt, but all was worth it. It was a shame that we did not get insightful information from admissions counselor and university students, but our own little tour made me feel just as great. Today might have not been the best planned day, but I have a feeling that because of today's experience, we bonded with each other in a way we would not have if all the rush happened. That being said, though, I hope the thunderstorm doesn't kick into Atlanta tomorrow so everything can work as planned.

A Happy Cohort :)

Houston here we come!

2 a.m. I woke up exited and ready to leave. I took a 5 minute shower and drank water. I grabbed my luggage and left with my parents after them asking about all the things I needed. I was energized and feeling really good. I got to El Cerrito high school and I was the second one there, after Don of course. I got down and we got down to business. My parents signed the last things they needed to sign and so did I.

Time To Leave!

Not too much longer after my arrival came Justeen. She had a smile on her face and was cheerful! That made me feel awesome since she's in the same program as me. With a big smile on my face I told her "we're the first ones here! Yay for physics!" After U.S. Everyone else arrived within 30 minutes. They were really long 30 minutes with John being last. As soon as john arrived, don got down to business and told us all he had to tell us before we left. Justeen's mom noticed my umbrella on my carry on and she saved me from having to leave them and lotion I had in there. I am very thankful to her for the reminder! Then we took a picture with all of our cohort, helped don clean and got on the shuttle after saying our last goodbyes.

On the shuttle we had a short ride on the back seats, jun, Joanne and I talked about amine we loved. I brought out snacks to share but no one wanted any so I put them away after eating a little bit. We got to Oakland airport to wait in lines Joanne, Justeen and I got through the screening line together through random talked about why they did the checking and such, I am having a blast! So happy to have such a great cohort they are all awesome in their own way and everyone is really nice! We waited till 5:45 And hot on the Plane where we sat wherever we wanted, since we were having such a good time waiting in line Justeen, Joanne and I sat together. We watched the beautiful California sunrise for the last time before we left finally the plane took off and it has begun!

Take Off!

On the plane ride we were sleepy and so we all took a nap. I kept waking up to check outside the window with beautiful views. I woke up to turbulence after sleeping for a while we were passing through a cloud and I couldn't see much out the window. Once it cleared up I asked for some water and stared outside the window. Everything looked really flat and dead unlike Cali. For about 10 minutes all I could see was dried rives and flat dead land, until we passed by a river that was flowing. Like a desert paradise civilization and life flourished at the sides of it it was all so fascinating and new to me. I had not been on a plane since I came from El Salvador when I was eight years old. 

When we finally reached Huston we got diverted to San Antonio because of the thunderstorm on top of the field where we were supposed to land. It was a big hit for our cohort since it seemed like we wouldn't make it. With John angry and disappointed because of this we were all devastated. We arrived at San Antonio about 40 minutes after they announced that our flight was being diverted. We were in San Antonio for what seemed like ages. We were all disappointed but we made the best out of it because nothing could ruin our amazing experience! 

We finally took off again to Huston, at 1:40 pm it was a relief since we had been on the plane for almost 6 hours. We had missed the tour and it was sad but we were all together and well and in good mood. 

FINALLY!!!! We harrived at Huston at 2:15 pm. Everyone is exited to have finally reached their destination after the very long delay. We gathered together and agreed to eat after we checked in at the hotel. We waited for our luggage meanwhile john went to get the shuttle ready. John came back with snacks and we devoured it since the flight took so long and we hadn't had breakfast. We got out luggage and went to the shuttle. Once we stepped outside the warmth and humidity was the first thing I noticed. It is really warm and humid in Huston, it reminded me of the tropical forest at the Exploratorium in SF. It made me feel blessed to live in California. 

The ride from the shuttle to the hotel was really nice, we got a mini tour of the rice university's campus from the nice driver. We saw streets with really nice houses that had the U.S. and Texas's flags on every lawn. Once we got to the hotel and got out the shuttle we were supposed to check on and go take a walk around Rice's campus but by the time we checked in and came back down after dropping off our luggage the weather had taken a turn for the worse And so we all had another meeting and said we would all meet at the lobby at 5:15

My Room For The Night

My Room

My Room

I came back to my room which I had to myself, it was quite big two beds, two televisions, one big deal, four couches, one computer chair, and two bathrooms, one bath. It was awesome. I had almost an hour to myself so I took the computer out put some pus of for myself and made some tea. I got the bath ready and hopped in. I used the soap and shampoo to make a bubble bath. I cleaned up and got ready to leave for dinner. When I got down everyone was eating dinner here at the hotel's restaurant it was surprisingly elegant. I was late and everyone was already getting the food they ordered. I tried the appetizers that were left and they were quite good. Although they were spicy they were still tasty and not smoking hot. I ordered what Justeen ordered because it looked fantastic. We ate and had a really fun time talking about TV shows and listening to John speak about the past ILC experiences. It was an awesome bonding activity.

First Dinner on the Road

The bonding activities didn't stop there! After we all ate dinner and and got the really fabulous ketchups we decided to go and walk around the campus for a bit! And so we took off to our rooms to bring whatever we needed for the trip, I brought a poncho and an umbrella which I let jun borrow because she didn't bring one. It was awesome! We had a lot of fun just walking around the campus and looking at the beautiful buildings. There was a trampoline and a lot of places where you could go and study. Such a beautiful campus it is. There are even (what we believe) wild rabbits that aren't scared of people. A bit like the squirrels from California. It was awesome and so before we knew it we were a bit lost in front of a beautiful water fountain where we met Joshua Lunow who was kind enough to help us out with a map and some questions we asked him. It was getting late and we were exhausted so we started to head back. We walked through a structure that was built for the soul purpose of art. Then we walked through the student music department, which was beautiful, and saw the baseball stadium. We then had a muddy walk to the hotel filled with laughter and fun we made it back and all exhausted already, headed back up to our rooms to sleep and be rested for tomorrow morning.

Adventures in Houston

I woke up this morning feeling extremely exhausted. 2 AM is not a great time to wake up, but nonetheless, I pushed myself to get up. Don told us about sleeping early, and I should've listened, but I just couldn't sleep. Perhaps I was too excited? Anyways, I got ready, and was out the door by 2:40 AM. We were supposed to meet at El Cerrito High by 3:15, but I was afraid of coming late, so I ended up arriving at 3 AM, where I saw Rudy and his parents, as well as Don. Soon afterwards, Joannne, Jun, Chiamaka, and Mr. Hillyer joined us. 

Oakland Airport

We stayed outside of El Cerrito High for about an hour, just to make sure that we have everything we need, and that our luggage didn't exceed the weight limit. We were also informed with last minute instructions and expectations for the ILC. Knowing Don, we also took a lot of pictures until the shuttle finally came. We all said our goodbyes to our family, although it was brief, and headed off to the airport. 

Once we arrived at the Oakland airport, we had to pick up the pace, because everyone was in a rush. All of the workers seemed annoyed, and of course I would be too if I had to work at 4 in the morning. When we made it past everything, we just relaxed a bit near the boarding place before we were finally on the plane. It wasn't as difficult or complicated as I thought it would be, but knowing that I have to do this for two more days just makes me feel exhausted. Also, I was definitely surprised to see how small this plane actually was, and that we were free to choose our seats.

Sitting in the plane

Overall, the flight went by smoothly, and there was hardly any turbulence. I sat in between Rudy and Joanne, and it was a pleasant flight. Unfortunately, due to the harsh weather in Houston, we had to land all the way in San Antonio. It may seem like a short distance on the map for Texas, but it's actually farther than it seems. What was supposed to be a 4 hr. flight quickly became a 7 hr. long trip, and the worse part was that I could barely sleep. Instead, I chatted with my neighbors, and eventually dozed off for a few hours before we finally got ready to land.

Under these circumstances, we were unable to make it to Rice University for the information session and the tour, which started at 2 PM, because we were still in San Antonio at 1:30 PM. Once we finally arrived at Houston, we were off to claim our luggage.

On our way to the shuttle

We got on to another shuttle, and this was when the humidity hit me. Right when I stepped out of the airport, the heat was already starting to take its effect. I knew that this was going to be a long, hot, and muggy day, but I faced it with a smile. To my surprise, our shuttle driver was actually a really interesting person. He gave us some facts about Houston, and even gave us a “tour” around Rice University, even though he didn’t have to. Once he dropped us off our hotel, he gave us a few words of encouragement, which was really nice to hear.

The Hilton hotel was truly beautiful on the inside, and it had elegant features that I never thought I would see. While we were checking in, we had to decide who was getting what room. Rudy, being the only guy, didn’t have to worry about anything. Meanwhile, it was left for the girls to decide, and what better way than a friendly competition of rock, paper, scissors. In the end, it was decided that it would be Elexis and I in one room, and Jun, Joanne, and Chiamaka in another.

After that long flight, I couldn’t be happier to actually see a bed, but Mr. Hillyer had other plans for us. He wanted for us to explore Rice University on our own, and walk to a good restaurant, but it was still pouring outside, so instead, we simply ate at the restaurant in the hotel. Our plans kept on changing so much that Elexis and I actually went up and down the elevator at least four times.

Chicken Avocado Po-Boy Sandwich

When we finished dinner, the rain calmed down a bit, and so our group decided that it would be a good idea to walk off all of the food we ate, so again, Elexis and I went upstairs to our room, and back downstairs at around 6 PM. The rain had already subsided, so we went on to exploring Rice University. Despite not knowing the campus at all, we managed to not get lost, which was amazing to me. We walked around, and we eventually met Joshua Lunow, a person that works at the Jones Graduate School of Bussiness. He was kind enough to let us know about the campus and answer a few of our questions. I even learned how Rice University got its name. Afterwards, we had to figure out a way back to our hotel. Rudy found a “shortcut,” but we had to walk through an extremely muddy path while sweat was dripping from our bodies. I have no idea why we thought it would be a good idea to walk through the mud, but there's a first for everything.

Nonetheless, it was an interesting day, despite all of the setbacks we had faced. Today is only the first day of our trip, but I am already completely exhausted. Slowly, I’m mentally preparing myself for tomorrow, because I’m going to have to go through the airport, the rain, and the walking again for a few more days, but it’s all worth it. 

Rice University Campus

Penn Departs

It was unusually warm at 2:45 AM when the first member of the UPenn cohort arrived to El Cerrito HS to go through the last minute procedures associated with Departure Day.

Most of the cohort arrived on time with one testing the forgiveness factor by arriving a few minutes late.  It’s tough to chew out a cohort member for being late, though, when the chaperone arrives 20 minutes late.  At that hour of the morning, though, it’s much too early to be heavy handed.

The group went through the normal ritual of affixing their luggage tags, grabbing trash bags (for those wet towels), and weighing their luggage.

Some of the bags were super light while a couple were perilously close to the limit.  One bag, though, topped the maximum allowed by more than 5 pounds.  This required some quick reshuffling with the owner deciding if she really needed everything she had in the bag (she didn’t).  Goods were transferred from the check-in bag to the carry-on and with a bit of judicious decision making the bag made the cut.

Last minute instructions were given which included a plea to remember what they were taught about proofing and formatting their blogs so as to avoid the inevitable emails begging them not to force me to work so hard to correct their errors.

They were reminded to send in their room descriptions so future ILCers might know what to expect.

And they were reminded of the need to listen to the advice/instructions of their chaperone and ILC administrators.  In particular, they were challenged about mastering Time Management.  They were all advised to get plenty of rest before this trip, to start going to bed earlier to adjust to the difference in the time zones and, in particular, to get to bed early the night before Departure Day.  Getting up at 2:30 AM is tough for most people but getting up that early after staying up late to blog is even tougher.  Several of the blogs were posted right before midnight so there’s no getting around the lack of sleep of these young people.

Tomorrow they get to rise around 4 AM (2 AM our time) so we know they’re going to have a tough time with that.

One of the bigger fears the ILC has is that the ILCers will wear themselves out before they start their classes and this is why we try to prepare them for the difference in the time zones as well as the dawn to dusk running around.  We shall see how the Penn cohort fares.

The group headed off to the side to take the group photos before boarding their airport shuttle.  The shuttle arrived early so at 4:17 there was nothing left of them but the memory of the tail lights on the distance.  As this blog is being posted, their plane is somewhere headed east as they head for Houston where in a few hours they will pay a site visit to Rice University.  Tomorrow it will be Atlanta and Emory and Friday they’ll be eating at Distritos in Philadelphia.

We may envy them this adventure but right now they’re envying the fact that most of their fans are still snuggled in their beds catching a few more zzz’s--which is where I’m off to in 2 minutes.