Preparing for Departure

It's a bit surreal to be honest. A month ago, I didn't know anyone here on the East Coast but as the weeks past, the weeks seemed to pass faster and faster as I began to meet more people and establish what Reneta would call "relationships that last a lifetime".This time tomorrow, I will be 3,000 miles from Ithaca. I have learned so much about the hospitality industry as well as met some really awesome people. As cliche as it sounds, the word bittersweet probably best describes my situation. I'm looking forward to being home and being to finally sleep in my own bed, but at the same time, I'm going to really miss my new friends and Cornell. I love this school and I'm seriously contemplating applying to the School of Hotel Administration. I sincerely appreciate all the support from the sponsors who made this trip possible.

Initially, Frank and I stuck to our group of Alex, Calvin, and Eric, but as class progressed, Frank and I began to meet and hang out with new people. The first people we began to hang out was with Julia, Jiyoon, and  Andrea who will be good friends for a long time. I can speak for both myself and Frank when I say that we truly believe that the trio are all really cool people and we're both grateful that Jiyoon came up and introduced herself. 

Mark and Reneta, thank you for opening my eyes to the world of hospitality. I never knew that the hotel industry could be so interesting. All the aspects that go into running a successful hotel are incredibly complex and I loved every moment of class. Not only am I aware of the hospitality industry now, I am now able to do much more with Word and Excel and I thank you Mark for making me much more tech savvy. 

Today, I got up to get to the Bin (computer labs) early to finish my report. My group grinded it out and handed in  our final report in a half hour early. Frank and I then went to grab lunch with some buddies and then scrambled to cram all our belongings into our suitcases in order to check out of my dorm. As hot and uncomfortable my dorm was, I realized that I am also going to miss my dorm. I worked late into the night and spent minutes laughing with Frank as we tried to complete work. We then checked into our rooms at the Statler and then Frank and I went to the gym to play a pick-up basketball before we cleaned ourselves up for our final cohort dinner.

Now, I'm typing this blog in Frank's room with our cohort, together for one last time on the East Coast.