Settling Down

Today we got to begin our college experience. This morning we checked out of our hotels and checked into our dorms. Everything went smoothly for everyone (besides Calvin). My room is a double in the Mary Donlon Hall but I don’t have a roommate so I guess my backpack can have its own bed. I’m a little disappointed because I had a single last year at Columbia and I wanted something to compare that experience with, but I’ll be fine. My room comes with a fan, a desk, a bed, drawers, and a closet. I only have a desk lamp but that’s fine with me because my room is pretty hot as is.

After we checked in, we went to our first meal at the Bear Necessities which is located in Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC). The food is really good here and I can see why Cornell is known to have one of best dining food in the United States.

 

Following lunch, our cohort checked out each other’s dorm room and it was neat because we’re scattered between the three dorms so we got to see how each dorm facility is different than the other facilities. We then took the bus to Bailey Hall where we had a welcoming speech. I thought that all the speakers did well as they mixed in humor with their serious message. The message that hit home was that while the summer college wants us to have fun, we’re at a summer college, not a summer camp. This message was reiterated when all the Hotelies gathered in our lecture hall to listen to Reneta and Mark speak about our class.

We were assigned our first assignment which is about 25 pages of reading and Mark stressed that if everyone can pass the class, but if we want to pass we really have to keep our focus and be dedicated to the class. We were given a syllabus and while the course looks extremely challenging, I’m excited and I really want to immerse myself in the classwork and know the ins and outs of the hotel and hospitality industry.

When the meeting ended, Frank, Rachael, and I tried to time our walk back so we know how much time to allot for walking to class, but we got lost and ended up taking different route than we planned to take. I forgot my camera and I really regret it because the campus here is amazing. While we didn’t find the route we wanted to take, we got to see the scenery and crossed a bridge that goes right over a waterfall!

We then went to dinner where Calvin, Eric, Frank, and I became friends with two New Yorkers: Anderson and Matt. They’re both really cool people. Anderson is really active in the community. He volunteers for the NYPD, is a registered scuba diver, is a junior navy officer, runs cross country, and plays rugby. He’s such a happy person and really likes conversations. Matt is an Eagle Scout, wrestles, and plays the bagpipes. The guys in our cohort took the dinner and ice cream social to bond with them and I think that we’re all going to be really good buddies by the end of our classes.