Leaving Ithaca

It's been almost 24 hours since our plane landed last night at the San Francisco airport, and I am still adjusting. From the application process into the Ivy League Connection to actually arriving at Cornell, and finally to writing this last blog at home, this has been one very long adventure. Before I get into that, though, let me describe my last day in Ithaca....

I woke up at 7:30 AM in my air conditioned Statler hotel room and in a comfy bed that I was going to miss. I quickly got ready, finished packing, and met with Mr. Chan-Law, Eric Wang, and Frank to drop off our suitcases at the airport. We didn't have any trouble (though the employees were surprised at how early we arrived), and we headed back to eat breakfast with the rest of the group. I quickly changed, but we were a little late waiting for Eric and Frank. We ate at Collegetown Bagels; I didn't really like it, and the hotel group had to rush because our graduation ceremony started early. We made it in time, and people mingled for a few minutes before we were briefed by Mark on how to walk in to the hall. The graduation ceremony was in the same room that we met in on the first day for orientation, and I think everyone was feeling nostalgic as pictures of the past three weeks were flashed on the PowerPoint. A handful of students from the class talked about what we had learned, and Group 6A gave their hotel presentation for all of the parents and relatives. The TAs also put together a picture slideshow with more pictures. Finally, we were called up to get our completion certificates and a copy of our final report. Everyone congregated outside to say their final good-byes, and then it was over.

We all met again in the lobby at 12:05, and drove to the airport for the last time - stopping once more at Collegetown Bagels to pick up lunch. We ate at the airport, got through the short security line quickly, and then our trip home truly began. I slept through most of the Ithaca flight, and played on my iPod while waiting for our connecting flight in Philadelphia to San Francisco. There was not much to do during those last six hours: I mostly worked through my puzzle book, listened to music, and thought about how the trip has impacted me. It was great to land and after four weeks finally see my family; it took awhile to get my luggage, but my boyfriend and my father were there to keep me company. I didn't get home until about 10:30 PM (thus, this blog is a day late), and after being greeted like the Queen of England by my pets, I almost immediately went to bed. As fun as sleeping in the hotel and dorm beds were, I really like sleeping in my own bed better.