Today's events were extremely varied. I had to rush to get out of the Hotel Providence, because we were going to check in early at the Brown summer program and then go immediately to a formal brunch with the Latino and African-American Brown alumni association. I took the fastest shower I've ever taken and ran down to the lobby with my bags. After all that, we had to wait for about half an hour for Ms. Kronenberg to take us to Brown in her rental car. The reason it took so long was because a triathlon was taking place in the city and many major streets were blocked off. It also took us an hour to get to campus. Registration also took at least an hour. I didn't realize there were so many students in the Summer@Brown program!
I learned much more from the alumni brunch than I thought I would. Mercedes Domenech (Brown admissions officer) and Joan Khattab (Wellesley alum and spouse of a Brown alum) both gave me very valuable information and advice about my college search. We will probably have an informal lunch with them this week to bond and talk further. I'm really grateful that they are reaching out to us, and that they recognize us reaching out to them.
When it came time to move in, I thought I was ahead of the crowd because I already had a fan and sheets. I was wrong. The rest of the group went to purchase those items while I stayed with Ms. Stewart. We didn't realize that they would be leaving campus to get these, since they were available for rent through Brown! Unfortunately, Ms. Stewart and I had to wait for more than two hours in the hot, humid weather. My wool dress skirt, my fancy blouse, and my new blazer were all sticking to my skin, and even my extra-comfortable foot-massage heels were starting to hurt just from the heat and the time spent standing up. We tried searching for them in the dorms and throughout the whole registration line, and Ms. Stewart must have made at least 15 calls during that time. In the end though, it all worked out, and I eventually got my bags and the knowledge that my friends were safe in their dorms too.
The stress wasn't over, though. I had left my wallet, my Brown ID, and all my registration information in Ms. Kronenberg's car. I couldn't believe I had just jeopardized my whole stay at Brown so quickly, when I had just been thinking about others being so neglectful. I went to orientation with my mind racing. After multiple tries, Ms. Stewart finally reached Ms. Kronenberg through Mr. Ramsey and brought me my wallet. I'm so thankful that she went through all that effort to bring it to me.
My new roommate is really cool! Her name is Janice, and she's from Hong Kong but she goes to German Swiss International School. I think we will get along great. The room is very nice, too. It has plenty of space, so it doesn't feel cramped at all. The day ended on a very good note.
My new bed, with my laptop's Internet running on my newly activated Brown wireless account
My new desk
Irene,
ReplyDeleteYou win first prize for being the first to post a photo of your roomie (with you, no less), tell us her name and tell us something about her. And I didn't even have to prod you to get it. Let's see how long it takes the five other Brownies to do what you did on the first day.
I know it's not nice to laugh at other people but I couldn't help but be amused when you wrote about how spacious your room is. OF COURSE it's spacious. Everything/s relative, Irene. You're just a wisp of a person so even a jail cell might look spacious to you. When you're someone my size, even the grand canyon seems a bit cramped. I can just imagine myself bumping into the furniture a dozen times each day.
Love the blanket on your bed. My cat likes it, too.
Your telling of being 'stranded' in the heat demands further action. We often know what needs to be done but it takes an incident like this to bring the point home. The seven of you are in this together and you need to keep each other informed when you go off like that. A simple courtesy phone call is all it takes so you don't lose track of each other. I'll address this in greater detail in an email in a few moments but there are serious safety issues involved here that can easily be avoided.
I have been following the blog every day to get your reactions to the great variety of diverse, fascinating and occasionally frustrating experiences all of you are having. In spite of your ages, I consider many of your observations thoughtful and rather mature. I've forwarded sections of the blog to friends who have attended the colleges you visited. What a wonderful experience you're having! Enjoy it! Lucy Carroll
ReplyDeleteDon - I love that blanket too. It's not too hot, and it's extremely soft. It's the best.
ReplyDeleteThe room is more spacious than my room at home. I share with someone (my younger sister) at home, too, so it does seem rather luxurious to me.
Grandma Lucy - Thank you so much! I am enjoying it. I've worked hard on what I've written every day. I'm interested to hear the reactions of your friends; my mom tells me that you know a Wellesley alum.