Decisions, Decisions

Monday evening had been the ILC orientation held at Pinole Middle. I started the day off with a cold, which only got worse throughout the day. Finals were over but the responsibilities were not. I came home a bit early from school to get some rest. I waited for my dad to come home, and then we left the house at around 5:20. Traffic had been a lot worse than expected, and we ended up running late.

Reading over forms

We finally arrived at Pinole Middle to be greeted by Don. We walked inside and Ms. Kronenberg was concluding her remarks. I noticed a bunch of items spread across one of the tables and suitcases laid around the stage. My dad and I took our seats and Don began to speak. He explained the purpose for the orientation, mainly to address the parents and their questions, and then handed it over to the chaperones. Each chaperone spoke a bit about themselves and the experience they had with chaperoning before.

We then broke off into our respective groups for a little cohort meeting. Kendra handed us a few forms, and then we began to discuss our itinerary, as well a list of possible places to visit. Our schedule is packed, and with so much to do in such little time, our cohort as to pick and choose the places we'd like to visit the most. There are so many places I'd like to visit, so making these decisions won't be the easiest task in the world.

Trying her best to stay awake.

Once Kendra was done reviewing the itinerary, we were introduced to the lovely Krystal Pantoja: an ILC alum from last year. There were many questions we had regarding the trip that Don wouldn't be able to answer since he isn't physically on these trips with us, and that's where Krystal came in to help us. She told us all about her experience last year at Brown and how much she enjoyed it. She recommended us places we should definitely visit, as well as what and what not to pack. She was incredibly laid back and easy to talk to, and I'm sure her talking about her experience not only eased my parents' mind, but all of the other parents as well.

Once Krystal was done speaking, Don called us all back to the front to discuss loaner items. For the ILCers, this was just a review of the tutorial, but for the parents, this was all new. He has everything from suitcases, to umbrellas, and even travel bags. After the quick break down of the specifics, it was time to go. I would have liked to stay a bit longer and talk to the others, but my dad and I were both exhausted from fasting and were ready to go home, as it was almost time to eat. On the drive home, I realized all the pieces are finally coming together and soon enough we'll be on the plane heading to Brown. Now that school's out, I'm getting more and more eager by the day.