The Color Yellow

When looking through my vast collection of bowls and plates, and trying to decide which one I'll use for some cereal, soup, popcorn, or any other food. A certain bowl will always stick out to me. And if I do decide to pick it, I'll always be reminded of the ILC and the wonderful memories I had that summer at Brown University and all the amazing things I learned.

When walking into the shop I didn't really go in knowing what to pick, but I'm glad I decided to pick something that I will always use, and will trigger a rush of memories. Something that will hold sentimental value to only me.

The interior of the bowl.

I chose a vibrant lemon color for the outside, so it will pop in comparison to the dull collection of pale blues and whites in my cabinet. And when I get to the end of a meal, I'll be surprised with a nice design at the bottom. For the longest time I never knew what my favorite color was, but now I think that I really love the color yellow. Not a cool toned yellow, but a warm, sunset colored yellow. My favorite thing about the summer is the vibrant, warm yellows you get from sunsets. Almost like there was an explosion in the sky.

A magnificent sunset in Maui, Hawaii.

I love the way my bowl came out. I also really enjoyed the process painting this bowl and will definitely be coming back to paint another.

Owl in an Hour's Work

This is Rowlet, the owl mug inspiration.

A couple of weeks ago, our cohort went to a ceramic studio named "Color Me Mine" in Lafayette. We were all able to choose a ceramic within the budget limit and paint it however we wanted. The ceramic I chose was an owl shaped mug, I grew fond of the design because I liked owls and needed a new mug to use for my late night drinks. I decided to color it with brown, mint green, yellow, and white. This color scheme was based on a fictional character called Rowlet, since the mug looked similar to the creature. 

Because of the one hour time limit, I wasn't able to completely paint my owl the way I wanted to. We all had to rush painting our ceramics, but we all felt satisfied with our work in the end.

This mug will be very useful for future owl-nighters.

The five of us patiently waited for our ceramics to arrive, and texted one another talking about how our creations would turn out. When I received the baked ceramic, I noticed a couple of flaws in the finished product. There were a couple of rough color distortions on the face, and the inside of the owl was barely painted. I didn't mind though, I decided that a couple of sharpie retouches would improve the owl's already handsome and imperfectly perfect looks. 

My time at Color Me Mine with the four members (including our chaperone, Kendra) was a fun and relaxing experience. I'm already eager to have another hangout session at "Color Me Mine", and this time, I'd like to invite all of the ILCers to try it out!

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.

Nostalgia

I met up with the ILC at Pinole Middle School on Monday. The last time I had been at Pinole Middle was my eighth grade year on the last day of school. It was extremely nostalgic to be back on such a once familiar campus. It brought back memories of stressing out about the Middle College High School application process that I had to complete that year. I have grown so much since then and am still learning new things everyday while finding myself. I believe that this program will be another one of these memories I have to look back on and be filled with gratitude as I remember the obstacles I overcame, and valuable lessons I learned.

The ILC banner in front of Pinole Middle.

After reminiscing about my middle school days for awhile, I walked into the multipurpose room and saw Don in his usual Hawaiian shirt. His shirt was especially vibrant today, and I found a color I particularly liked on his shirt. It was a pink sort of salmon color that looked so vibrant it was almost florescent. I also noticed an array of familiar items on the tops of the tables. Fans, desk lamps, laptop locks, and various other items that we were introduced to at the tutorial a couple months back. There were also suit cases assigned neatly along the base of the stage, just begging to be taken back East.

As other familiar ILCers and parents walked in, we began with a sweet introduction from Madeline Kronenberg. Then Don began to explain what our plan for evening was. After explaining what was to be accomplished the chaperones came up and introduced themselves and the history they have had with chaperoning previously. After the introduction of the chaperones, we were directed to the Brown University flag and proceeded to congregate near it at a table.

ILC chaperones.

In the breakout session, Kendra, my cohort, parents, and an alum all met up at a table. Kendra started our session out by going over the itineraries, where I was a little surprised to learn we were going to be meeting up at 3:30 AM to depart to the airport. Don also advised us to get plenty of sleep the week prior to departure so that we can easily adapt to the different time zone. The time zone difference between California and Rhode Island is three hours. Which sounds pretty manageable, compared to other places like Australia which is 17 hours ahead of us! After going over the itinerary we were given a list of places we could potentially visit during our time back East, and signed the field trip parent permission slips.

Signing documents.

Later, we had the pleasure of hearing from Krystal Pantoja, an ILC alum and senior at Richmond High School. Krystal Pantoja was very sweet and informal, she gave us various helpful tips that I know will be extremely helpful down the road. She also explained how the experience really impacted her, and how she feels that it has really made her mature more, and that the experience was so amazing. We were also told to soak up every single moment and enjoy it to the fullest because it will go by so fast and soon we will be wishing we were back at Brown.

Listening to Krystal talk so passionately about how much her experience had impacted her life, reminded me the reason I even became interested in this opportunity. I became so infatuated with this program because of the stories I had heard, and the life changing experiences that star-struck me, and inspired me to want to be just like previous ILCers. The opportunities that would arise from this, the memories, and the lessons I would learn. All of these elements completely caught my interest, and I am so grateful they did.

Krystal Pantoja sharing her ILC experience.

After chatting for awhile and asking questions, it was 7:00 PM and we were instructed to return to our seats. When seated, Don started to go over what was highly recommended to take and the different types of items he could lend us, so that we wouldn't have to spend so much money on this trip.

 I am so very excited to go. With just a few weeks left until we depart, I am counting down the days.

Circling the Wrong Building

Our orientation was held at Pinole Middle School on Monday. I attended Pinole Middle so I knew how to get around the school. When I opened the map that Don had provided us I found that he had circled the library. Making my way to the library I noticed a lack of ILCers so I called Don. After a short talk on the phone with Don, I was informed that the wrong building had been circled and we needed to be in the cafeteria.

Entering the cafeteria, I found that it looked the same from when I attended Pinole Middle; memories of sitting at the light brown tables during lunch chatting away with friends that I have not seen since then came rushing back. Sitting down with my mom I waited for the orientation to start.

The meeting started off with a brief introduction from Madeline Kronenberg before Don began getting down to business. Don began the meeting and he was mostly filling in our parents to make sure they had all the needed information about the trip we will soon be embarking on. After a few minutes, the chaperons were brought up to introduce themselves to our parents. Once they finished up their introductions we broke into groups based on what school we will be attending.

When we sat down with Kendra she began going over the rough itineraries where we found out we will be meeting at 3:30 AM on Departure Day. After the rough breakdown of what will happen once we leave, we received a copy of possible places that we wanted to do. Before we went over the list we had the privilege to speak to Krystal Pantoja, a senior at Richmond High, who attended the Women & Leadership program at Brown last year.

Krystal provided information that was very helpful when thinking about what to pack, what type of food to expect, and answered a few questions for my worried mom. She repeated what I have heard from many that it will be humid and that we should pack light clothing for the trip. Next, she explained that the food was nothing special but it did come in plenty with a wide variety. My mom had a few questions like how much money we should take on the trip and if to do laundry we will be needing a roll of quarters, which were all answered.

After we spoke with Krystal we began discussing our list of possible activities before it was time for Don to take over again. He began going over all the loaner items that most of us (the ILCers) had been over before yet this time he had one of each to show our parents. After Don finished it seem as if there was a mad dash to take a picture with a purple suitcase. Overall it was a very good event that reminded me of things that I had forgotten and I enjoyed getting information from someone who attended the Women & Leadership program last year.