7/23 Tastes Like Home

5:30 AM is the time I woke up for the day I would finally return home. I set an alarm so I would have the chance to say my final goodbye to my friend before he left at 6:15 AM. Him being very busy, I wasn’t able to in person. I decided to send him a snap chat goodbye before it was time for him to leave instead. I felt disappointed that it wasn’t a real goodbye but it was better than not saying anything at all.

I went back to sleep for about an hour before packing up the rest of my belongings. Fitting everything in my luggage was harder than I remembered it being when I was first packing to come out to Philly. I had to sit on my bag while zipping it closed to make it easier to ensure its security. I made a final clean throughout my room and tossed out all my garbage near the trash chute. On the way back to my vacant room, I saw so many people walking all over the Quad with large rolling boxes filled with their things or soon to be filled. Their parents and RC’s aiding them and other students crying while saying their final goodbyes to one another. A depressing and solemn feeling grew within my stomach facing the reality that this was it; most of us would never see each other again, at least not for a while.

I unlocked the door to my dorm building, Leidy, walked up the four, dusty, black, stairs, turned left into the quiet hallway, and to the second door on the left was the final time I would unlock my room door. Time was running out for me. 10:00 AM came closer than I had hoped it would for when the airport shuttle would come pick us up with John to leave UPENN for the rest of the summer. I picked up the handles of my luggage and rolled out the door. I paused for a minute to imprint a mental image into my mind of what was no longer my room. I sad smile appeared on my face as I reminisced the memories of me rushing in and out of the room to make it on time for class, working on my homework late at night, lugging my laundry over my shoulder in and out, and my favorite one, the time when I first walked into my room the first day I was there. I remembered all these emotions and feelings as if it just happened yesterday. It felt as if I just unpacked the same morning I was leaving. I turned my head around and took those final steps out my door, out the hallway, down the stairs, and out of Leidy for the final time. 

Rolling my way through the Quad, I forgot the struggle I had carrying my luggage when I first came out here. It was such a nuisance. I signed out in the main office and headed to outside the gates the Quad where I would return my room keys. I was trying so hard to get my things done so I wouldn’t delay the group from getting to the airport. I signed in my keys to the front office and met with John, Diana, Chris, and Allonna in the front. Before walking to the shuttle bus, I looked through the automatic gates of the Quadrangle letting go all the sadness I had built up and locked in all of my summer experience in a safe in my mind and heart that I know will never fade away. We each stepped into the van and sat there as we pulled off the side of the road and to the airport.

Group Picture at Chickee Pete's

The time it took to go through the airport procedures it was around 11:00 AM. All of us were starving. John decided to take us to a little restaurant inside of the airport called Chickee Pete’s where we ate for the last time together as an ILC PENN Cohort. I ordered a chicken parmesan sandwich and had crab fries to share all together. I wish we all ate together more often while we resided at UPENN. I never would have thought we would be so preoccupied with our class, work, and activities at the university program that we would barely have time for ourselves. We all finished eating, and made our way back to the waiting area for our return home.

Before it was time for us to board, Allonna and I needed to go to Jamba Juice. Being out in the East Coast, finding a Jamba Juice is scarce. The only time I saw a nearby one was in Grand Central Station in DC on the way back to the Sheraton. We were in desperate need to have a sweet, thirst-quenching smoothie. Allonna had ordered a Caribbean Passion and I ordered a Pomegranate Paradise. The first sip I took reminded me of home and soon that’s where we would be.

As we boarded the plane, we found a mother and daughter sitting in our seats. Their flights were changed last minute because their original flight got cancelled. Their seats were placed in front of each other but Diana and I switched seats with them so they would be able to sit next to one another. The girl was five years old and asleep. I sat right next to them while Diana sat next to Allonna and Chris. Her husband and other daughter were seated somewhere else in the back of the plane and were trying to accommodate seating arrangements so they wouldn’t be separated. The mother was genuinely nice. She had told me that they moved to New Jersey for a job relocation for her husband and she eventually found a job out there herself. They are originally from California where she and her husband met at UC Berkeley and are coming back for their wedding anniversary to spend it with their families in Santa Cruz. It was pleasant hearing about her successful life, it gave me hope to have a similar one of my own.

Window View From the Waiting Room

Everyone on the plane patiently waited for the plane to lift off and zoom through the air back to the West Coast. All of us passengers soon found out that our flight would be delayed due to a rain storm that is potentially dangerous to fly through. Once the storm had passed over, we were fourth in line to take off. The closer it drew to us being next, we had to return back to the airport to refuel. It made sense because it was ninety-seven degrees outside and the AC was blasting throughout the plane the whole time we were stalled. The plane had finally filled up again with gas, but by that time there were thirty-five other planes who needed to take off as well. No one knew how long this was going to take and three hours had already passed. The time we finally made it in the air was 7:30 PM, three and a half hours later than from when we were originally set to take off. My mood went beyond irritation. We all wanted to stay in Philly a lot longer than three weeks but none of us had anticipated that this was going to be our ticket to stay. Frustrated and tired, I sat for another six hours for our plane to land at SFO.

The plane had landed at 10:51 PM in San Francisco. Everyone was eager to get off and go home or wherever they intended to go. Each row decreased in people until it reached the back of the plane. Before exiting the aircraft, I waved goodbye to the mother and her child and wished them luck on their vacation in California, and she did the same. I hurried into the airport of California grounds finally relieved that plane ride was over it. We waited for John to get off before we went to go pick up our luggage on the other side of the airport. I felt sentimental being back in the Bay. There’s no people out there like the ones from the Bay Area and that’s what I missed the most along with Jamba Juice.

After everyone grabbed their bags, we hopped into our black shuttle van to transport us back to El Cerrito High School where our families would pick us up at. The air outside was cool and breezy but somewhat warmer than I remembered SF to actually be. I was satisfied with my wardrobe choice to wear leggings and a long-sleeved shirt. The weather out here soon made me miss the heat and humidity the East Coast had. I hated the feeling right when I walked out an air conditioned building to the moist air but enjoyed the warmth and consistency of it. It was convenient knowing the temperature every day despite the environment of the weather. If it was overcast and breezy it was still warm, if it was raining with thunderstorms it would still be consistently warm outside.

The drive back to El Cerrito was a reminder for my brain to recollect my memories of the familiar, but faint surroundings of the Bay Area. I had forgotten how beautiful the Bay Bridge was until we were physically gliding right over it. I felt so embarrassed forgetting its gorgeous luminosity, especially when I looked back at my ugly drawing of it from the first day of class. My eyes became fixated with the scenery outside of the car window until we reached El Cerrito High. It was like I was familiarizing myself with a new area all over again except it wasn’t as difficult to remember.

Final Returning Cohort Photo

Twenty to thirty minutes passed as we finally pulled into the parking lot of the dimly lit school from where we originally departed on the start of our journey. Cars already parked in a line alongside the school waiting for our arrival. The first steps out of the van, Don was already snapping pictures of us like we were famous and he was the paparazzi. We all waited to grab our luggage from out the back of the barely visible vehicle. Before we could depart back to our homes, Don had required a group picture of the entire cohort together for the last time. Groaning because many of us were fatigued, we pulled our smiles out, hidden deep in our droopy faces in time for the last shots of us together. Once we were done, we each gave one another a final hug farewell and went our separate ways. This has probably been one of the best experiences I have ever had and with people who were fun and pleasant to be around. I could not have asked for a much better cohort, trip, and experience than what I received this summer. For that, I thank Don and the ILC for the opportunity

7/17 Day Full of Treats

*note: this blog is an entry from 7-17*

Today was the day I had been waiting for the whole program on the activities list; it was the day of the Phillies v. Mets game. I love watching baseball and being at the stadiums witnessing it first-hand. It makes the game more intense and better to focus on. I haven’t been to a baseball game since 2014 at the AT&T Park where the Giants were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. The best feeling there is getting excited with other fans cheering on your favorite team to success. I wanted to get a feel for the stadium and the crowd the Phillies draws in. I dressed in my Giants gear having the need to represent my favorite team and Bay Area with my Adidas dri-fit shorts and Under Armour slides and headed down to the Quad grabbing my black, leather purse along the way out.

There were more people out there than I had expected. The Summer Discovery program did another Phillies game Friday night where I assumed most people would be attending. I stood in line to check in with Louise ensuring my spot on the trip. I found Therese there doing the same. All of us were separated into different buses by last name. Therese was designated to bus two while I was to bus three. As I waited for my group to move onto the buses, I made a new friend, Anjali, who was placed on the same bus as me. She’s from the Bay Area and likes the Giants, too. She goes to a private school in San Jose and does speech and debate tournaments as do I. When I told her that she said that I looked familiar but couldn’t place where, which was probably at the first tournament we had at James Logan HS in Union City. The world is so massive yet small at the same time.

Phillies Stadium

The yellow school buses they had rented for us were small and had no air conditioning. We all had pulled the windows down to the fullest as we rode twenty minutes out to the Phillies stadium. The longest part was waiting in the thick line trying to pull over to be released off the bus and into the stadium. In front of the stadium was a tall, digital board showing upcoming games the Phillies were playing. From August second through fourth, the Phillies would be playing the San Francisco Giants at home. I wished that game was now instead of the Mets; it would have made my day.

Once the bus had finally pulled over to the side, I rushed off the bus as fast as I could. My excitement for the game and need to get off that suffocating vehicle became my priority. I waited for Anjali down on the sidewalk before heading through bag check and security to enter the grand stadium. As soon as we made it to the inside, it reminded me of a bit smaller version of AT&T Park but nicer than the Oakland Coliseum; it was gorgeous. Our seats were placed at the very top, which wasn’t a surprise to me. The view was great and the bright and sunny weather. We were in the shade the whole time making the seats even more enjoyable. Just as we sat down Therese had quickly found us making our duo into a trio once more.

After the first three innings, the hunger in my stomach began to grow intensely. I walked down a level lower with Anjali and Therese to embark on an adventure to find filling food. I went down the food stands in a line until I decided on trying Crab Fries. Once I had grabbed and paid for the container, I was slightly disappointed that my fries didn’t actually have crab meat in it and they were only seasoned a certain way. I took a bite and discovered how delicious it actually was but still salty; from that moment I still wonder why they call it Crab Fries.

The heat was building up as we stood in front of a table behind seats watching the game as I ate my confused fries. Therese had the smart idea of purchasing ice cream from the food venue behind us. The ice cream was placed in a little souvenir Phillies cap cup covered all over with rainbow sprinkles. A chain reaction was sparked leading Anjali to buy one and then me. The three of us now were indulging the delicious cold creamy treat as we watched until the fifth inning.

Ice Cream Helmet

After all of us killed our ice cream, we went to the bathroom and washed out our caps to keep and treasure forever. The three of us headed back to the top where our seats were to finish watching the rest of the game. There were more Mets fans than there were Phillies, or for what it seemed like. The Phillies fans were not as spirited as I hoped they would be. Maybe it was because they were losing against the Mets or they just didn’t know how to become cheerleaders. I wasn’t used to seeing this out of a crowd. Even the A’s fans were still cheerful when they lost. It was depressing watching the Phillies get crushed with a five to nothing lead.

The game flew by faster than I thought it would. I was so use to baseball games running long but this one closed quickly. We were all back on the bus before I knew it. As we pulled away from the arena, I had noticed how all of the Philadelphia sports teams were all next to one another. From the Eagles to the 76ers, they were built standing tall and united. This must make traffic really bad when games are going on, especially on the same days.

Back at the Quad, we returned around 4:30 PM. This gave me about fifteen minutes to prepare to meet for dinner with Chris and John at five. I quickly changed into my red wife beater and into my black Tommy Hilfiger flip flops before receiving a text from Chris that he was downstairs waiting for me. I grabbed my purse and repeated my routine out the door.

It took us about ten minutes to make it to the Hummus Grill where we were meeting at. I had asked if we could take the food to go because I had plenty of research I needed to complete for the Capstone Project we were required to have completed by the end of the week. John beat us there, early, and patiently waiting at a table for our arrival. I hadn’t had dinner with John since the take out from Bobby’s Burger Palace the previous weekend. I missed having our usual dinners together as a cohort but struggled finding the time for it all. We greeted John in all smiles and looked at the restaurant’s menu to place our order. I decided to try something new and got the chicken kabab sandwich.

As we all patiently waited for our food to come, we caught up with one another. It was scary yet amusing listening to John’s cockroach story. He had found a massive cockroach in his hotel room and called in room service to come kill it. The more horrifying part is the fact that if it was pregnant that its children would be all over the floor still growing. I had true sympathy for him because I would be handling that situation in a more unprofessional way than he did. Before we knew it, our food was ready and we were all heading back to our living spaces. After waving a sad goodbye to John I was eager to scarf down this beautifully made sandwich and get my research done. I finished out my night tired and full, ready to knockout at any minute. I needed all the rest I could get before class again on Monday.

Anjali, Therese, and I Posing in front of the Skyline

7/16 Sunkissed and Salty Hugs

*note: this blog is an entry from 7-16*

Approaching Ocean City

Early morning rise around 8:00 AM, I had a couple of errands to run before the big day at Ocean City, New Jersey. I showered, got dressed, and headed out into University City. I needed to deposit some money into my bank card at the Bank of America next to Chipotle to ensure I had enough in my account for the entire day out. On the way back, I decided to stop by the Starbucks on the corner and grab a quick breakfast before it was time to leave at 10:30 AM. I ordered an herbal mango black tea lemonade and a cinnamon raisin bagel to go and consumed it as I walked for seven minutes back into my dorm. The sun was already heating up the sky in the eighties and it was barely ten o’clock. Relieved to be back in my air conditioned dorm, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I headed back into the blazing sun.

10:30 AM finally came and everyone in Leidy, was outside in their summer gear ready to take on the beach weather. We all did role call and waited to hear our names to get checked off so we could enter the bus. The drive there was filled with many girls singing along to mainstream songs from Rihanna to warming up for the fun filled day. It took a little over two hours to get there but we finally made it to the Jersey Shore.

The weather outside was not as hot as when we left. The skies were overcast and a few drifts were flowing through the air. I first stepped out of the bus with a disappointed attitude toward the weather. I was expecting it to be bright and sunny and was bikini ready. I walked along the endless boardwalk in search to find a restroom. The boardwalk had so much going on along the sides of it. There were arcades, multiple food areas, souvenir stores, boogie board rentals, a water park, rides, and so much more along with a beach right across from it all. After finding my essential stop, I ran into Diana and Therese coming out. We all took a short break to put on some sunscreen before heading back into the hazy sun.

Therese had left to meet up with a friend who works at Ocean City leaving me and Diana. We explored from Starbucks to eating crab cakes, then the souvenir shops where we bought matching long-sleeved shirts and then off to the beach. I had not been in the soft, warm sand since I went to Santa Cruz a couple of years ago before the start of freshman year. The feeling of my feet sinking into the deep grains was one that I had dearly missed. We had walked along the beach closer and closer to the water. There was a giant empty space of sand unoccupied by no one; it was perfect for us. We laid out our towels and rested there for about twenty minutes.

Ocean City Beach

I quickly sat up to wipe the glistening sweat from off my forehead. I soon checked underneath my swimsuit to find that I had turned fifty shades darker from when I first came to the boardwalk. I turned my body over for another five minutes before I couldn’t take just lying there being cooked in the sun anymore. I got up with Diana and headed into the salty Atlantic Ocean. The water felt amazing as it splashed against my hot skin cooling it down. Knowing I can’t swim, I only allowed the water to go up a little above my knees. The waves came in rushing fast and high making contact with my entire upper body as they pulled in. This was my favorite part of the day. Diana and I were both enjoying our time in the water that almost two hours had passed by before we headed back to our beach spot. Five o’clock drew near and was the time we were all required to meet at to return home. We gathered up our things and started our way back to the flashpoint.

Finding our way there was not a problem. All of the RCs were wearing bright blue shirts and made the umbrella stands on the beach all of the American Flag. Just drying off and removing all of the sand off of us, Diana and I were extremely reluctant to step back into the sticky sand. Being forced against our will, we both stepped back into sand where roll call was taken by our building RC. Shortly, we all went back to buses to take us back to PENN. The day was short but we made it last. I was just ready to go back to my building and take a nice warm shower and rest in my bed. Ocean City was the highlight of ending my busy week. 

7/15 Backtracking Our Culture

*note: this blog is an entry from 7-15*

There have been many instances within the news involving violence against police and the brutality they inflict on other black men. This itself has led us back to the topic of race and policing. Our guest speaker of the day, Keeanga-Yamhtta Taylor, had an idea of why or how this specific group was being targeted and it roots back to the time of Jim Crow Laws and the segregated era.

During the early 1900’s, Blacks were trying to move out of the inferior South and into the North. People made it difficult for this to happen because around this time, the government allowed people to do whatever they want with their property, sell it to whoever they want, and fluctuate the prices however they pleased. If people did not want to sell you property because of your race, they were allowed to. Many Blacks were sold overpriced, low quality housing in the North and their landlords would not maintain their homes in a fair or livable condition. Landowners thought of ways on how they could make more money so they removed many of the restrooms and kitchens in homes owned by colored people and transformed them into bedrooms where it could fit more people. 40% of homes did not have indoor plumbing within and made the hygiene of the area plummet. Many families that were overcrowded in these homes were forced to live on the streets because of lack of space. The housing separation allowed for foul stereotypes to flourish and made it seem as if people of color had poor hygiene. Not until 1968, where the Fair Housing Act was implemented, did this stop. 

Afro-Caribbean Mural 

Since no one really cared about what happened in the Black areas, this allowed violence, drug trade, and police brutality to occur. Poor people were always held in suspicion while being on the street. Categories of crimes began to develop in specific to targeting Black people leading to higher arrest rates, violence against them, and a way of degrading their race. They spent days in jail waiting to be convicted for a crime they “committed.” Riots began against Black people led by Whites killing fifty-five of them with the police joining in during the Red Summer. The larger the police force grew, the more unsafe it became for Blacks. Instead of the police protecting the people, they hurt them. It ensured poverty, criminal records, and brutality against them. Even today this is still occurring. So far in the year of 2016, 571 people were killed by the police. Nothing is changing while history continues to repeat.

Returning back to class in the afternoon, we were to embark upon another field trip to a Puerto Rican neighborhood in North Philadelphia called El Barrio. When I got off the train and exited the station, I knew that this wasn’t a well maintained neighborhood. Walking down the streets there was garbage and litter lying around the streets and sidewalks. The streets were quiet and vacant and have not been repaved in a long time. The small number of people you did see, you can tell they were in poverty. There were fire hydrants busted open with water gushing into the air and buildings were worn down and old in need of some remodeling. The area itself reminded me a lot of areas back home like Richmond, East Oakland, San Leandro, and certain parts of Vallejo. There were many corner stores and restaurants open on nearby blocks. Cars parked on the sides of the street were run down or damaged.  On occasion there would be some nice brand new car. Children played in the streets on their bikes and scooters while others hung out on the stoops of buildings.

Community Center in El Barrio

Ten to fifteen minutes of walking through the neighborhood, we all finally reached our destination. We stopped in front of a building that had beautiful mosaics and paintings along its walls. A man had stepped out, Rafael Damast, and welcomed us graciously inside of the center. There were tables and seats all placed out and around ready for our arrival. Over 50 us there, fit all together in seated in the nicely air conditioned room. Surrounding us were art pieces designed and created by young children from the ages of six to fourteen along with a black empty stage with different background pieces laying in the shadows. Mr. Damast had told us that this center we were in, was home to many children. It was created as a community center for young children to find an outlet or passion and teach their Latin history using the arts. They took classes on photography, painting, performing, etc. and at the end of each day they would perform for their parents in a talent show of what they learned and enjoyed the most. Once he finished speaking, he gathered us outside to take us on a tour of the different murals and culture of their community.

Rafael Damast Explaining One of the Murals

The feeling I had exiting the building was not a pleasant one. The heat of the sun had beat me down in the face so hard, I was already in need of a sip of water. No longer protected by the cool air of the air conditioned space, it was a struggle not passing out along the walk through the streets. He explained to us about each mural we had paused at. They all were painted to tell a story of their struggles being accepted coming into Philly and how they came about living there. Many of the people were discriminated against for their Afro-Caribbean culture. They used this negativity and hardships of adapting into a positive reaction by painting these murals around the community. The people shaped their culture into a proud manner and continued this throughout town until it finally felt like home.

7/14 Knowledge is Power

*note: this blog is an entry from 7-14*

Education is an entitlement for everyone, at least in the present of today. Back in time from before the 17^th Century until around 1955 -1965 education was only for the white and privileged. Since the Constitution itself does not cover education within it, it made it even harder for this right to be even considered. Laws such as the Separate but Equal Act (Plessy v. Ferguson), are evidence from the past proving the difficulties in receiving an equal and fair education as the rest of the more favored students. Cases like Brown v. The Board of Education in 1954, challenged this problem residing within the society.  Brown had challenged the idea of segregating schools proving how unconstitutional it all was. By 1955, the Supreme Court ordered public schools to be desegregated. Even with this massive change, equal school education still remained unrepresented.

If you were a minority, life in school was much harder. Students were grouped into a school based on where they lived. This made it easier for people in poorer areas having fewer resources to have a qualifying education. Because of a lack in funding, many students were neglected or left behind in the system such as girls, LGBTQ, low-income, special needs, non-native speakers, immigrants/refugees, etc. They were more likely to get suspended or expelled and have fewer qualified teachers to instruct them versus privileged students. Their education was not corrected until the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It was implemented by President Lyndon Johnson and provided “compensatory education” to poor and minority students. Even with this implemented, many students were already so far behind the privileged students that it would make it extremely difficult in trying to catch up.

Reviewing this, I found it easier to apply this to our education system today. Many of our schools are stuck with little to no resources to help students learn on the same field as others across the nation because of the lack of money. In these areas, many of us are minorities. Even with all of the reforms that have been implemented such as Common Core, teacher training, charter schools, anti-bullying campaigns, etc., there are many schools with students who are still struggling to have a safe and a learning enriched environment. The areas or private schools with financial wealth are filled with a greater quality and amount of facilities for students to learn in. It’s surprising but interesting how things seem to still continue until present day even with all of the changes put into effect throughout the years.

We broke into groups to participate into an activity facilitated by the student teachers. In these groups, we would talk about the school systems we were learning in such as a public school, private, home school, charter, international, etc. and listen to how different schools were throughout the nation and world. We described our own personal experiences, the advantages, weaknesses, the quality of education everyone received and if everyone in the school and town receive the same value, and who received the better or worse education depending on their wealth/class, race/ethnicity, gender/sexual identity, and special needs/disabled.

Group Presenting Their Ideal Education System

As I listened to others speak, I learned unexpected things about other schools. Unlike what I’m used to in the Bay Area, many schools do not have diversity incorporated within them. A lot of the public schools in Philadelphia are predominantly Black with very few white people. Most of the private schools are consistent with White and Asian students. At schools which do have a variety of ethnicities rep[resented, the white students would group together and all of the other races would stick with each other. 

In schools in China, they would go to school from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM, the time they would go to bed. What seemed to be consistent with most of the schools is the people who had more money to send their children to private schools or well-funded public schools, received the better education than most. 

Learning for people with special attention or disabilities seemed to isolate those students from the rest of the school; they were taught separately and did not socialize out of that group. If there were no separate classes for students with learning disabilities, they would struggle trying to receive help or the attention needed in the average classroom. The LGBTQ+ community were treated the same way as any other students at the school; they became more socially accepted among their peers.

At my school, we are privileged in ways that a lot of schools aren’t. The administration that we have makes the student support strong and flexible. Our principal is always dedicating his time to make my school the best that it could be. He makes time accessible to students and parents who need his support along with the other vice principals and some staff. There aren’t many schools which are eligible or have people like that at their schools and long for someone to actually come in and make a change to correct that. I am lucky enough to have administration who actually care and put effort into supporting the needs of the students. 

We have different program resources in our district such as The Ivy League Connection, Upward Bound (program allowing students to take math and science classes at UC Berkeley and live on campus), EAOP (UC Berkeley program where students commute there and pick classes to take over the summer), and more. The student diversity is high, we learn from one another, and adapt to our given environment making the most of what we have.

Our disadvantages are our facilities, some teachers, and lack of money. We have class in portables as we wait for our new school to be built and don’t have much of a campus. Many of our well qualified teachers are leaving for multiple reasons and we will be getting a large number of new staff, which can either make or break the school. Everything may not be perfect about it, and we do lack in some areas, but I believe that there is plenty of room for improvement that we are still pushing and progressing in profoundly.

In the afternoon, coming back from lunch, we spent the rest of the time designing our own education system for a new country ran by us. We were counted off into groups like the first time we were split up. In my group, we didn’t get much accomplished. People were disagreeing on who should be taxed and the amount, what type of schools would be incorporated such as private, public etc., how much money each school would be funded, and still be able to make it competitive against other countries. Some were saying we should tax the rich more, but others were against the idea. We only had a few points jotted down before it was time for us to present to the class for two minutes. Our group pulled through while presenting but ended up annoying one another. Doing this not only showed how hard it was for us to form an education system but to actually work together as a team and find mutual ground for all of our different views. Even though it was rough, I wish we could have more activities like this in the future. 

Home Sweet Home

The dreaded day was finally upon us. The day where we said bye to our home for the past three weeks was here and I was not thrilled about it. On the one hand I was going to see my family and my kitties again but on the other, I would leave the friends I made behind and the environment that is nurturing in more than one way.  Despite the mixed feelings, I had no choice but to pack and be ready to leave at 10 AM to the airport.

I woke up at 7 AM to say bye to Betty who was returning to China. We hugged and made plans to visit each other in the future. At 7:15 AM, all teary eyed, we said goodbye for the last time and I watched her walk onto the airport shuttle and disappear into the streets of Philly. After sitting in bed for a while thinking about my roommate, I decided to get ready so I could finalize my packing.

Once I showered and got ready, Therese came to my room and we chatted about how we would miss the school and each other. She helped me close my luggage by sitting on it and giving me encouraging words as I forced the zipper closed. Isn’t it funny how luggage can grow so much in three small weeks? Anyways, we went to say goodbye to some of the kids from the math academy and walked around the quad until we decided we wanted the comfort of the AC. When we got to my room I pulled out my polaroid camera and we decided to have a photo shoot. We took all kinds of pictures from silly to artsy. And like the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun. 10 AM had crept up behind our backs and without warning it jumped up and surprised us both.

Some of our artsy pictures 

With sad faces, we made our way down with my luggage. I turned in my keys and waited for the shuttle to come. I spotted John all too soon and with Therese still helping me with my luggage, made my way to the shuttle. We hugged and said our goodbyes. It was very sad having to leave friends that you may not see in person ever again but I tried to stay positive because after all, I was on the way to seeing my family. Once in the shuttle, we made our way to the airport and got checked in. We were way too early so we went for a nice sit down dinner where I had a crab cake sandwich that was delicious. After our meal we waited to be called to line up for the flight.

At around 4 PM we got called up and we made our way to the plane not knowing what was ahead of us. The plane was boarded and everyone was seated when a thunderstorm hit the airport delaying us. From that point on, the storm was the only thing that happened quickly. We waited until we were clear from the storm to depart but just when we were the 5th in line to take off, the pilot said we had burned too much fuel so we had to go back and refuel! This once again delayed us. The pilot said we would be on our way in about 30 minutes. So not that bad… WRONG! After the 30 minutes went by, the pilot said that there were 35 planes trying to leave so we would have to once again wait. This time without a time estimate. All in all we spent almost 4 hours just sitting on the plane starving and unable to move.

After forever we took off and we could finally get something to eat. By this time I was starving so I devoured the not so good pastrami sandwich I got. From this point on it was smooth sailing. I took a nap to prevent myself from becoming sick and in no time we were landing in SFO. We rounded up our luggage and met the shuttle driver who took us to EC safely. There I met my mom and dad who were very happy to see me. The UPenn cohort took one last group picture and we parted ways. I got home and slept like a rock for a very long time.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Last day selfie with professor Hansen 

Friday, our last day. I don’t believe how fast these three weeks went by. I got so engulfed in everything that I forgot that it was going to end at some point but now that the end is right around the corner, I can't help but feel sad. This morning I woke up, took  a shower and let the warm water melt away my sadness and instead fill me with happiness because my capstone project was finalized. I quickly got ready and headed for College Hall where my small group discussion was going to present.

Helen, Betty Therese and
I at the photo booth

When I got there, I saw that I was going to present last. I didn’t want to be the last one but that’s how it played out. The nice thing was that I got to sit back and watch everyone’s presentation before I got to go up. Some of the capstone projects were very interesting. One of them was about violence against men and how no one drew attention to it because of the societal standards that men are supposed to follow that prohibit any weakness from being shown. After everyone had presented their projects, we went back to the lecture hall where pizza was awaiting. We enjoyed the break with the whole class and then we dove into our reflection section.

We broke off into small groups and talked about what we were thankful for. I said that I was thankful for all the knowledge that I had gained because it helped me see different perspectives for the same issues. After we wrote down things that we had learned and how we would make the program better. I think that if there was more discussion time it would be better because it would give the students more time to process the information. Once the reflections were done, we got our certificates of completion. We got called up one by one like a graduation to get our certificate from professor Hansen and everyone clapped. To top it all off we got cupcakes!

When I was done saying my goodbyes, I went back to pack my things and made plans with Helen and Therese to go eat out for one last time. We decided to go to Noodle Bar which was close to the movie theater. It was a really good decision because the noodles were very good. We chatted about our plans for the program but eventually it came time to go back to the Quad. We got there around 7 PM so we decided to watch an episode of Orange Is The New Black before the carnival started. The carnival was planned by the RCs as a last day treat for all of us. When it was time, we decided to go to the palm reader first which already had a huge line. We waited for a bit but people were cutting so we decided to come back later and went to the candy bar. There we stocked up on all types of sweets and went to get a popsicle and once again got in line for the palm reader and waited.

Photo Booth picture with Jenna

After what seemed forever, it was my turn. The palm reader told me I would get home safely and that I had a business in the future. She also said that I was going to have three kids (I’m not so sure about that prediction). After getting our palms read we went to the photo booth where we took a picture with our RC Jenna. All too soon it was time to get back to the dorm and keep packing. Before then I got a chance to meet some of the kids from the math class which was really nice and welcoming (except that kid that said Richmond was a horrible place). I wish I had met them earlier! With that, I went to my room to finish packing and get some sleep for the journey the next day.

Friends