One-Third of the Way Done

After our first hectic week of college classes, a relaxing Saturday is exactly what I needed. This morning I met with my group at the hotel school computer lab to put together our project. We had finished our rough draft yesterday during office hours and today we put the entire slide show together. Tomorrow, we will be rehearsing our company presentation and Monday will be crunch time. They will be grading us on our presentation’s content, format, and presentation skills. Very soon after, I met with the rest of the ILC Cornellians at the Stalter hotel and we drove off to Lake Cayuga for our boat tour and brunch. As we were driving through the city of Ithaca and admiring the lake, I realized just how beautiful it is.

The Ithaca Farmers Market:



The Lake Cayuga Boat Cruise:

After Lake Cayuga, we went back to the dorms to get our swim essentials. Mrs. Kaplan suggested that because of the heat, we should all go swimming. Unfortunately, Chris and Andrew Woo decided not to come. Before we went swimming however, Mrs. Kaplan took us to the wonderful Ithaca Farmers Market. It was so adorable, complete with a beautiful sitting area right by Lake Cayuga. When we arrived at the swim area, I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. It was not a chlorine pool, but a watering hole completely surrounded by nature. To complete the nature theme, it even had a waterfall! The area was pretty crowded but the cold temperature kept most people outside of the water. It was incredibly hot today but the 57 degree water was a huge contrast! After our swim, my fingers and toes were completely numb. An odd observation was that the water in the swimming area was much colder than the water falling from the waterfall. I wonder why.

We all got back and then soon went for dinner. Tomorrow, the hotelies are spending the 4th of July evening at the hotel school rehearsing our presentations, with the assistance with the professors and our many TA’s. My only consolation is that the Freedom and Justice students are going to have enough fun for all of us, while they celebrate the 4th of July watching the fireworks from the Erie Canal in Rochester.

This Saturday is also the day I did my first load of laundry here at Cornell. I feel a very strange sense of autonomy after completing my task. We are 1/3 of the way done with our courses; another milestone in our ILC experience. But we still have 2/3 of the way to go.