Ithaca is "GORGES"

Pun intended...get it?!

Last night, the flight was delayed, prompting all of us to arrive in Ithaca around 1:30 am. Though the plane ride made me uneasy, I survived. Since the Hercules clan arrived at the Mary Donlon residence hall earlier than others, we were all able to settle into our dorms and choose the "better side of the room," as Mr. Ramsey liked to put it.

After a mere five hours of sleep, Louisa, Justine, and I decided to wake up and to get ourselves ready for breakfast at the Statler Hotel, a place where the Hotelies, including myself, would spend a great amount of time as part of our curriculum. Buffet-style, the breakfast was just enough to help jumpstart our day before we all headed to Syracuse University, an hour away from Ithaca.

What struck me most about Syracuse was its SI Newhouse of Public Communications, well-acclaimed for its mass communications program. Every year, the incoming class would travel to Hollywood, a site perfect for aspiring print or media journalists to study the depth of communication, public relations, and othe related multimedia. In general, Syracuse is a mid-sized school with a touch of contemporary flair to it. There, we met Kim Rohadfox-Ceaser, the Commisioner of Education. She was great company, and overall, I must say being there on the campus provided me a feel of what the school was like.

After completing the final check-in back at our residential hall, all of us flocked to the main auditorium entitled the Bailey Hall, where we had a chance to see guest speakers give their greetings or "introductions," as the Dean called them. Though a few teases and jokes were included in their speeches, the focal point of the orientation was to encourage all the students to do their best, to work hard, to have fun, but most importantly, to relish the college-life experience. When the orientation wrapped up, all the Hotelies walked back to the Statler where we had an opportunity to meet Mrs. Reneta McCarthy and Mr. Mark McCarthy. Prior from sitting down, the three of us (Louisa, Yueming, and I) had to retrieve a folder, which was individually personalized for the each of us. Within the folder, there were the syllabus, the proposed schedule, and further information on the readings.

Before the three of us headed to eat dinner, we all went to the bookstore with Mr. Crossley to purchase our reading materials. Afterwards, Mr. Crossley went back to the Statler Hotel, while we headed down to the Appel Commons for our last meal of the day, which was inundated with hundreds of other kids from diverse background. En route to Appel Commons, we passed by the beautiful gorges. What a sight!

Lastly, to top the day, all students went to the lobby for the ice cream social. While waiting in line, we were able to meet new people and to make small talk with other Summer College students before everyone dispersed for their ice cream. The last event on today's agenda is to meet with our RCA (Residential Community Advisor). I cannot wait to see how that goes...

Until next time,

Stacy Chan