It's Getting Closer!

This evening was the Orientation—the last ILC event before departure day, when we leave for our programs. We were warned (as with every other event we've been to) that if we were at all late we'd get our scholarships revoked. Luckily for me, I was worried enough about this that I made sure to get there early (though I did notice a few people coming in late... hmm...). At Pinole Middle School, we all gathered in a big auditorium to listen to Don.

Don telling us what to expect

Don talked all about the kinds of things we’d all need (fans, sheets, alarm clocks, etc.) that a lot of people only tend to think of after arriving somewhere, and showed us a lot of loaner items that we could sign up to use. He told us about the kinds of things we should and shouldn't pack--like shampoo and laundry detergent, which take up way too much room when you can easily buy them wherever you're going. He also stressed the importance of mature behavior, saying that we were representing our district, and that we were there “to study, not to have fun.” He told us horror stories about previous ILCers who had acted up, and informed us he’d have no problem sending us home. Then we split up to discuss cohort-specific information. 

John Hillyer, the chaperone for the Penn cohort, gave us the itinerary for the trip and discussed what we’d be doing there. We have a departure date of June 30^th, leaving the airport at 8:00AM (which means Don will probably have us meet at 3:30AM just to make sure nothing goes wrong). I’m very excited to tour Washington DC and New York, among other places, but I also saw that most days we’ll be getting up before seven in the morning. I’ve never been very good at getting up early, and given the three-hour time difference between here and the east coast… well, that’s one part of the trip I’m not looking forward to. Aside from that, though, seeing the itinerary gives me a concrete list of things we’ll be doing (and things to look forward to!) and this Orientation just made me more excited about our trip this summer.