Getting The Hang of Blogging

As I was on my way to the blogging tutorial at Hercules High School, I couldn’t help admiring how green the campus was; its leafy trees and smooth-looking grass were eye-catching. I then saw Don there, who was unloading the last of his things he brought for the tutorial. After I introduced him to my mother, I entered the classroom, which was empty since I was the first one there.

My mother and I had just chosen our seats when my chaperone, Mr. Mannix, walked in. He was a tall guy with very long hair. This surprised me a little because in that photo Don sent us, Mr. Mannix had short hair. I was also a little jealous of his hair, since my hair doesn’t grow very fast-or very long. Anyway, Mr. Mannix was a really interesting person that had this very relaxed mellow vibe to him. I also really appreciated how passionate he was about being a teacher; it’s really great seeing people do what they love.

After our conversation with Mr. Mannix, I sat down and got ready for the tutorial. Don talked to us about the most important subject of the day: blogging. He showed us a lot, from formatting our blogs, to tucking in our elbows to take a picture. He also stressed about the importance of proofing our blogs, which is a MUST since people all over the world will be reading them. I found this a little frightening, considering only few people (besides teachers) have read what I’ve written, and believe me, I am not the best writer. However, that’s why blogging like this is a good thing. One of the best ways to learn is through trial and error, and I know blogging every day is bound to give major improvements to my writing.

After the first session of the tutorial, we got a break to mingle with our fellow ILCers. Unfortunately, I tend to be a tad socially awkward so I was a little nervous about this mingling business. To help with my awkwardness, Julia, a friend of mine, went along with me to meet a group of girls near the water bottles. To my dismay, it didn’t turn out so well, and we ended up only shaking hands with a girl named Emily. Emily even had to initiate the handshake. However, my efforts for mingling eventually went through. I got to meet a student from De Anza named Roger who is going to Yale for the strenuous Grand Strategies course. He is a really nice guy, and I talked to him throughout the tutorial.

The rest of the tutorial went on smoothly with some hands-on blogging and other information including loaner items-which is extremely helpful for me. Going to this tutorial made me realize that I have a long way to go before I begin thinking about getting on that plane for Nashville. Even though there are several things I must do before July comes around, I am excited to begin this unbelievable adventure with my cohort.

Thank you ILC, for making this possible for all of us.