Tomorrow morning, I will already be departing Oakland International Airport for the East Coast! All I can say is that I'm ecstatic as I wait for my adventure to begin. It seems that if I were writing this blog post a week ago, I would say each day is going by slower and slower—that I couldn't wait to leave the Bay Area. However, now that the weekend is here, it's as if hours are turning into minutes, and minutes are turning into seconds. Well, I guess I still can't wait to leave, but this trip is, indeed, coming much faster now.
I only wish that I could've spent more time with my friends before this trip. If this were last summer, or any of the summers before this one, I would feel differently. Not to boast, but it really does feel like my circle of friends has grown—options of doing something and who to pass time with almost seem endless this summer. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to spend time with some of them yet, and it's making me feel a little discouraged. You see, when I come back (July 28th), school will be pretty much starting up again. For example, School Registration will begin soon for everyone, along with band camp for myself. It seems this only means I just have to make every day count this summer. It is, well, my last summer of high school. Man, I can't believe I'm already a Senior.
I only wish that I could've spent more time with my friends before this trip. If this were last summer, or any of the summers before this one, I would feel differently. Not to boast, but it really does feel like my circle of friends has grown—options of doing something and who to pass time with almost seem endless this summer. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to spend time with some of them yet, and it's making me feel a little discouraged. You see, when I come back (July 28th), school will be pretty much starting up again. For example, School Registration will begin soon for everyone, along with band camp for myself. It seems this only means I just have to make every day count this summer. It is, well, my last summer of high school. Man, I can't believe I'm already a Senior.
I know the first few days are going to be a little crazy. Monday morning, the "team" and I will have to wake up just a little earlier than usual, congregating at El Cerrito High School before 3:45 AM! This week I've been trying to sleep and wake up a little earlier, so hopefully it will have paid off.
Departing the airport just after 7 AM, we'll be off to our first stop, Durham, North Carolina. There, we will visit our first college, Duke University. This university, in particular, is the one that I'm the most excited for. There's just something at Duke that I have a feeling will really spark my interest. Not only are they an academically prestigious school, but—like Vanderbilt—they have some of the best sports teams in the nation. In particular, their basketball team is exceptionally good, and basketball happens to be one of my favorite sports. If the sports are good, the school definitely has a lot of spirit. If the academics are good, then I'll definitely succeed in whatever I choose to do in life (not really sure yet). So, all-in-all, I'm guessing Duke would be a great college environment. This is not to mention, I love their color—blue. It seems I'll just have to wait until Monday and Tuesday to find out how much I'll really like this school. I am, however, pretty sure the other schools—Georgetown, UPenn, and of course Vanderbilt—will interest me as well.
I'm very excited for my course, Lived Religion: Abrahamic Faiths, where I will study the three monotheistic religions of the world. And I'm even more happy that someone I know, Hannah, will be taking this course, too—not that I need anyone I know in the class, but it's just nice that there is. I consider myself an open-minded Christian, and I know this course will help me discover new things about my faith. Not only will this course help me personally, it will also me help to expand my knowledge of the world, since religion plays a major role in the way many people live (even the way they're governed). I never even entered a mosque before, so I'm very excited to experience it. By the end of this course, I know I will have learned tons of new information about these three religions (for I know very little, except for Christianity). I'll just have to see what's in store!
I checked the weather forecast recently, and it's said to be 90's the whole week in every city we'll be going to. It also said there will be isolated and scattered thunder storms. In lovely Pinole, CA, it's only 60's and breezy—just the weather to prepare me for the other side of the country, right? Well ready or not for this weather, it will certainly be a part of what this adventure is all about.
I'm very excited for my course, Lived Religion: Abrahamic Faiths, where I will study the three monotheistic religions of the world. And I'm even more happy that someone I know, Hannah, will be taking this course, too—not that I need anyone I know in the class, but it's just nice that there is. I consider myself an open-minded Christian, and I know this course will help me discover new things about my faith. Not only will this course help me personally, it will also me help to expand my knowledge of the world, since religion plays a major role in the way many people live (even the way they're governed). I never even entered a mosque before, so I'm very excited to experience it. By the end of this course, I know I will have learned tons of new information about these three religions (for I know very little, except for Christianity). I'll just have to see what's in store!
I checked the weather forecast recently, and it's said to be 90's the whole week in every city we'll be going to. It also said there will be isolated and scattered thunder storms. In lovely Pinole, CA, it's only 60's and breezy—just the weather to prepare me for the other side of the country, right? Well ready or not for this weather, it will certainly be a part of what this adventure is all about.
I've never been away from family members for more than a week. Also, I haven't been in a plane for at least 5 years. I don't think these two things are of any issue—at all. This is the time for me to become independent and to experience what's out there. And my entire cohort, I can tell, is exuberant about our trip, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for us the next four weeks!
You have a good attitude about this, Chris.
ReplyDeleteEven as a Christian, Chris, there will be much for you to learn in this class about Christianity. This class is not to indoctrinate you but to teach you about the three religions and to show you similarities and comparisons between the three. They’re all tied together in some way so it should be interesting.