When in Rhode (Island)

Saying that today was a particularly special day would be a ridiculously huge understatement. Today was the day that -- for months -- had been something of a final countdown. Today was a day I had marked on all of my calendars a long, long time ago.

Unintentionally going against the advice telling me to get lots of rest the night before my trip, I was barely able to sleep last night due to sheer anxiousness. I slept maybe 3 or 4 hours before my alarm clock started ringing at 2:00 AM. After having an unusually early breakfast and getting my luggage in the car, my father drove me to El Cerrito High School so we could meet up with the rest of the Brown-II cohort.

When the cohort was finally all together at about 3:50 AM, Don weighed all of our check in bags, gave us our printed itineraries, took our departure photos, and gave us a card with everyone's contact information, we waited about an hour in the freezing cold waiting for our shuttle to come pick us up and ship us off to the San Francisco Airport.

Saying goodbye to my dad was probably the most difficult part of the day. I wasn't just saying goodbye to him, I was saying goodbye to my home. Never in my life had I traveled so far from home without my family.

Ready for the East Coast!

After saying our goodbyes to our families, we were finally off on our own. We moved relatively fast through the airport, checking in our bags and going through security at a good time. Once at our gate, we split up to get some snacks and came back with spare time to board onto our plane. Our first flight was headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, which would then connect us to a flight to Providence, Rhode Island.

The perks of having a window seat.

The flight was long. At least, for me it was. Four hours of squirming around in a seat with little leg room. I was lucky enough to get the window seat, however. I was also seated next to Ms. Neal, and to her left was a woman named Diane. We chatted with her and told her about how we were headed to Rhode Island for an educational trip and how we were going to be taking a course at Brown University. Diane was headed for Miami, Florida to celebrate her birthday.

We arrived late in North Carolina. Due to weather conditions, all the flights had to be delayed, including our flight to Rhode Island. Despite the setback, we made it to Providence in good time. We quickly claimed our baggage, got our rental car, and headed to Brown University's campus. After getting our ID's and our dorm keys, we drove to our residential building, Perkins Hall. We arrived to our hall at about 9 PM.

The Brown-II cohort arrives at Providence, RI!

Conveniently enough, as soon as we entered, we ran into the Residential Director, Elizabeth, and our Residential Adviser, Karen. They briefed us on important information like who to call when an issue came up, how to check in for curfew time, and more. They were tremendously helpful in introducing us to the dorms.

These lovely cards were posted at my door to let me know that this was my room. Although I haven't met Ava, I'm excited that she will be my roommate.

After we set our luggage into our dorm rooms, it was time for dinner! Originally, we were planning to eat at the restaurant Luxe Burger Bar, but the rental car keys went missing. We spent about 20 minutes looking everywhere for the keys, going through bags, dorms, staircases, and using flashlights to look inside the dark car to see if the key was anywhere to be found. We decided that since it was already late and curfew was at 11:00 PM, we may as well eat somewhere within walking distance.

We ate at Kabob and Curry, a delicious Indian dining place at the heart of Thayer Street. This street hosts all types of shops and restaurants, and even a small cinema. I think I'll be spending a lot of my free time there when I can.

Even as I conclude this post, it still feels almost unreal that I could be here in Rhode Island, lodging at Perkins Hall at Providence, Rhode Island.