The Big Apple

I finally got to meet all the members of the Columbia cohort! Today,  I went to the home of my old theater teacher and future chaperone, Mrs. Thrift. Mrs. Thrift, her dog Brandy, and her husband all welcomed my fellow cohort members into their cozy house with open arms.  There were five other people excluding myself--Emily, Justin, Michelle, Monica, and Lisa. I had already met Emily and Justin at our interviews and I'd seen Monica around my school since she goes to visit some of her friends there pretty often. Emily seemed so strong and independent and expressed her excitement to learn how life without parents would be. Justin, the only male in the group, was really charismatic and thoughtful. He shared some of his favorite books with us and seemed comfortable despite the surplus of estrogen in the room. Michelle and Lisa seemed to be very bonded. They shared a lot of the same interests and they both seemed like really sweet girls. Monica seemed a bit quiet, but nonetheless excited about the months to come.

We all sat down for a wonderful breakfast that our chaperone prepared and a coffee cake dessert that Lisa made. I wasn't very hungry, but I couldn't resist when I saw food right in front of me. After everyone's stomachs were satisfied, we got to talk about our plans. The conversation started off light with Lisa and I expressing our adoration for James Franco and our hopes to see him in "Of Mice and Men", his broadway debut, but as our conversations progressed, we abandoned trivial matters and assumed a more thought provoking tone. We shared our expectations for the upcoming events, Columbia,  and even our futures.

I got a few surprises at our get together: my plane for New York is scheduled on my birthday, I'll be speaking at the school board meeting, and Mrs. Thrift has a hard time telling Emily and Michelle apart.  With the unfortunate combination of my upcoming finals and this new information, my mom and I decided to opt for a bit of retail therapy before I went to my brother's baseball game. I'm so excited to give my speech, finish junior year, and go to the Big Apple!