Welcome to Providence

The front of El Cerrito High School at night

At 3 AM, I had to crawl out of bed and prepare myself to go to El Cerrito High School. I had already packed everything, so I just had to take care of some necessities and grab a bite before heading out the door. I needed to go to El Cerrito High School because that was where we agreed to meet before heading out to San Francisco Airport. There, we had to make sure we were ready to go through the airport. Don measured each of our bags to ensure that they passed the weight, and he checked for our ID and medical cards. He then went over some more information, such as contact numbers and whatnot, before taking our pictures. I believe that other members in my cohort posted the pictures on their blogs, so check them out over there! 

ILCers, their parents, and Don 

After these preparatory events in the morning, we took the shuttle to the San Francisco Airport. Our chaperone, Nate Enfield, led us through the airport in a very timely manner, and we ran into no problems on our way to our plane. I haven't been on a plane in five years, so flying again was almost like a new experience for me. I don't think I've ever taken a domestic flight, either. I felt uneasy about the first flight, though; my head was swimming and I felt a bit sick. 

We landed in Chicago, and Nate led us to Potbelly Sandwiches. I didn't buy anything because my stomach didn't want any food at all, but everyone else bought lunch. We made our way to the second plane, and I felt a lot better there. It's very different to see the landscape from an aerial perspective! 

Once we landed in Rhode Island, we quickly made it through the airport to the baggage claim. I was a bit slow, and one thing I need to take note of next time I board a plane is that I have to be extremely familiar with what my luggage looks like, so I don't feel uncertain about things when picking up my luggage. 

We rented a car, and we started driving to Hotel Providence, except we started going the wrong way. I had to direct Nate as to which way to go, though we ended up zigzagging around through the tiny little streets of downtown Providence. 

The Hotel Providence is a rather exquisite place; I was put off slightly by how nice it was inside. We split off into four rooms: two ILCers in each room, with Nate alone in his own room. We started settling in for a brief moment of time before leaving to grab dinner. We went to the Luxe Burger Bar, and I believe everyone ordered a custom burger (termed "Build Your Own Burger" by the restaurant). 

After that, we came back to our hotel rooms, to settle in for the next day. We will be going to Cambridge to visit Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! It's another big day tomorrow.

Here are some more pictures I took today: