The last [fill in the blank]. The sentence is being used more and more now, whether it is my last lecture for the summer session, the last cohort dinner, or even the last time I'm going to wear this shirt in Rhode Island. It's the final week of class, and today was our final lecture. The rest of the week is going to be filled with labs and presentations, so I wouldn't exactly call it bittersweet as lectures aren't my favorite things in the world.
I went down to the mall today with Arnold to look for some gifts for people, and found a a store called "Hot Topic" that sold a lot of wares associated with popular media today including "Pokemon," "Minecraft," and "The Legend of Zelda." There, I got some gifts for my cousins, but I won't say what so I don't spoil the surprise. We had a cohort dinner at 6 and we were to meet back on campus at 5:45, but before we knew it, it was already 5:25. Arnold and I made a mad dash back to campus, but we were briefly interrupted. A group of kids (I won't judge with any adjectives) about the same age as us came up to us and one of them approached Arnold with seemingly bad intentions. There were three of them and the other two were laughing as if the situation was just a joke, but I didn't want to take any chances. The one that approached Arnold asked what was in his bag and started making threats but Arnold stood tall and didn't flinch, like a true soldier. I was going to intervene and break up the scene, but I considered the situation. There were three people and only two of us, so if a fight broke out thanks to them nothing good would come out. I decided not to take any chances and assume the whole fiasco was a joke (since the other two were laughing) and play it calm, not intervening unless something serious happened. Not only that, but we were to be representing our school district. Arnold and I knew better to not be provoked by the group and stood our ground without fighting back unnecessarily. Thankfully, the whole scene broke up when a crowd started to form and the group went away, the antagonist of the scene warning us that "I could have taken your stuff if I wanted to, remember that." Why did I share this story? I'm not quite sure myself but it made me realize that in dangerous situations, I could keep my wits and avoid danger but also likely have the willpower to intervene if really needed. After that, we continued our sprint back to campus.
We made it about two minutes late, but nonetheless, we got our reserved seats at Al Forno, an Italian restaurant known for its handmade cuisine. I ordered a spaghetti with clam and had a crepe for dessert. For appetizer, we had a delicious calamari pizza, quite the odd combination but at the same time delicious. The spaghetti had handmade noodle and was admittedly one of the best spaghetti that I have ever eaten. The crepe was soft and creamy, filled with chocolate and covered with chocolate as well with whipped cream on the side. Dinner itself was comfortable, filled with casual conversation. Looking back at our first cohort dinner, I remember when the table was awkwardly quiet and formal, but now when we're together we can easily make conversation and keep things flowing well. We had a multilingual conversation as well, with almost each of us speaking a different language. Ms. Scott of course spoke in French, Arnold in Spanish, Jack in French, Kevin in Japanese, Jing in Taiwanese, and me in my extremely broken Chinese. The conversation helped me realize how bad my Chinese has gotten after not talking to anyone in Chinese after three weeks. I know now for sure that when I get back, talking to my grandma and my other Chinese speaking relatives will be a challenge.
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| Dessert: Crepe |
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| Appetizer: Calamari Pizza |
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| Entree: Spaghetti with Clam |
After dinner, we walked back to our dorms, where parties and social life are really starting to flourish as people are trying to make the most of their time here. I'm personally not attending most of them because many people are starting to become "thirsty" and that is the basis of most of these gatherings. Unfortunately for me, while I was doing my homework, some people decided it was a great idea to continuously bang on my door, be extremely loud, and sit outside my room. My roommate and I started to get irritated, so we reluctantly told them to move and stop banging on doors because we didn't want to take part. Thanks to that, I was given peace and quiet to finish my homework and finish this blog. Three days of class are left, and everyone's trying to make the most out of their time, but in terms of relationships. I myself am trying to make the most by taking advantage of what Brown offers to their students for the last time and find souvenirs for everyone at home.
Wow - I am just reading about the confrontation directed at Arnold and you at the mall. I wish I had been there, because I would not dare have let these mean-spirited youth speak to our cohort members that way. However, it is clear that you both handled yourselves in a calm and composed way. I and the Ivy League Connection are proud of you for this. There will always be antagonists in life, and it is up to us to forge lives that keep the antagonists from bringing us down, and that's just what the both of you did here.
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