Today, I experienced the miracle of coffee. I felt very fatigued this morning thanks to a combination of the strenuous exercise and late night floor meetings. A nice cup of coffee (with a lot of cream and sugar) perked me up back to life and I found that I could function much better in class.
The work in macroeconomics is very past paced. Today, Professor Coleman discussed inflation and interest rates. He passed out two worksheets today which proved to be very helpful as I tried to understand all of the new concepts of the day. Instead of making sure that everyone understands what is going on, Professor Coleman is focusing on getting through the all the material he plans in his lectures. His worksheets provide us with repetitious examples. It is easier for me to learn with all of the practice problems. They help me find patterns in the material before I actually grasp the main concepts. As we went over the worksheets in class, I kept having a strong pang of success whenever I would get a question correct. The practice tests are always a great help in understanding economical intuition. The key to economics is to try not to overthink things.
After class, I saw Erinn in the Science Library as I started my east coast college search. Before the Ivy League Connection, I had only considered applying to colleges in California. This program has definitely opened my eyes to new opportunities. I thought that I would never like the east coast. Truth be told, life here is an adventure. Some top choices included Ithaca College and Rochester Institute of Technology. I will also apply to Brown University. I feel at home here.
I love getting mail! I received two letters from my friends and a package of wristbands. Keeping contact with people at home is critical for college life. Hand-written letter are even more heartfelt.
After a nacho lunch, Rachel and I explored the campus again. This time we scaled all six floors of the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts. There was a lot of bizarre furniture and we admired the simple paintings on the interior walls. I am glad that Ivy League schools like Brown have a strong appreciation for the arts. I enjoy that the buildings are open for students to enjoy them as well.
The best part of my day had to be the African Dancing Activity on Lincoln Field. Sam, an RA, led a group of thirty girls in fast paced African-style dancing for about an hour. The steps were difficult to get down, but we stumbled through a few basic moves. By the end of class, I could do two of the five dances. I continued to practice them throughout the day (including dinner, on the way to the dorm, between Frisbee throws, and in various hallways). I hope I will not be sore from dancing tomorrow.
I attended an International Relations seminar in the bottom floor of Salomon Hall. The featured speakers talked about the importance of learning a new language. I was interested by all the travel opportunities that IR students have. Instead of French of Spanish, they encouraged us to learn different languages like Arabic or Chinese. I cannot see myself speaking anything other than English and broken Spanish, but I may take up another foreign language in college.
I called a lot of people back in California today. I talked to my brother (who went to Yale last year with the ILC) and three of my friends. I told them how much I enjoyed the east coast and the program I was in. I encouraged them to go outside and be productive because the days will seem longer and summer will be worth it. The summer program at Brown has taught me to take advantage of where I am and what is available to me whether it is eating with new people in the dining hall or researching college guides in a bookstore. I have become more sociable and personable through this program. There is nowhere else I would rather be this summer.
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