Day 8: Homesickness Epidemic

I woke up this morning ready to start a new day, especially since I learned how to fix the shower problem. I was fully dressed and ready to go get breakfast so I went down a floor to Cynthia’s room. There we met up with Olivia, Mackenzie, Maddie, and Selena. We headed to breakfast together and we soon learned that we were all growing increasingly homesick. Our friend, Maddie, was so sad that she cried. Despite all of our tears, the students are so welcoming and nice, and I feel like Brown is a big house for our small family.

We got to class and sat down. I chose a different seat than yesterday because I knew change was good but I stayed near the side because I have trouble seeing the board. We got into many more circles for the group activity. We talked about how the circle is the most unifying shape because there is no double parking, meaning no one is blocked from view by sitting behind someone else. We started our first activity, which entailed that we take three pipe cleaners and mold them into symbols of what represents us. This activity moved me so much and it really made me realize what I’m passionate about. I ended up molding a rabbit, symbolizing my love for animals, a tree, symbolizing my passion for the environment, and music notes, symbolizing my passion for playing and composing piano music. After we constructed our pieces, we had to link them together symbolizing that these three pieces linked together create me. We then got in another circle where we went around explaining what they meant to us. I was almost moved to tears when explaining mine because we all got so personal and bonded on another level.

At lunch, Adrianne, Marylyn, and I went to Starbucks and the Brown bookstore after lunch. It was nice to get away from the big group and really focus on one or two people. We got back to the class ten minutes early, so we laid on the floor with other classmates in a circle and talked about our funniest memories. We soon had to get up because our guest speaker, Dean Robin Rose, arrived to speak with us about group speaking. I was glad to see that I had already met her before at the brunch on Sunday. She remembered our names which indicated to me that we made at least a small impact on her. It was then that I realized that we ILCers were truly lucky and privileged to have met our Kisa Takesue and Robin Rose before class even started. It made me feel like we have the upper hand and more experience going into the class.

Her speech was followed by many exercises of speaking to a partner and the partner using new tools of non-verbal communication to continue a conversation. It was a very packed activity and I was shocked when she said we could go because I felt like the class just started.

I almost immediately started on my homework as a way to perfect my time management skills, which I had been lacking in yesterday. I wanted to get a good night sleep, something I haven’t really had since the first day of summer. I decided to relax and stay in for the most part of today just because I haven’t relaxed since I arrived in Rhode Island.