The Final Countdown

My last few days in America passed at the speed of light!

On Saturday, Mrs. Hollenkamp hosted a goodbye party for me at her house. It was amazing to see old friends from my robotics team and spend time with everyone. Thank you to all who helped make that day so special!

On Sunday, my family and I went to Mass together one last time. Afterwards, I did some last minute shopping and packing. Then, I built a puzzle and hung out with everyone around the house. We went frisbee golfing, had fried chicken and macaroni for dinner, and watched Disney's animated version of Robin Hood. All in all, it was a fabulous yet bittersweet day spending time with my family.

My parents drove me to the airport on Monday. I am proud to say that my suitcase weighed in at exactly 50 pounds! I flew to New York and took a shuttle out to Hotel Newton. It was awesome to finally meet my fellow NSLI-Y scholars and resident director (RD)! I was finally able to put faces to names. We did a few icebreakers, had pizza, and then went on a long walk through New York which culminated in a stop in a Hungarian bakery. I had a piece of baklava!

Here is a picture of us hanging out at the hotel on Monday:

Tuesday was jam-packed! We hit the ground running with orientation sessions right after breakfast. After a full day of presentations and activities, we had our last dinner in America: burritos from Chipotle! Then we went for a walk in Central Park. The weather was beautifully cold, something I won't experience again until much later this year.

Here is a picture of us at the Park:

We fly to Taiwan tomorrow! It is going to be a long journey, but definitely worth it. The next time I write, I will be over 7,000 miles away in Kaohsiung!