The first in a series of posts about last month's college trip.
By Ravenswood Dreamer Alexa
Frigid snowy air stings my face as I drag my navy blue carry-on suitcase through the continuously piling snow. As I make my way down, I squint up and look at the time displayed on top of a nearby car wash. It is already 5:55am, I yell back at my mother who is 15 feet away that I am going to be late. She tells me to run ahead so that I will not miss the bus that will be arriving in 5 minutes, if it had not already got there. I impatiently wait for the light to change. As soon as the light switches, I dart forward nearly skidding across the street. This would be my first “vacation” in 2 years, there is no way I was going to let the bus leave me behind. As I reach the Ravenswood I Have a Dream office, I search for the bus. The bus’s absence could have meant one of two things, either it was running late or they had already left me. I quickly get to the building’s main entrance and I press the infamous quadruple zeros. I anxiously wait for the *ting* of the bell which would grant me access to the office. A sense of relief overcame me as the piercing noise of the bell sounded throughout the silent, snow covered streets. I walk in and I am greeted by Matt, Travis and Kaylah. Two minutes later, Karina and her younger sister Ashley come through the door. The rest of the Dreamers arrive before 6:15am and we desperately but tiredly wait in anticipation for the bus. It was not long before it arrives and everyone runs out the door and begins to load their belongings underneath the bus. Once boarded, everyone decides to get comfortable for the long 5-hour trek to Alfred University.
Cautiously, I open my sensitive eyes and quickly burrow my head in my hoodie. Great. I have migraine and my medicine is stored somewhere in my suitcase. I check my phone and it has only been two hours into the trip. Knowing that not much could be done, I try to make myself fall asleep once again.
Upon arriving at AU, we were quickly lead to the campus’ cafeteria. In entering the lunch room, our eyes glare with hunger at the different food options available. There was the option of a self-serve salad bar, a sandwich station, a kitchen that cooked different meals such as tacos, roasted and seasoned chicken and a kind of pasta dish. In addition, there was a fruit bar, an array of desserts and almost any kind of beverage. Not only were we able to experience what it is like to eat like college students, but we were also able to sit among them making the idea more realistic. After lunch, we were given an informative presentation to give us academic and financial information about the university. Several tour guides arrived towards the end of the presentation. Since Ravenswood had the smallest count in Dreamers, we remained together and were paired up with a student tour guide named Patrick. He took us around the campus and provided us with information about each building we passed. Not only was he able to keep us interested with the campus but he also opened up about his own life at Alfred. He even took a picture with us at the end of tour unlike the other tour guides in the upcoming colleges. This first visit would set the tone for how the other tours would be like, and although I am capable of recanting the rest of our journey, that will be left for another time.
