Author: kara_caccuitto

Today in Argentina we left the hotel and explored parts of the city. We were able to finally buy some jerseys and merchandise from the local teams. We also explored the museum of where the old products of theater are kept. Then after our day of exploration we finally met up with our exchange students. –Dylan

We started the day walking around in the rainy weather, seeing churches and museums. After the rain calmed down we went to two parks. One called the flower and the other a Japanese garden where we walked around and saw all of the water with fish and all of the nature. We then took the drive to north hills where we got to see our exchange students for the first time since they left! After our little reunion we all left to get ready for one of the students birthday party! And that’s how we ended the day. –Nicholas

We started off today by sleeping in and eating breakfast at the hotel. Then, we walked around downtown Buenos Aires where we went to a mall, souvenir shop, and a few monuments. The monuments included a church, a big famous house, and a memorial remembering the city. After exploring these areas, we went to a cemetery. This is much different than those of America. A tiny house is built for every tombstone in memory. This was a huge area with a lot of different styled houses. It was cool to be able to see how different styles of architecture were displayed through memory of a loved one. We then went to eat lunch at a place where we were served a variety of foods such as empanadas, pizza, and ice cream for dessert. We learned a little bit about the history of soccer and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for tango night. We then had dinner where I ate salmon, steak, and pavlova. The tango show was after and it was a very neat experience. All of the dancers were very good and it was overall a very fun day.  —Avery

We got to sleep in and woke up at 930, got dressed, and quickly grabbed something to eat. We then got on the bus and walked through stores and a cool mall that used to be a train station. It was also an Argentinian holiday: it was cool seeing everyone out and about. We then went to a cemetery. Though it may not sound interesting, you’d be wrong. The tombstones were the size of houses and there were so many of them. After an informative tour we got lunch at a restaurant. The empanadas, pizza, and ice cream were really good. We then went on a bus tour and saw the River Plate stadium. After that we came back to the hotel and relaxed a bit and then headed out to dinner and a tango show. Both dinner and the show were nice. We then came back to the hotel and that was it. Overall it was a really fun day.   –Rushabh

Our day started off in the airplane. After a long 10 hour flight we finally made it to Argentina! Getting through customs was easy, there was no line. Then, we took a bus to the hotel and met our tour guide. He gave us an introduction to Argentina on the drive to the hotel. After we put away our luggage, we walked to a bell tower and got more history about Argentina. After that, we went to lunch and to an Opera house. We got to observe the beautiful architecture and sit in the theater and watch workers practice with the lighting. Then, we went back to the hotel for a few hours to relax. Finally, we went to dinner and went for a short walk next to the water. We drove back to the hotel and got ready for bed. –Sophia

At 9 am, we finally landed in Buenos Aires. After retrieving our belongings, we took a bus to our hotel. The tour guides and chaperones allowed us some time to relax and drop off our luggage before going on a city tour. Our first stop was Torre Monumental, where we enjoyed a towering view of the city from its impressive height. Following that, we dined at a restaurant for lunch. Next, we visited Teatro Colón, a huge and articulate theater with deep historic roots connected to its present. Our tour guide for the theater gave us access to the main auditorium while there was no performance. Although it was dark and empty, that only added to the acoustic magnitude of the theater. Once again, we were given an extended break, during which most students freshened up and relaxed. For dinner, we headed to La Bistecca. To conclude the day, we took a calming late-night walk around the town after our meal. –Abben 

11:45 PM – I write this part as we fly north at 550 miles per hour 33,000 feet up in the sky. The flight map shows that we are currently above the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The darkness stretches for miles upon miles, interrupted only intermittently by the orange glow of city lights. It still hasn’t sunk in that we’ve truly left, that we’re going to wake up tomorrow morning in a place completely different from our beds in Argentina. With each passing minute, our distance from Argentina increases, yet a large part of me remains. It remains in Buenos Aires, remains in my host family’s home, remains in Colegio North Hills. It may take hours, days, or even weeks for me to get this part of me back. It might not come back all at once. It might not come back at all. In its place, however, are the stories – the most portable souvenir of them all. They come in all shapes and sizes – sad, funny, short, long – for all sorts of occasions. They help me reminisce about an incredible place with incredible people. They have the power to invoke emotions from myself and the people around me. These stories will provide me with joy, comfort, and companionship for the rest of my life – what more could I ask for?

–Vibhav

What a wonderful trip we have had!  Thank you everyone for being such a fun loving and easy going group.

Have a great summer!

–Ms. C

1:00 AM – I finished stuffing the last of the t-shirts into my check-in bag. I briefly scoped my room, looking for any straggling clothes, money, or gifts. Satisfied with my efforts, I zipped up my suitcase and moved it to the side. I heard a knock behind me. My exchange student, Martín, was at the door. I asked him if there was a problem; he merely wanted to talk for some time. I smiled and let him in. What ensued was a conversation unlike any other I’ve experienced. We shared our reflections of the past week, shared laughter, and shared honest dialogue. We reflected on the new friends we’d made and the new experiences we’d shared. We laughed at the sheer amount of activities we’d managed to pack into seven days, from exploring Buenos Aires in the span of one afternoon to parties that ended at four in the morning. We discussed global affairs, comparing our experiences within our respective countries on topics such as social conflicts, economic troubles, and political turmoil. After a certain point, the time didn’t particularly matter to me anymore because I knew that we were truly connecting.

2:30 AM – I turned off the lights and lay in bed. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. Too many thoughts were flying around in my head. The conversation had ignited a feeling from within me, an intangible one that consisted of joy, guilt, sorrow, awe, and longing. As I tossed around, feelings of bittersweet remembrance bombarded me, confirming a truth I did not want to accept: this day wouldn’t be easy. In less than twelve hours, I’d have to leave this place, this community, this home, but I wasn’t ready. I lay awake for some more time. At some point, the flurry of thoughts calmed down and sleep provided me with a brief respite from a day of goodbyes.

6:30 AM – my first goodbye was to Martín’s mother. From day one, she had provided for me as if I were her son, and yet, our goodbye lasted no longer than a minute. She knocked on the door, told me how much she was going to miss having me around, and left for a morning run. I went downstairs to have breakfast. The second goodbye was to our family’s maid. Working in tandem with Martín’s mother, she made sure I never had to do any semblance of housework, be it washing the dishes or washing clothes or the most basic of cleaning. All the while, we would engage in frank conversations about the state of affairs in Argentina, offering me a refreshing new perspective on life in the country. I finished breakfast, said a third goodbye to the family’s three dogs, and tossed my suitcase into the car. We drove away from the place I called home for the past week.

My fourth goodbye was to Martín’s father. A constant presence around the house, he would often greet Martín and I with his wit and humor while picking us up from various locations at often absurdly late times throughout the week. As his car sped away, I turned and entered Colegio North Hills for the last time.

8:15 AM – I walked into the auditorium we had called our home base all week. Something different was in the air – a strange combination of fatigue, camaraderie, and longing. Through forging bonds with our Argentine students, we grew closer to our American peers. We were a group who had spent a significant amount of time together, essentially experiencing one another’s experiences for a week. Looking around, I truly felt comfortable with letting my guard down around these people.

Our first activity of the day was with the English class. We worked with common English and Spanish proverbs, learning through a series of matching games, drawing activities, and short skits. After English class, we had a short break where we mingled with the students of the fourth grade (the equivalent of tenth graders here). Observing the conviviality and familiarity of the environment helped me realize how much we had grown in seven days. What had started as a group of individuals filled with timid curiosity and unfamiliarity had grown into a big, cohesive family.

Following our break, we had an activity with the Geography class. We divided ourselves into ten teams of about seven people each. Our task was to look at two pictures of notable landmarks – one in the USA and one in Argentina – and identify which landmark belonged where. After a hard-fought twenty-three rounds, my team unfortunately came up short in second place. It was now lunch time. We walked to the lunch hall to have our final lunch in Argentina.

12:30 PM – My fifth goodbye came towards the end of lunch. It was a rather unexpected one. On the very first day of our time in Argentina, we visited the kindergarteners at North Hills. There, I met a young girl named Maitena. During our first encounter, she was curious about who I was and where I came from; she coupled this curiosity with an outgoing personality that took me by surprise. She was capable of chatting anyone up, and after a few minutes of doing so with me, I found myself growing attached to her. As I finished up my lunch, I walked to the exit when I caught her eating with her classmates out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. I waved to her from a distance before walking over and giving her a hug. We talked for a few minutes; I told her I was leaving for the United States today, and she asked me when I was returning – I lied and said “soon”. Her teacher called out to the students, notifying them that their lunch time was over. Maitena ran to the door, turned back, and ran towards me to give me a hug. I felt uneasy. I knew that the goodbyes would only get tougher from here on out.

Following lunch, we had about twenty or twenty-five minutes remaining with our new friends. The bus was to arrive at 1:00 PM. What started as a few pictures and reflections transformed into boisterous laughter and emphatic embraces. As the clock ticked on, we felt an urgency to hold onto every moment. This urgency soon manifested itself as tears. It started with a few, isolated people, but it spread like a wildfire. We were beginning to realize the true scope of a ten-month separation from our new friends, and it was not a happy realization. The bus arrived. One by one, we started peeling away from the large group to get our bags and board the bus. As I walked away, I too was consumed by emotion.

1:30 PM – My eyes red and eyelids puffy, I looked out of the window of our bus. One by one, the landmarks we had seen on daily commutes and trips were receding into the distance. I looked at my friends, who I could tell were all thinking the same thing: we were not ready to leave. It was like we were waking up from a dream, a dream that made us smile, laugh, and feel – a dream that made us wish we had stayed asleep for some more time. A week, a day, an hour; at that moment, I was willing to give anything for some more time.

–Vibhav

From left to right: Martín, my exchange student; me; and Ezequiel, Martín’s older brother on our final night together

Colegio North Hills on the Final Day

Twenty Minutes Before We Left

Similar to everyone other morning, I woke up to my alarm. Unfortunately, accompanying my shoes and backpack on the ground was a gargantuan suitcase. After weighing the suitcase nine times, using various angles and sides to maximize accuracy, I relaxed a bit because the scale said it was only 43.2 pounds. 6.8 pounds shy of 50, it was a comfortable margin.

The last breakfast was a sad one. I drank tea and had my last sweet, sugar filled piece of lemon bread. We ate slowly, hoping to savor our last few moments together.

Valeria, Male’s mom, and I took my bag outside and had to roll it around the front yard because we were unable to push it through the grass. In the car, Male and I took photo after photo, each photo we took got us closer to realizing that that photo could be the last one we took together.

Vicky (shoutout to Mr and Mrs Jin) had an extra carry on suitcase that was returned to her in Argentina, so thankfully a few of us were able to offload some of our heavier items (ie 6 boxes of alfajores and other assorted sweets).

After arranging our bags, half of the fourth year (the year our exchange students are in) came in to have a fun lesson about proverbs and sayings in spanish and english. During this lesson we matched parts of phrases and then drew and acted them out. My group, a mix of Cary Academy and North Hills students drew the phrase, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” I took some creative liberties when drawing our “horse”. After my artistic rendition of a horse was criticized by numerous people, Emily decided to take a crack at drawing one. Similar to me, she also fell far short of decency. Following her, Abby, Eden, Firmin, and Martina (two students from North Hills), also we’re unable to draw something that resembles a horse.

Our lesson ended with a bang! Our skit depicted the phrase “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” and we sure did try! The setting: the bowling alley, the predicament: Eden cannot hit the pins. She bowled the bowling ball (me) into the pins (Abby and Emily) twice before she knocked them all down!

The break after classes was one of the saddest parts of the day. On the basketball court stood a huge gaggle of crying people hugging and taking pictures. You would hug someone and then run across the court to hug someone else. Seeing people crying made me want to cry, but don’t worry mom and dad, I stood strong. We took picture after picture, delaying our departure as much as possible.

Alas, the time came and we had to leave. We loaded the bus and took final pictures at the front of the school and from the top level of the bus (yes!! two levels!!).

The bus ride to the airport went smoothly and quickly, and then we got to the airport. The check-in desks did not open until 3 hours before the flight starts boarding and naturally we got there 5 hours before the flight. We dawdled in the airport, buying last minute gifts and trying to spend our last pesos.

Once the line to check in was open, it moved quickly. I was quite apprehensive about how heavy my bag was. 50 pounds seems like a lot, but somehow on the trip to Argentina my suitcase weighed 47.5 pounds. I thought my suitcase would be light on the way home because I would have given away all the gifts that I brought. I was very wrong. Upon my arrival I realized I was going to come home with much more than I started out with. As we reached the front of the line I noticed that the scales measured in Kilograms (which I should have known ahead of time). We frantically converted 50 pounds to Kilograms and found that it is 22.72 kg. At this point I was nervous because my arms were barely able to lift the suitcase onto the scale (granted i’m not the strongest). My suitcase weighed only 20.0 kg! I was safe! This took a load off of my shoulders both mentally and physically.

After getting our suitcases checked and getting our boarding passes it was smooth sailing. Once past security we were looking for some food to eat before the flight as airplane food is often ~questionable~. We came across sandwiches and pizza at a small grab-and-go restaurant. I got a cheese pizza and it was delicious, quite possibly the most delectable airport food I have ever had! At the gate we saw some of our classmates that ventured to Quilmes. It was nice to see them but bittersweet because it meant that our trip was really over.

As I am writing this we have been flying for 2 hours. Beside me, Quinn has already been asleep on and off about four times and my other side, Samantha has taught me the capitals of every South American country and is muy triste (sad) about leaving :(. Me too.

–Talia

I stayed with Meli, the student I hosted in April after tango and throughout the morning. We ate breakfast, had complete conversations in Spanish, and they gave me a box of Yerba mate and other nice gifts. Around noon, I went back to my host family. My exchange student, Delfi and I rested for a few hours and I began to pack for the trip back home to the USA. A few hours later, we had asado for lunch, which was delicious. We used the barbecue sauce I brought the family with the asado. They also gave my family and I very nice gifts while we ate, and I thanked them for allowing me to stay in their home and making this trip so memorable and amazing. 

Around 4pm, we left the house to go to the house of one of Delfi’s friends, Male. There, Delfi, Male, I and a bunch of other girls hung out in her backyard and ate a ton of amazing snacks like medialunas, alfajores, and cakes. Our group then went to Male’s neighborhood soccer field and played soccer for a while, North Hills girls against Cary Academy girls. It was pretty relaxed and extremely fun. We stayed there for about an hour. Afterwards, we went back to Male’s house and relaxed until everyone else got picked up. After a while, everyone was gone except for Talia, Kathryn, their host students, Delfi, and I. We decided that we were going to continue shopping because we still had a lot of pesos left over. Kathryn, Maxima (her host), Delfi, and I rode together to the shopping center, Palmas while Talia and Male, met us there. We kept shopping for a few hours, got dinner at a restaurant named Patagonia, and left at 10pm to drop of Kathryn and Maxima. When I got back to Delfi’s house, I finished packing, and we talked about how sad we were because I would be leaving the following day. 

–Jordan

Unlike most Sunday’s, I began this one with a groggy bus ride back from a surprising enjoyable Tango night. Everyone was so tired in the bus, that we were all a little bit off when we got off the bus. Landon, Vicky, Quinn, Talia, Samantha and I were laughing at the most random things because we were too exhausted to act normal. It was around 12:30 AM when we arrived back to the school. From here you would think, it’s really early so we should be heading home for bed right? Wrong. I, along with some of the friend I mentioned before, were headed to a party at Ryan Schaffroth’s host’s house (her name is Pilar). At around 1:00 AM, Augusto and I arrived at the house. Just like any party, at the very beginning, it was a slow because everybody was a little uptight. But with some time, Landon and I got everyone to dance. So for 2 ish hours, everyone danced and had a great time, playing music and dancing. Then, around 3 everything started to calm down because people either were leaving or were too tired to dance. At this point, it was only a matter of time before I got bored too, luckily around 4, Augusto’s mom came and we headed home; for real this time. Upon reaching the house neither Augusto, nor me hesitated, as we headed straight for our beds. Within 15 minutes of arriving home we were both in bed passed out.

Fast forward to about 10:15, Augusto came into my room to wake me up. Since today was our last day together we decided to go shopping. I’m going to be honest, I fell asleep after he woke me up for 10 minutes. Around 10:30 I dragged myself out of bed and threw on some jeans to go to the shopping center. His mom drove us over, and once we got there, his parents and Augusto and I split up. Augusto and I went around looking for clothes and other teenage items, all of which were more expensive than I had originally assumed. That being said, I was still able to buy a few things for myself and some for my family as well before lunch.

In the food court at the shopping center, there was a Chinese restaurant; and for some reason, I was craving Chinese food, so together we all went to the restaurant. There, I had friend rice with shrimp, which really reminded me of home. After a good long meal, we headed home.

We didn’t really have much else planned for the rest of the day until 7:30, so for about 4 ish hours, Augusto and I just talked and played on our phones. We also watched his brother play a round of League of Legends.

Once 7:00 came around, we started getting ready to leave, which consisted of putting on a jacket and shoes. The party was at Maxi’s house but we just call him Tincho. At the party, we played ping pong, mingled w friends and ate empanadas. It was a normal party, nothing out of the ordinary. Because time flies when you having fun, it seemed like the party had just started, when Augusto told me it was time to go.

We arrived home at 11:45 ish, which was not as bad as yesterday. I was tired but I still had to pack so I took everything out and counted it all, then I put it back in my suitcases. It was tough to repack my stuff, because I felt like I was putting away all the memories I had made here, and not giving me anymore space to make new ones. But it is was it is. Around 12:30, I finished packing and hopped in bed, happy about the time I spent on Argentina and all the new people I met. I’m glad I put the time and effort to become close with others, and I feel like I will be coming back to America a new person.

–Brandon

To start off the nice morning I woke up around ten, after a long night at the tango dance. The morning was very relaxing. The family first prepared toast with dulce de leche and other types of creams and it was delicious. The meal was very long but it was a good time to sit down and connect with the family. During the meal we discussed mainly sports regarding many countries. It was interesting learning about how important soccer and rugby is to them. Each family mainly supports a team and follows how they do throughout the season. After this Fermin (my exchange student) and I went to my room and watched a movie in English with Spanish subtitles called The Purge. Although we ended up talking through most of the movie it was still enjoyable.

After the movie had finished I went and took a shower to prepare for the rest of the day. To start I drove with the family to a nice restaurant for lunch. At first it was not very crowded but then later on many people showed up and it was fun to see all of the families connect. To start the meal off there was bread and a starter drink, it was some fruit drink I had never tried before however it was very tasty. They then brought out the food, everyone in the family ate burgers and they were also good. I noticed that they were different than most American burgers. The bread was much more thick but had less flavor and inside there was egg and bacon which I did not expect. After the meal we left and went to a near by mall called Paloma. It was more of an outdoor mall that reminded me of California however much less crowded. I went and bought gifts for everyone in my family and it was another good time to practice my Spanish. I talked with the salesmen at the different shops to figure out the best jewelry and clothing that my family would like. We spent about two hours looking around and shopping. After this we left and went to a friends house named Pancho where we had tea and played soccer. It was with about ten kids for three hours and we all had a good time.

I then headed to Thiago’s house who I hosted in the United States. I had not seen him all week so it was a good time to catch up and talk with him and meet his family. We first played ping pong and pool which was fun, and then we had an asado. An asado is like a feast with many different kinds of meats. It was a very good dinner and we had good conversations about Argentina and America. That ended the night and we all went to our rooms. It was a fun and exciting day.

–Jackson

Yesterday was a fun-filled Saturday for us. We slept in until 11, which was blissful because of the previous night’s party that lasted til midnight. Some friends came over in the afternoon, and it was a ton of fun. We had a foosball tournament (I was the first out), where Alejandro (a friend of my host) was most definitely cheating. We also played round robin ping pong for at least an hour, where each person runs around the table and hits the ball for the next person. Of course, there was quite a lot of cards as well.

At the get together, there was also choripan – a sort of Argentinian barbecue with chorizo (sausage) in what was basically a hot dog bun. It was quite good.

After the party, we left our hosts for the Tango show in downtown Buenos Aires. The food was excellent, especially the mozarella ‘sticks’ (triangles) and the ice cream afterwards.

Of course, one doesn’t go to the Tango for the food! The show was amazing, with dance and dress representing the evolution of tango in Buenos Aires over time, from the Italian immigrants’ dance of the poor to extremely high-class performance. The movement was incredibly fluid, passionate, and powerful, and though it meant we were not on the bus back to our houses until past midnight, it was most definitely worth staying up for! I am looking forward to the next two days here, but I am sad that the day of our departure is fast approaching.

–Harrison

Saturday, June 8, 2019

I was woken up this morning by my host Violeta, Ryan, and Ryan’s host Pilar. We had tea and cookies for breakfast and then played Uno. We got ready for the day and headed to Rock & Feller’s for lunch. The restaurant is an American-themed, rock-inspired place which is super fun. We had a great meal with the four of us, Pilar’s little sister and mom, and Violeta’s mom. After, we went straight to the mall to shop around. Ryan and I were struggling to spend all of our pesos because we brought more than we needed. I bought some alfajores for my friends back home. Then Violeta and I went back to her house so I could get ready for the tango. We all went to the school at 7 to drive to the city. We went to the restaurant and the food was very good. I had a great time talking with my friends during dinner. Then the tango started. It was fantastic! It was amazing to see how passionate the musicians and dancers were. The way the musicians played their instruments was so graceful and beautiful. The dancers made their routines looks so elegant and effortless. The singers were so precise and clearly loved the music they were singing. Overall, the performance was captivating and entrancing. It made me realize that passion is what fuels an amazing performance. After the tango, we went back to the school and immediately went to Pilar’s house for a party. It went from around 12:30 am to 4:30 am and it was a lot of fun. We danced for most of the night which was really cool because we don’t do that a lot during our parties in America. What we noticed was that the Argentinians have a habit of never playing a song all the way through. They switch it about 40 seconds in and it’s very frustrating. However, the party was so enjoyable because the other kids know how to relax and just dance and sing. They’re so warm and want to connect with us which makes being with them so different and fun.

–Eden

June 8th, for me, didn’t start when I woke up. It started at 12 am on the dot, as we were all still awake at a birthday party. June 8th started with laughs, yummy cake, and the barks of the host’s 5 dogs. The party ended around 2 am, and we all headed home exhausted yet exhilarated. I fell asleep the millisecond my head hit the pillow, and woke up 8 hours later. So then the day really really started— and it started with something large… on my eye. I woke up with an allergic reaction on my eyelid, swollen and extremely itchy. To this minute, I have no idea what caused it. Scared and intimidated, I was unsure how to tell my host family that I was basically dying. After sending a few panicked and rather comedic selfies to my friends asking for advice, I sent a quick selfie to my exchange student over Whatsapp. I captioned it, “I am having an allergic reaction with my eye. It is harmless but it looks ugly,” in which she promptly responded, “Yeah, you are so ugly,” which pretty much sums up the super friendly, nice bond we’ve fabricated over the mere five days we’ve had together.

Finally dragging myself out of bed, my host took me out on a bike ride around the neighborhood. El Molino was absolutely beautiful, with a park, red and pink houses, and many tropical plants. Although smaller than your average neighborhood, it made up in the colorful homes. We arrived back in time for lunch, where I officially had my first Argentinean barbecue. A few of my host’s friends came over, including one of the students from Cary. One hearty hamburger later, we all laid down in the trampoline and played cards as well as conversed about the differences in the Argentinean economy and the American economy. There was never a dull moment throughout the entire day.

The schedule that was made out for me was stacked. After lunch, we all rode in a truck to go to another student’s house. We arrived and played ping pong and UNO, before it was time yet again to move on to something new. My host and I Ieft the party early to go shopping with another two friends before the finale of the day: Tango Night. My friend and I both brought thousands of pesos, and had not even started to make a dent. We started at the supermarket, buying several boxes of alfajores, the famous sweet snack of Argentina, then afterwards moved onto other clothing stores in the shopping center. To close out our valiant shopping efforts, we finished strong with the Crocs store. If you aren’t familiar with Crocs, there are holes in the shoes that allow you to put little decorations they call “jibbitz” inside to adorn the shoes. My friend and I bought cute little Argentinean flag jibbitz to commemorate our sweet exchange adventure.

Of course, then we traveled to the famous Tango Night. Although the dinner was quite delectable and the dancing was absolutely breathtaking to watch, the best part was the bus ride home. All delirious on the lack of sleep, my friends and I laughed at every single stupid joke made while we drew eggs with faces on the windows of the bus. I felt unity as we giggled together, and a high of emotions as we bonded over sheer nothingness. We came back to the school around 1 am, wildly content.

For some, this marked the end of the eventful day. But for me, my family was not finished. They took me to a formal birthday party one of their friends was having, with no other students around. Sitting there exhausted out of my mind, I found myself smiling at the culture of dancing, eating, and talking late into the night. As I write this, it is 2:26 am. I am at the birthday party. My June 8th has not yet ended. But I have been fulfilled and fulfilled and fulfilled. I cannot wait to see what June 9th has in store for me. 

–Vicky