Day Two: Settling In & Proper Welcomes (originally written on 6/22/14)

I slept like a rock despite my jet lag. When I woke up, my dad and brother had already been up for hours; they hadn't been so lucky. My grandma greeted me with a breakfast of her homemade zongzi with meat and beans (zongzi are a type of rice dish that is wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked. They can be either sweet or savory), some almond cakes, and lychees from the marketplace that my aunt had just bought. 

Like most of the locals, my aunt owns a motorcycle. We aren't talking Harleys or anything: it's more of a moped for sure. She has a car too m, but it's really convenient to drive the motorcycle for short trips. I've been obsessed with motorcycle rides ever since I came to China as a little girl. Whenever a relative took me out for a spin, I was the happiest person alive. It's on my bucket list to own and ride a motorcycle...we'll find out in the future if I'm actually that bad ass or not! 

Jason, my brother, got the first motorcycle ride of the trip since he was awake then, so he got dibs while I snored away. That's okay; I'll fight anyone who tries to get the next one. 

We spent a really long time looking at photos that day. I had made a photobook documenting the past four years of high school, at my mother's request. She thought they would make great gifts (I don't see why our relatives would be that interested in having a book full of Melissa, Melissa, and Melissa, but it wasn't my call). Thus, I went through it with each relative and explained things when they asked (ex: "what in the name of God is prom and why do you need to be dress so nicely for it?" or "colleges invite you to go VISIT before you decide you're going to go there??"). Jason had also brought his yearbook, and my cousin Joyce had photos from all her trips. 

We enjoyed a nice homemade lunch of dumplings, congee soup also known as zhouk (a staple in the Cantonese diet), and Asian veggies. My uncle also ate with us after getting over here on his motorcycle (YAAAAY). 

Afterwards, we went out to get bus tickets to go to Hong Kong in a few days. They were sold in this gorgeous, pristine five star hotel that had waterfalls everywhere inside, a gargantuan flower pot in the middle of the football-field length lobby, and elephant statues greeting you at the door. Not too shabby! 

Our dinner was eaten at a local restaurant that was less than five minutes away on foot. The place was packed with people and I could barely hear my own voice over the noise. That's local dining for ya! 🍴

If the Cantonese are known for anything, it's food. Every time we come back, we've experienced the most insane and incredible meals, flavors, and dishes. According to my dad, Guangzhou is noted for its cuisine throughout China, and then within Guangzhou, Shunde (a smaller region within Guangzhou where we were) was famous for its food. I'm very grateful to have been born into a family that literally lives in a paradise for food lovers. Praise The Lord. 

We dined in many dishes: steamed fish, eggdrop and vegetable soup, sesame sweet and sour pork, chicken, chives with cashews and seafood, green beans and pork, stuffed peppers, and sweet red bean cakes for dessert. The English names for Chinese dishes sound terribly unappetizing, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was all delicious. 

Our bellies stuffed, we took a long walk around the city, observing the nightlife. There was a huge mall nearby and all of the streets were lined with salons, boutiques, shops, cafés, and much more. Once back at the house, we just relaxed and got in some internet use before bed. A great first full day in Guangzhou! 

My breakfast that first morning: zongzi, almond cakes, a butter cookie, and fruit (not pictured)

Lunch! My relatives like using newspapers as placemats 😄

 An exotic fruit known as mangosteen! They're absolutely delicious; I've eaten quite a few since we got here! 

Inside the Golden Hotel (aka a place too fancy for me 😞)

A picstitch of our dinner! These red bean things were super yummy...they were crispy and not super sweet! 

A tower we walked past that night on our stroll

Day One: Welcome to Canton!! (originally written on 6/22/14)

***Also meant to publish this way earlier since I had it ready on the 22nd! Thanks for always screwing with me, wifi...

Hello from China!!🇨🇳 

We are finally here, after a marathon of three plane rides, hours of waiting in various airports, very interesting airline food, and an excruciating delay in Beijing due to weather issues. Here's a summary: 

Day One

Basically, we flew from Boston to New York in the early morn after a rough 4:30 alarm, then to Beijing (14 hours of awkward naps, reading, and heavy use of my tv screen), and lastly from Beijing to Guangzhou. This was the 1st time I'd ever done so many flights in a row and it was rather awful. 

We got stuck in Beijing for awhile due to thunderstorm alerts there. The plane sat stubbornly for at least an hour while we napped, read, and glared at the window, willing the plane to move. The only good thing was that there weren't that many people on our flight, so some people stretched out and slept on the entire middle row...lucky. 

Finally, we landed in Guangzhou, where it was hot and muggy after just raining like crazy. Our aunt and cousin were waiting for us there; they had rented a van to transport us back to Shunde, the smaller region where my aunt lives. 

I chatted with my cousin in the back during the hour long ride. She's in her twenties and works for a kitchenware company that has international connections, so she gets to travel a lot. I was turning green with envy listening to her talk about her visits to Barcelona, Germany, Brazil, Korea, and Russia. She's seen Gaudi's work in Spain, visited Stonehenge, and much more. There's just too much to see and too little time! In the future, it'll definitely happen..

We got back to the house and it was essentially the same as what I remembered. My aunt, grandma, and cousin live in a three-story house with a very nice porch and terrace on the second and third floors. I feel like its unusual to have a house in the city with a gate and one-car garage, so I'm super thankful every time we come here to stay. This time, I have a room all to myself! Scoooore 😝 

We unpacked the numerous ginseng packs, pill bottles, and other gifts we brought for them before heading to bed. Finally- sleepy time! 

Leaving our beautiful Boston for a month! 

The Beijing airport! We had noodles there before getting on yet another flight. 

A view of the street that my aunts house is on

The living room area (other couches aren't present because I was too lazy to get up off the one I was sitting on 😒)

En route to Guangzhou (originally written on the 20th)

***I'm sorry I haven't been able to post anything since I left for China! I've been trying to post, but the trippy wifi situation here hasn't allowed me to do so. Thus, now that I'm in Hong Kong and am free to do with the internet whatever my little heart desires, here is a post I meant to have published on the 20th! 

I lied about where I would be for this post...my apologies😬 I'm actually on the plane currently, flying over northern Russia as I type this. However, I did feel an impulsive urge to write, so I figured I would give it a go regardless. 

Mainly, this post will be a critique and rant of sorts about the current situation that my dad, brother, and I are in. I fully recognize it's a huge first world problem to complain about traveling, but I'd just like to say a few things! 

First of all, I can't stand the overpriced nature of all airport products....mainly food, which is just about the only thing I purchase while waiting at a gate. Seriously, we tried to get a salad before our flight from NY to Beijing. Do you know what the prices were at the three placed we asked? $11 and $14. Tell me that's not ridiculous! I can't even bring myself to pay for something so ludicrous. I settled for a fruit salad that was around 5 bucks instead. Not great, but it's a step up, I guess. 

The second thing I wanted to mention is about the quality of airline food. I'm fascinated by this topic because in always have wanted to know more about how these companies are able to feed thousands of passengers while they're sitting in an aircraft so far away from any source of food. 

After eating 2 meals provided on this flight, I'm noticing some things in particular that concern me. There's an insanely disproportional amount of carbs on each tray, for instance. Noodles or rice, always a roll of bread, and some type of cakey dessert sometimes. I'm also really put off by the actual food itself. I mean, the hot dish that I ordered (pork with noodles) tasted strange and overcooked. It was also rubbery and questionably chewy. When my dad opened his meal (shrimp with rice), there were literally two pieces of shrimp and the rest was plain white rice. How are you even supposed to eat that? I don't know, I guess some people are fine with plain rice; I've been conditioned from an early age to always crave flavor and whatnot. Pizzazz, I guess. Anyways....

I probably sound really inconsiderate, but I am definitely aware that it is not by any stretch easy to feed so many people in such an unnatural, isolated setting. I get that. I just think that since flights are so expensive to pay for, that we should at least get more decent meals. 

Alas, those first class fliers are probably enjoying much better meals than us lowly schleps in economy, among other things of course. Someday, someday....I think a splurge for a fourteen hour first class seat would be well worth it. 

If any of y'all has more information about flights in general, or have flown first class before, please enlighten me with your knowledge! I seriously am just throwing out ideas here without any information at all, so I'd appreciate it very much!! 

And while you're at it, please please please bring me some fruit, pizza, brownies, and my cat. I'm craving fresh fruit, comfort food, and my main squeeze up here. Is that too much for a girl to ask for? 🐈🐾🐱🍓🍊🍉🍇🍒🍐🍍🍌🍑🍈🍎🍕🍩🍪

A Trip to NYC

Last Monday and Tuesday, I took a little trip to New York City to meet up with one of my best friends, Sam. She was traveling for the next few weeks, and then would be spending an entire year in Mumbai, India for research. I'm super excited for her and cannot wait to hear how India treats her!

Anyways, I took an early-morning bus over to NYC from South Station, and then met Sam around noon once we'd both gotten there. The bus ride wasn't too bad; it was actually rather comfy since I got a free upgrade to a front-row seat on the upper deck right in front of the window. A guy who'd reserved that seat tried to sit there with a child, and the bus driver said it wasn't allowed, and asked me to move there instead. Yay!

Once Sam and I met up, we did some walking to a farmer's market and waited to meet up with a friend of hers. His name was Anthony and they interned together at Sloan-Kettering while they were both in college. Now, he's trying to become a Ph.D candidate and is working at a lab. Needless to say, when I listened to them at lunch, there were more than a few conversations that went right over my head. 

For lunch, we decided to choose Max Brenner, which I hadn't yet gone to before and was super eager to try (it's chocolate-themed. How can you go wrong??). I ordered a burger with avocado, tomato, and other veggies, and it came with cocoa-dusted waffle fries (so good). It was a great meal; we finished it off by finally deciding on the Fondue for Two. Definitely will be returning to Max Brenner to try some of the other things on their menu. It was deeelish. 

Afterwards, we explored a huge bookstore nearby, walked around Soho, Greenwich Village, got bubble tea, and then went to Chinatown for some black sesame ice cream and cheap, yummy dumplings for dinner (4 for only one buck. I mean, seriously. You can't get much better than that.). We said goodbye to Anthony and headed back to Port Authority so that we could get on a bus to go to Sam's house in nearby New Jersey. 

It was a nice, relaxing night once we got back to her hometown. After talking a lot and spending some more time catching up, I slept like a rock and woke up feeling amazing the next day. We roamed Manhattan again the next day and found a lot of beautiful parks by the water. It was a gorgeous day and was nice to just walk around and take in some sights. We also went to the 9/11 Memorial Site and the Seaport Harbor area before walking to the area in which the Megabus would be sitting to drive me back to Boston. 

After having a nice lunch at a diner nearby, I said goodbye to Sam and got on my bus to go back home. It's crazy to think that we met two years ago in China while we were teaching in this tiny little school in the mountainside, and have become great friends ever since. Funny how life works, huh? 

On a side note: we're leaving for China in a day!!! It's time to get packing, so I'm going to sign off for now. The next post I make will be from GuangZhou, China. Wish me luck, friends! Time to go see my relatives after four years...hope it all goes well. 

A beautiful view of the city

Black sesame ice cream...I could eat this stuff all day.

The delicious Max Brenner dessert the three of us shared

One last reunion before going on many separate adventures

My Life, Post-Graduation

Well, I've been a high school graduate for exactly 10 days now. Very exciting, eh? And what would I be spending my days doing, now that I am not restricted by the miserable confines that are high school? Kidding, I'm kidding.

Anyways, here's a brief summary and recap of my recent activities for your enjoyment:

1. Graduation parties

I've never been super close to a lot of upperclassmen in the past, so this year was the first time I started getting to understand the whole phenomenon that is grad parties. It's fun, to go grad hopping and whatnot, but also rather exhausting. Mainly fun, though; it's given me a lot of eye-opening insight and appreciation for how much is put into such an event...it's crazy.

I think I was invited to 20-something parties, all around three weekends. Unfortunately (but not unfortunately), I'll be leaving for China on Friday morning, so I won't be able to go to a bunch this Saturday and Sunday.

They are really fun to go to, though. The amount of fun, entertainment, but mainly food present at these get-togethers is insane. I can't even begin to describe how much good food there was...cupcake spreads, ice slush, graduation cakes, catered Italian food, bagels, and so so so much more. I think the highlights have also been the decorations that I've seen at these parties, as well as the baby animal petting zoo at a friend's party and some moon bounces. What a whirlwind of fun. It's truly been nice going to some of these things.

Baby bunn-ayyy

2. Movies on movies on movies on movies on movies

I went to my local library and checked out a big pile of DVDs. I really wanted to watch a bunch of movies, so I went through some like Salt, This Means War, Saving Private Ryan, Fruitvale Station, Maria Full of Grace, West Side Story, Flight, etc.

My main recommendations for anyone looking for a flick to watch? Cloud Atlas and the Usual Suspects. Cloud Atlas is very well done, in my opinion, and has stunning visuals and just a great message overall to ponder once you're done watching it. The Usual Suspects is also written really well and has some great humor and twists as well...I obviously don't want to spoil anything for you potential viewers, so go watch it and we can obsess over the ridiculous ending!!

3. Reading for fun again!

I seriously have to say that it's been so great to start reading again...I was an absolute bookworm when I was in elementary and middle school. I would stay up really late at night, hiding under the covers with a book, poring over my latest book. My mom would yell at me all the time for not going to bed. Yeah, I was that dork.

Anyways, I've gone through Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero series after my brother recommended them to me. We'd both read all of the Percy Jackson series and I'd read the Lost Hero and the Son of Neptune a long time ago. Now, I went through the Mark of Athena and the House of Hades. They were quick reads, but they were really good. It's kind of a guilty pleasure for me, I guess. It seems a little on the childish end, but I love the Greek and Roman mythology; it's fascinating, and the way Riordan adds in the adventures, humor, and everything else is captivating to me.

I also loved reading The Fault in Our Stars after long last. I know, I know, I'm very late to the party, but I just was a bit skeptical, I guess. I whipped through it in about 5 hours, but I really liked it. John Greene's narrative voice is sarcastic, witty, and really entertaining to read.

In addition, I highly, highly recommend Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. It's a pretty awesome title, right? I was actually drawn to the title at the Quito airport in Ecuador, because it was flashy and looked intriguing. I know, you're not supposed to judge, but it definitely left an important mark in my mind. Great job, marketers. It all worked. Seriously though, the plot is really interesting and it's super entertaining and fun to go through. I read it while we were on a long road trip to pick my brother up in Ohio and could not put it down on my breaks. Read it. Especially if you're Asian. I found it extremely amusing. In a good way.







4. Getting ready for my trip!!

It's absolutely surreal that we leave in two days to go visit my family members who I haven't seen in four years now. I'm so so excited and although there's a lot to get done before we leave (for example, taking college diagnostic tests, buying and packing contraband to bring to our relatives, etc.), I know it's all going to be worth it.

I'm a bit worried about the intense heat, smog, mosquitoes, lack of social media, and culture shock that always hits us hard, but it's totally fine. I'll be able to blog, no doubt, and there are always ways around censored sites.

We're going back to the motherland, and that's all that matters :)

Documenting "the End": Part Four

Saturday was one of the best days ever. Graduation was finally here. I got up, did a few errands, spent upwards of three hours decorating my graduation cap, and went out with my parents for lunch at a Korean restaurant, since we didn't think to make reservations for dinner. We try to eat light for dinner so lunch suits us even better, actually.

At four o'clock, Kerry and I drove to the high school, where we met all of our other about-to-be graduates in the lobby. We took a bunch of photos, of course, and then were lined up for the ceremony. I was in a three-person row although there are usually only pairs that walk together. However, since I was the last person in our class in terms of alphabetical order, there was one extra seat next to me that didn't match up, so Ivan Truong didn't have a partner. Thus, they thought three would be better than a pair and then a single.

After inching slowly forward towards the turf, we walked down the steps of the building and out to the field, where chairs were set up for us and the bleachers were already packed with people. A light processional music was playing from the orchestra, and I tried very hard throughout the entire thing to keep my cap on properly (it was way too big for my head and didn't fit right, even after my mom sewed a large part of it together) and succeeded for most of the ceremony until I shook everyone's hands after receiving my diploma and it fell off. What can you do...

We listened to all of the speeches as the blazing hot sun beat down on us. I was feeling very thirsty, but still extremely happy and blissful. Our class president and my good friend Mia Natale spoke, we had the salutatorian and valedictorian (Mark Schoen and Steven Homberg) speak, our principal Brian Callaghan made some wonderfully insightful remarks as well, and I think the Westborough superintendent Marianne O'Connor also spoke.

We also had an entire listing of scholarships given out to students, which took a very large chunk of time and left everyone very bored and antsy. No matter which angle you look at it, going through each person's scholarships in a random order (when over half the class has received some sort of scholarship) is really just a bad idea. It took forever.

Then, the part we were really waiting for: receiving those diplomas! Our row, of course, waited until the very end, and it was so exciting to finally hear my name called. Sure, my cap fell off while I was walking back to my seat, and sure, I must have looked like an idiot. But it was still a great moment and I was so happy.

Afterwards, we all walked towards the end of the field, and threw our caps in the air together in the traditional, high school manner. We made itttt!!!!

Then, all of the parents and family members and friends and teachers crowded onto the field to congratulate us and take more photos, naturally. It was hard to find my parents, but when I did, we met a lot of friends and family and happily said hello. What a surreal moment, to reach this day with all of my friends that I'd met in the first days of my freshman year.

We went home after many more hugs and photos and whatnot, and I uploaded photos, took a quick nap, and changed before heading out again for Project Grad! It was going to be at Teamworks and the theme of the night would be "Boston, You're My Home". My parents had helped out earlier that day with set-up and they claimed that it would be suuuuper awesome. I didn't doubt it!

I picked up Kerry and off we went for the night. We got there around 10:30 pm and it was incredible...the decorations were amazing and so well-done. They had made little areas that were labeled as different places in Boston, like Fenway, the top of the Hub, Quincy Market, etc. The food options were incredible and included JP's wings, mini Regatta sandwiches, bread and dip from Not Your Average Joe's, pasta, pizza, fruit, cookies, an ice cream sundae bar, all sorts of drinks, chips and salsa, and much much more.

Our senior posters were hung downstairs around one of the soccer fields, and we were able to check stuff in and receive this huge Rangers bag (that will be very handy for laundry soon in college) to put it all in. Our baby photos were also hung up, with our senior photos underneath them.

There was a photo booth area, karaoke, soccer, VOLLEYBALL, games, airbrush tattoos, mini golf, and an entire area with moon bounces, hamster balls, and inflatable fun. One of the best activities was called Wrecking Ball, and it was this construction zone-themed inflatable game where a wrecking ball was centered between four large platforms. You had to balance on the platform and try to stay standing while other people flung the ball at you. Easier said than done, but it was a superb game.

One of my fave parts of the night was playing volleyball with my senior girls after such a long time. We played against a bunch of jocks and won (duh..), and it was crazy to think that this would likely be the very last time the twelve of us would stand on a court together to whoop some ass.

We also had Dan Candell come around 3:45. He was the hypnotist that did the Hypnotist show in the winter time, and much to our disappointment, did basically the SAME show this time around, just with a different group of seniors. It was pretty redundant and boring, so we were all pretty unhappy with that.

Other than that, I'd say the night was awesome and super fun. It was really the last time we'd all hang out as a class, and I thought it was the perfect way to end things. They wouldn't let us out until 5 am, so we actually waited for 10 minutes in the lobby (cramped and beginning to feel the exhaustion) until we could leave. They handed out bagged breakfasts (donuts, bagels, etc.) and I drove us (me and Kerry) home. Whew. What a crazy few hours.

The family (minus Jason...we need to Photoshop him in)

Walking to our seats

Sofia and I after we graduated, with Mama Zhang accidentally photobombing!

In the lobby with my girls, about to get those diplomas

Documenting "the End": Part Three

Hello, you lovely Internet-surfers! I've realized that this is going to take a while if I really wanted to talk about each and every event that has been going on revolving us seniors and now graduates, so I'm going to definitely cut down and be concise.

On a side note, Happy Father's Day! I hope you and your daddies are spending some quality time together today. As for me and my family, we're going to Minado (a buffet / seafood restaurant with the most sushi variety I have ever seen by far) for brunner. Yep, that's breakfast, lunch, aaaand dinner. Time spent with food is the best kind of quality time there is!

On Wednesday, I was doing internship stuff in the morning. At night, we had a senior scavenger hunt throughout town that was very exciting. My team consisted of me and three other friends, and I was driving. Our team name was the Big Bad Bruins, and we decked out in Bruins gear and tats.

Although we were a small team, we actually tied for 2nd in terms of the actual number of points, which was pretty impressive, I thought (there were at least 20 teams). Plus, since there were only four of us, we got a lot more prize money individually than any other team!

On Thursday, we had a senior breakfast in the cafeteria, and then a graduation rehearsal in the gymnasium. Unfortunately, it was rather long and tedious...the assistant principals read through our names...twice. However, we were also given our caps and gowns, as well as our guidance folders throughout our time in the Westborough school system and an invitation to Project Graduation (which would take place after graduation).

That night, we had Awards Night, which was long but necessary, in which all of the teachers and departments presented different awards and recognitions to students. I received the award for AP Microeconomics.

Friday was also a day revolving senior events. From 9 am to 12 pm, I did the RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) Program that Mrs. Callendar and Mr. Rota were running. It was pretty fun actually; I learned a lot about different defenses for certain scenarios and there were many jokes cracked.

After that, I had Baccalaureate rehearsal for later that night where I would be speaking, and then a quick doctor's appointment. Then I went home and got ready for senior dinner at 6 pm (I wouldn't have exactly called it a dinner, since the spread consisted of fruit, chips, desserts, and veggies, but that's definitely not my call.)

Baccalaureate followed the dinner and was filled with great performances and speeches. I spoke about "Finding Your Place", a theme that I chose. I loved listening to my friends sing, play instruments, and speak about their time here. It was a great night with good vibes all around, and I couldn't wait for the next day: GRADUATION!

The Big Bad Bruins (sure, we look silly...but we killed it in the scavenger hunt, so there's that)

A photo with Addie at Baccalaureate!

Documenting "the End": Part Two

Monday of Senior Week was relatively uneventful for me. The rest of the class (or at least, some of the class) went to Hampton Beach for the day, but I had to bring my mother to a few doctor's appointments in Boston, so that didn't happen for me. Oh well.

Tuesday was really fun; the class was supposed to all go to Six Flags together, but things got complicated and the news wasn't publicized until super late, so I ended up going with three other friends and I think it was just us from WHS that day. Hannah picked me up with her boyfriend, Jeff, and our other friend, Fred, in the car.

We took off towards Six Flags New England and got there around the time it was opening: perfect timing. Although it was super nice and sunny out, it was also a Tuesday, which meant that we basically didn't have any lines to wait in. SCORE.

It was also Fred's first time at Six Flags, so it was fun to introduce him to all of the best rides and places.  We took him on Bizarro once, then went on a second time without him (he wasn't as big of an aficionado as we were). We went on a wide variety of rides, from tea cups (with us spinning the wheel as fast as we could...yeah, we're mature) to Houdini's Great Escape (the weirdest ride ever, if you can even call it a ride), and Pandemonium.

One of my favorites was the water ride featuring raft-type floating circles with room for 8 people. I forget the name of it, but it's something about whitewater rapids. Anyways, you get really wet on it, depending on where you sit. We laughed so hard on that one, because some people got completely screwed over while others emerged relatively un-drenched. We also tried the new swing ride, that took you up super high for a great view of the park. It was extremely relaxing, since it was just a gentle swing ride.

All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful day at Six Flags, and a great night at volleyball later as well. I'm so happy I decided to go with my friends. Tuesday of Senior Week was top-notch!

A very soaked but happy bunch!

Documenting "the End": Part One

Well, I've definitely been holding off on this post because I've been booked up to my neck in activities, events, and other things these past few weeks. However, there was no way I wasn't going to blog about finishing my high school career and getting that lovely little diploma! It still feels surreal, but it sure feels good to be DONE.

For me, the start of senior week was May 31st, when we had Senior Ball at the Top of the Hub at the Prudential Center in Boston. (Crazy classy, am I right??)

That Saturday was an absolute HAUL for me, in that it was ridiculously tiring. I woke up around 4 am to start prepping my hair and make-up for that night.

JOKES! Can you imagine? Hah. No way- I was getting up to drive all the way to New Hampshire/Amesbury, MA to volunteer with HOBY (Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership, a group I am part of) at the Warrior Dash! I had always been super interested in doing the Warrior Dash and thought it would be fun to help out and see how the event was run. Although the only shift I could do was from 6:30 am to 1 pm, I really wanted to be there. I had Senior Ball at 4, but I should be able to have enough time.

I drove about an hour and a half both ways to get there and spent the day at the Check-In Tent with a bunch of other HOBY-ites. We were in charge of checking people in (big surprise there!) by using these electronic lists on iPads to find the participant's name, race time, and t-shirt size. From there, they had to sign a waiver with their finger on the iPad surface, while we gave them their bib, t-shirt, and complementary Warrior Dash fuzzy helmet. If you're uber-jealous that they got helmets, don't worry. You're not alone....at all.

I actually had a woman give me hers back because "she didn't want it". Lady, I don't know what kind of things you've been smoking, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me keep one of these helmets. My day was made right there.

After a very long shift with huge lines of agitated participants shoving their IDs at my face and quick bites of my Panera sandwich and drinks of water, I said goodbye to the volunteers and rushed back to Westborough for an exciting night in Boston. I booked it home; it's supposed to take around 2 hours to get from Point A to Point B, but I did it in about an hour and a half...let's just say I was lucky no policemen were around.

I quickly got ready and threw on my dress (a dress I've had since 8th grade and just haven't worn all high school). Then, Kerry came to pick me up and we drove off to the upper field at the high school, where we'd be meeting as a class to leave. Photos were taken (yay!), a large group photo of the grade was attempted (boo..), and after waiting a very long time on the coach buses, we were finally Boston-bound!

The buses dropped us off at the main entrance of the building, which meant that we were gawked at as we trooped to the elevators in heels, suits, and whatnot. It was simultaneously funny, awkward, and strange. From there, we went up to the 50th floor in groups on the elevators. We finally made it...and the view had totally been worth waiting for!

It was gorgeous up there on the Skywalk (Exactly how I remembered it when I brought a friend from Mexico up there freshman year), there was a dance floor in one corner, and various dinner tables set up for us. We took a lot of laps around the floor, just admiring where we were and also checking to see when the food would be put out.

Our class president and my good friend, Mia, had promised us a delicious meal and had posted the menu on Facebook earlier, so I knew we were in for some amazing things like duck, lobster, ravioli, a crepe bar, steak, pasta, salad, mini sliders, etc. etc. etc. Thankfully, the table that I was sitting at with my friends was called rather early, so we were able to get everything we wanted to before it was all gone or a looooong line had formed. Some of my other friends weren't so lucky; they were called later, and only got to eat the salad that night, since everything else had been taken. Must have been such a disappointment.

After eating, we did some more socializing and some dancing, but also waited a long time in line for the crepes. The rest of the night was spent taking photos and dancing on the cute little dance floor with friends. All in all, it was an amazing time. Super unreal, since we had all been looking forward to it since the beginning of senior year, and also bittersweet.

We went back down in the elevators to our buses that were waiting outside, but since Callaghan (our principal) was on our bus, we had to wait much longer than everyone else for him to finish making arrangements. I took a few naps on the way home (I was completely exhausted), and then joined my friends to change into comfier clothes and hang out afterwards, which was pretty fun as well.

In the end, I got home around 2 and proceeded to sleep right away. It had been an amazing day, and a great way to kick off senior events!

Selfies with Hannah and Mia

The gorgeous sunset on the river

Jackie and I waiting for an elevator

The awesome view once again

With Brianna on the upper field

There was a ball game going on Fenway Pahhhhk