Day 27: "You've never blended in."

Today, I went to Flint Hill to run a very exciting errand! The school generously donated 10 laptops for Gyaan Ghar last year, which Mr. Lieberman then most graciously agreed to "fix up" for me over the summer, and I have been meaning to pick up since then.

I was greeted first thing by Mr. Callard and Mr. Thomas, both of whom have been very supportive of my decision to take a gap year. It was great to let them know that I made the right choice!!

Entering the school, I met Ms. Kotey, forever my advisor and now the senior class dean, and checked in with her on how things are going at school, while filling her in on my upcoming travel plans.

Next, I was ushered into Mrs. Morehouse's advisory, where two young scholars requested some guidance on how to study for their first Latin test of the year. After we had read through some of the assigned lines, I deposited them at their classroom and caught up with Dr. Marchetti. On the way, however, I caught sight of Ms. Rachel Kernodle, the cutest math teacher on the planet, who also reads my blog every night!! (Way to make me smile.)

I then embarked on a journey to the music hallway, saying "hi" to Ms. Mrykalo and hardly expecting to find the ever-busy Mama Maddox available. To my delight, she was there, and we spent the morning discussing the fine arts program, and sharing a bit of girl talk. (Mama Maddox also reads my blog, so she was all up-to-date on my gap year plans!) At lunch, I got to see Ms. (Julia) Cardone, Mrs. Morse, Mrs. Williams, and Mrs. Chenari. AH!

Next, I ventured to the home of Mr. Fred (Chanania)! After he had berated my worth as a person (because I have horrific taste in educational institutions), he threw me in front of the class, giving me the choice to either teach environmental chemistry or give the class tips on acing the AP exam. Stuck between Scylla and Charybdis, I opted for the latter, and attempted to impart some wisdom on what seems like a great group of students!

I then briefly met Mr. Atwood and Mrs. Krug. How amazing to be able to see so many of one's favorite people in the same place!

After this, I barged in on Mr. Chang and stole a chunk of his planning time for the day, just as Cupid stole a foot of Ovid's meter. It was great to catch up on the latest and greatest in the Classics department, reflect on our Rome trip and Latin Convention this summer, and, as always, be ridiculed to no end! After we had filled one another in, we went to one of Mr. Andino's classes to brief students on the marvel that is Virginia Junior Classical League Convention.

As I headed down to the history classrooms to look for Ms. (TRISH) Deveneau, I found her waltzing down the hallway. We chatted for a lovely long while about my plans for this year and beyond, and I felt enlightened as always after our conversation.

Then, it was time to watch Priya's volleyball game! I got a ride to the middle school with my friend Sahil and watched the game, which the Huskies won just in the nick of time! Volleyball is such an exciting sport. Sharing in my excitement were Coach Rice and Mr. Pryor, whom it was great to see again.

After this, I raced back to the high school to finally pick up the laptops! Mr. Lieberman presented me with 10 beautiful machines, accompanied by 10 cases, 10 chargers, and a wireless router. We discussed setting up video chats between Gyaan Ghar students and those of Flint Hill. Mr. Lieberman has been a huge supporter of my school from the very start, and I cannot thank him enough.

Once home, I did some last-minute packing before crashing for a bit, showering, eating a yummy dinner (thank you, Mama!), and getting ready to gooo! (I wrote most of this post in the cab on the way here.)

I now sit with my wonderful Cyprian Uncle and Papa waiting to board our flight to Sao Paulo. And we're off!