"Let Her Sleep for When She Wakes She Will Move Mountains."

Last night I finally slept at 4:00 AM after finally finishing my blog and upload photos to Mediafire. The Internet in our rooms are pretty slow so it makes it relatively harder to complete the task as well, yet we all diligently get to work each night without hesitation to complete our tasks and duties and prepare for the day to come. I woke up at 6:45 Am so you can say I only had about 3 hours of sleep last night, or at least no more than 4 hours this entire week.

Either way, Aurea and I woke up once again with lots of enthusiasm for what the day had in store for us all. We boarded a train to New Haven, Connecticut to visit Yale University with a private "insider" tour conducted by our very own Ivy League Connection Alumnus Yohanna Pepa. We tried sleeping on the bus but unfortunately there was a toddler that constantly cried and screamed two seats down from us and did not allow us to rest. Only until we left the train did the child fall asleep himself, but it's alright, a kid is a kid. He was actually kind of adorable!

On our way to take the Amtrak to New Haven.

Upon arrival we watched the "That's why I chose Yale" video again at the university. The clip is a very creative musical production made by current students and alumni from Yale University that decided to create a new approach towards introducing Yale to prospective students. The video sure is catchy, but it wasn't just all. After the absorbing the information provided by the video, we also attended a more traditional information session with an admission officer who answered questions and gave more in-depth information about the University and the students that attend. I have always been strongly interested in attending Yale University, but I must say after the visit, my interest has amplified.

Aside from all the resources the school offers that I have always wanted to simply take advantage of, it also provides students with a welcoming atmosphere that makes each individual special in their own way. Even where you may call "home" on campus allows you to shine as an individual due to the diversity within that college. "College" at Yale University refers to the mini-community within the larger Yale community consisting of people in a particular housing environment. Each environment is completely unique and the people within it intentionally come from very different backgrounds, perhaps races, interest, and culture. Thus, even your home is a learning institution of a sort that allows you to explore cultures and different individuals.

Aside from visiting the campus there, we also had lunch with Yohanna and a few of her friends at Soul de Cuba. I ordered steak and ceviche for my appetizer. Later for dinner, we hurried back to the hotel (where I call home with my friends) and sheltered ourselves from the stormy outside rain. The sounds of thunder relaxed us inside while we awaited another night of dinner with our fabulous cohort. This time, the dinner was quite different. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't quiet, and it wasn't "proper," as you might say. There was music blasting through every crack of the restaurant and singers sharply marching around with confidence and pride. I must say I have never felt so alive until tonight. The restaurant was called "Stardust" and was located almost right in the center of Times Square. Talent burst from every corner of this restaurant from waiter to waiter and their energies were highly contagious. After packing us with enthusiasm, we exited the busy restaurant and entered an even busier world; Times Square, New York. I have been awaiting a visit to this attractive site for months, and I finally had the chance to witness the view of the glistening advertisements with my own eyes. I told my friend Lucas while we were walking together, "I feel like a little girl who has entered a candy shop!"

Speaking of being little, visiting the Toys R Us made me more excited than I ever was visiting it as a child. There was a Farris wheel INSIDE the store! Can you believe it?
Gosh, I feel like this city is where I was meant to be all my life... The packed cities, the active society, the lively sense of community, it all feels like a world that has been hidden from me but a world that I totally belong to. No wonder so many people say "I love NY!"

Overall it also seems that our schedule is a lot more "fast-paced" in comparison to other ILC programs due to our busy New York environment and Mrs.L understand our great deal of stress and how tired we've been the past few days so they decided to change today's schedule from eating dinner at "Bar Massa" to a quicker and easier to access location, which was obviously "Stardust." I'm actually glad we made this switch because it allowed me to experience something totally new and enjoyable. As some of you can probably tell, I absolutely love trying new things.

Well, time to sleep a little earlier for once because this sleeping routine is definitely not healthy. Hope your ready to hear tomorrow's journey soon!
For now, good night New York City...