It's Only Just the Beginning; This Isn't a Goodbye, It Is a New Greeting.

  
Well, what can I say, time flies. Just yesterday I was leaving the San Francisco airport, awaiting the spectacular Columbia University. Today, I walked backwards from the same gate I went through last month on our way to New York, and we were greeted with family, flowers, signs, and lots of proud, loving support. It was like we were going back in time and taking steps backwards from where we stood just a month ago. That feeling of success, however, was not as blossomed as it was today. That was a new feeling. Walking down the escalator to a group of smiling faces, each congratulating you with enthusiasm and passion, each proud of you for all of your accomplishments; that was a new feeling. It was a feeling I would have never experienced today if it wasn't for the generous and amazing  sponsors that made this happen. I cannot stress this enough, thank you so so much.

This trip has meant so much to me, it would be impossible for me to explain with words the extent of it's importance. The experiences, the people, the school, the world, it was all something I would have never been introduced to without you. Today, the first thing I did was walk up to Mr.Ramsey, hug him, and thank him dearly for this opportunity. However, since the sponsors were not there today, I am hoping at least one of you reads this blog post right now because I would really like to spread the message of appreciation. I can assure you that although I am back from the experience at home, I am still not done. This is not a "goodbye" for me, but rather a "hello" to a whole new thing. With the experiences that I have acquired, I will be using them to help other students in my community. This starts now, and I will soon update the Ivy League Connection with the initiatives I will take in both my school and my community. It is now time that the Ivy League Connection students emerge as leaders and make a change.

This morning, I felt like it was just another day and that it would be impossible for me to leave the new school I have fallen this much in love with. I felt like it would be unlikely that I leave behind all the new, amazing, and diverse students I have met. Although I wished this was true at least, the time had come and it was finally the day to depart. But, we did not just leave. Of course, we needed a nice way to end of one of the most memorable times of our lives. Thus, Mrs.L decided we all eat brunch at the boathouse in central park. What can I say, it was beautiful. The delicious food, the company of my amazing cohort, the green trees, the glistening lake, and the boats that gently touched upon the smooth waters behind us all painted an image in my head that I will never forget.

After our lovely brunch, we all walked back slowly trying to enjoy each other's company for the longest time possible in Manhattan. On our way, I noticed a gentleman who could tell a lot about a person's identity and personality with simply their handwriting. He was an amazingly talented individual whom in fact worked with a lot of large business corporations like NBC, for example (who paid him more than $1000 just last week). He charged $35 dollars for analyzing the customer handwriting right there on the spot, but for me he only charged $10.

I was really interested because I had read a lot of books about that when I was younger. Not only books about that, but also about numerology. Overall, I'm a really curious person you can say, so I often look into a lot of different things. Adrianne thought I was weird because according to her, "I get fascinated too much by many things." I guess that may be true, but it's just the world around me that fascinates me as a whole. Either way, nothing stopped me from trying out something new today and allowing the gentleman to analyze my handwriting and tell me what he knows about who I am as a person. Everyone left us, but my friend Aurea stayed behind with me and ultimately decided to try it out as well.

He handed me a notebook filled with hand-writings of previous customers. He flipped through them shortly, telling me, "This is years of practice and experience." He instructed me to sit down and just write whatever I pleased. It wasn't really what I wrote, it was the way I wrote it that was important to him. Thus, I wrote a few lines in cursive and a few in print and handed the notebook to Aurea for her to write her message as well. After she was done, he pulled us aside to privately speak to us. He began with me. Let me just start out by saying how every single thing he said, including the most minuscule detail was absolutely accurate.

I wish I recorded him at least, he just talked to me about my personality for a very long time and I don't remember every single thing he said so I could share with you all. He started out by saying that I am a very special and complex individual. He said that I have a perfect balance between my mind and my heart and that is a very very rare. Only 5% of individuals in this world possess that certain personality that allows them to not just think with their head or think only with emotions, but have an absolutely perfect balance between the two. He told me about how diplomatic I am, how I am so creative with such a vision that others may not have. He said how I am not materialistic and that if I find someone I love, that's all that matters to me and that's all it takes to make me happy. For some reason he spent a lot of time talking about that and a male figure in my life, which was kind of weird to be honest but still interesting. He told me how I am very powerful but behind a certain shield I hold, I can be very vulnerable and I need someone to protect me. He told me about how loving and caring I am and how I have so much energy that whenever I walk into a room, I bring that energy with me and lift up people's moods. He told me how I would be a perfect surgeon and do very well in science, which I was particularly excited to hear because being a surgeon is my dream and science is my passion. Speaking of passion, he also told me how much of a passionate person I am. He told me about how easily I open up to people and how outgoing I am. He spoke to Aurea and I about how much we should value our friendship and how we should never let something in between us because we both have characteristics that would complete each other, being a perfect team. Surprisingly, he didn't see much bad characteristics in me while doing his analysis, the most major flaw I had was my vulnerability I guess. He just constantly repeated, "You have a beautiful personality."  I know I'm stating everything he said very generally, but he went into a lot more detail about everything and said a lot more than what I just mention; I'm just summarizing as a whole. Overall, if you don't take my word, take Aurea's. 99.99% of everything he said about both of us was right on point and absolutely true. It was truly amazing.

My mom and older sister.

We walked away this evening mind boggled and amazed, but weren't we already due to all the new experiences we had encountered this past month? I can't believe it's already over, I'm going to miss everyone so much. Mrs.L is basically like family to me now, and I really can't wait until the next time I can see her again. Nonetheless, my cohort all have a special place in my heart, they too are like family. I lived with them all for an entire month and I can truly say that they have been the ones that made this experience even more special. We will all definitely meet up soon for a reunion!
The amazing friends I made at Columbia University, I will never forget them and I have promised to always keep in touch with them. The Ivy League Connection and the sponsors who made this possible, my endless appreciation will never die off. Last but not least, Columbia University. Where I now call home, I will come back for you. For now, I only dream to stay longer. Whether or not that dream comes true is now up to the admission officers.

I have now returned to El Sobrante, California, and I have been welcomed back with a surprise. My parents have remodeled my room for me and bought me a whole new bed with accessories! At home, my family was waiting for me to give me a warm welcome back home and my mom had prepared a nice dinner for us all. She knew how much I had missed a home cooked meal, and I was so delighted to be around my loving family once again. I hadn't had my mom's amazing Persian food for weeks, so I can honestly say I was excited to eat dinner at home.

Overall, today was a very touching day surrounded by loved ones and close friends. Although our trip is over, the experiences will all last a life time, the memories will stay young forever, and the message will be sent across our community endlessly. Giving back is the most important aspect of this trip; it is only just the beginning.

My little cousin bought two birds before I left, now that I'm back, they have left two eggs.
Could this possibly mean something?