So this last Sunday was the first day of the third session of the Abbey Road college prep program. Initially, I was quite nervous, as I had arrived only twenty minutes before all of the participants were supposed to arrive and there was no parking near the Emerson College campus. My family and I managed to arrive at Emerson with time to spare, but my nervousness persisted because this was and is my first time spending such a long time away from home (with five dorm mates, no less). However, I realized how ridiculous this nervousness was when I met my roommate, Adam.
Adam is from Poland and has been with the Abbey Road program for the past two sessions, so he was a veteran of both the Abbey Road academic life and life in Boston, and was open to any questions I or my parents had. He is also just a really awesome guy. And as it turns out, is every other student attending this Abbey Road session; by the end of the day on Sunday, I already felt as if I had known some of these guys for weeks!
Abbey Road Orientation
After I had gotten everything in my dorm all set, I began some of the rigorous activity expected at a program such as Abbey Road, several games of PIG in the Boston Commons with Artem, Candice, Alex C, Oriol, Dan C., and Sarah (a girl from the second session who just really did not want to leave). I am proud to say that although I have hardly ever played catch with a football before, I was a member of the final 3 of each of the three games we played. After this, we headed back to Emmerson, where I parted ways with that group and went to the Little Building Dining Hall, where I was reunited with Adam, and met several other awesome people, such as Alex S, Sophie, Caitlin, Cori, Holland, and Sebastian.
Boston Commons Live
After the meal and a short orientation (where we all discovered our amazing musical abilities), I went back to the back to the Boston Commons with the same group to bombard our ears with the great live music that was there as part of a music festival. Afterward was a late night trip to Shakeshack, a fast food restaurant that has become a favorite of Alex S’s and mine. That night, twelve of the total sixteen crowded into my dorm suite for a movie night.
Monday was our first day of SAT/ACT and college prep classes, and I must say, waking up early to take the SATs in the middle of my summer vacation will not be my fondest memory of my stay here. However, the college prep class that afternoon was a nice and relaxing introductory class, while still allowing me to learn a lot about the college admissions process. After class got out, the seven of us marched off to Newbury Street to look at ridiculously expensive clothing and make another appearance at Shakeshack.
We would then spend a few hours talking and having a ball in the Commons before we were reluctantly sent back to our dorms by the evening curfew. So far, I’m having an absolute blast, yet time seems to crawl by like a snail, it’s difficult to believe I still have the majority of two weeks left here. That’s it for tonight, everyone. Jon Osborne, signing off (for now).