Finally in Nahsville

When my alarm sounded this morning, in the form of a familiar Beatles toon, my first thought was that I had woken up early from my fitful sleep, but when I checked the glowing screen, sure enough, it was 1:30 am, my day had begun. 

I was wide awake immediately, eyes shot open by adrenalin, and before I could process my surroundings, a wriggly fur-ball had climbed onto my bed and began to assault my faces with his doggy morning breath. Bean was clearly confused, thinking it must be morning and time for his breakfast and walk, but as I squinted my eyes in my now dimly lit room, I knew exactly what was going on. 

I looked over to my neatly folded outfit from the night before and began to get ready, doing my hair, brushing my teeth, and going through my two-morning checklists. I said my goodbyes to my Dad and sleeping sister, gave my dogs each one last squeeze and before I knew it we were out the door, and on the dark windy streets that lead down to El Cerrito High. 

Pulling up to the school in the dead of night was a strange mix of a routine feeling, but simultaneously completely alien. I could make out a blurry group of people all huddled together, hands in pockets milling about in the chill air like the formation of penguins trying not to freeze in the Arctic. 

I feel it immensely important to mention that the Vanderbilt Cohort was all there and ready to go at the time specified, long before all of Chicago had arrived. From this point on a friendly rivalry began between us, a sort of long slow drawn out race to be first on each leg of our journey. I am happy to report that Vanderbilt prevailed a vast majority of the time. 

The Vanderbilt Cohort (not so) bright and early

We were soon off to the airport, it seemed unusually crowded for 3 in the morning, and the next hour passed in a blur of chaotic lines that led to more chaotic lines, eventually ending with us sat in our seats on less than a full plane. 

Ana and I ended up in the same row as each other and while we left a window seat open next to us, it was not claimed by any of our fellow passengers. This left us with an empty seat between us, And on the aisle and myself claiming the window, each according to our preference. This proved to be tremendously helpful in our attempts to catch up on a bit of sorely missed shuteye, as we were able to spread out much more than the typical cramped airplane seat would allow. 

As we took off, the sun was just starting to rise and when the plane emerged above the layer of foreboding looking clouds from below, Ana and I were faced with one of the most beautiful sights we had ever seen. The clusters of tiny water droplets seemed to stretch out endlessly before us, like a see of the most delicate cotton candy, or the softest cotton pillow. My favorite description, however, came from Ana, who explained that it was as if we were tiny creatures perched atop the back of a sheep, so small that we were unable to see an end. 

The sheep like clouds

Clouds turned out to be a major theme for the day, as were lucky enough to fly through their natural and breathtaking formations first on the way to Chicago where we left our friends in the Chicago cohort, grabbed a quick lunch and boarded our last plane of the day to Nashville. When we once again took to the sky and approached our destination, were struck by how the clouds had not completely transformed into billowy and tall abstract shapes that resemble white clusters of flowers in full bloom. Upon arriving in Nashville we were once again taken by the floating masses far above our heads. This time they I felt the sky looked like it had been painted by an artist as part of a sprawling fresco, not even seeming real. 

White flower clouds

With our arrival in Nashville were treated immediately by a different weather-related phenomenon, the heat. Well, the heat and its sidekick, the oppressive humidity. Walking out of the air-conditioned airport, we were all immediately slapped in the face by the totally foreign climate, struggling to make our way to the safety of our rental car where we would be encompassed by the cool air once again. Ms. Sciacca proved to a be a hero in the whole traverse from car to hotel, to a different hotel only a matter of blocks away under the same name, helping us all load, unload, reload, and finally unload our bags for good in the blistering heat. 

Walking around outside here feels kinda like being in warm soup, you immediately feel drenched by the humidity, but as the evening went on, a combination of a slight cooldown and just getting more used to it, allowed me to begin to enjoy the weather. That being said, it is still a surprise every time I walk out of an enclosed and inevitably air-conditioned area. 

We spent our evening in Nashville by first settling into our hotel, then making a quick run to Target in order to purchase the few essentials we had left at home either by chance or by choice, and heading out to dinner. 

Despite being accompanied by two fellow vegetarians, the prospect of eating in this metropolis of all things southern food has been a bit daunting. Today we headed straight into one of my biggest fears, a traditional barbecue joint, named Edley's Barbecue, filled with deliciously intoxicating smells, but little in the way of non-meat options. Thankfully we were able to find a substantial and yummy meal by piecing together a number of sides and Edley’s amazing fries.

Anna's meal provides a better idea of the restaurant's meat theme

After dinner, we headed over to a local soft serve ice cream shop that seemed like something out of a movie. It was covered top to bottom in bright pastels, adorned with a large sign proudly proclaiming that it has been around for 67 years and is still dishing out delectable dipped cones. 

Hawi and I each ordered “smalls” though they turned out to be small in the same way that an elephant is small, that is to say, they were quite large, and each of us was covered in sticky drips by the time we had finished. Ms. Sciacca outsmarted us ordering the “child-sized cone”, which was smaller, though I am still not sure what child would be able to finish it. 

Before the melting began

We finished off our idyllic evening with a trip to the pool where Ana, Hawi, and I floated around in the warm water under a now darkened sky, playing classic pool games and enjoying each others company. 

Now as I sit on my bed finishing this blog lightning claps every few seconds just outside our window, illuminating the sky and parts of the city below. It is incredible just how fast weather changed from only minutes ago. 

We will all go to bed tonight after being awake for almost 22 hours eager to rest up for what tomorrow holds.