West Campus, Ithaca, New York – Saturday, May 22

Flora Rose is emptying up. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that I had the best suite (including other peeps down the hall) I could ask for this year. Before going away for college, people warned me about hall drama, roommate fights, and awful cafeteria food. These were mostly non-existent in my Cornell experience so far (with the exception of Flora Rose house dinners, GAH!). I’m going to miss these girls so much this summer <3.  We’ll be in DC, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Spain, China, Vancouver etc. – literally scattered around the world.

Collegetown, Ithaca, New York – Wednesday, May 26

A tearful goodbye at 4am in front of the Shortline bus, perhaps an ironic throwback to that first chance encounter.

Adios Ithaca. Every time I leave I am eager to get out of this bumblefuck and return to civilization. Every time I return, it is with trepidation and uncertainty. Ithaca seems to change a little each time. When I come back in August, one part of it is going to feel empty.

Somewhere upstate, NY – early am, Wednesday

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD why is no position comfortable to sleep in on this bus?! I am running on three hours of sleep and all I’m asking for is to be horizontal, for a moment.

Lincoln Tunnel, New York City – 9:00 am, Wednesday

Entire year at Cornell flashing before my eyes. It’s ending the same way it begun. Too much nostalgia. Snap out of it Phoebe.

Port Authority Bus Terminal, NYC – 10:00am, Wednesday

Three thoughts
1) WHY THE HELL IS IT SO FRIGGIN HOT HERE?!
2) Dragging my 50 pound luggage through the New York subway is very, very unpleasant. Major obstacles include turnstiles, stairs, subway cars, and more stairs
3) Someone helped me up and down almost every set of stairs. Wow! They all looked like Wall Street analysts haha.

Deutsche Bank Auditorium, 60 Wall Street, NYC – 11:45am, Wednesday

Can’t believe I’m here! Mad mutual connections everywhere. I was talking about “this conference I went to in Stanford about China” and someone I didn’t know pitched in, “You mean FACES?!” YAY?!

The finance training session they have is  so much clearer than anything that Finance / Accounting classes had!

I’m an Ideas person, apparently. My personality profile according to Ann Miller is deemed slightly unfit for investment banking. That’s okay, I think.

Somewhere in the Financial District, NYC – 6:00pm, Wednesday

This is the biggest scavenger hunt I’ve been in in my life.

Harry’s Steak, NYC – 8:30pm, Wednesday

I find out that 400+ people applied for this program, and 30 people got selected. Not bad.

PS – This steak is absolutely amazing.

Club Quarters, Wall Street, NYC – 11:00pm, Wednesday

Single room, king sized bed, ergonomically designed chair, WIFI. Now I can get used to this.

47th Floor, DB Building, NYC – 9:00am, Thursday, May 27

The view is absolutely gorgeous up here on the top floor. Great place for breakfast. We have a couple useful presentations in the morning and a lunch with analysts/MDs. The afternoon’s LRC analyst panel starts off uneventful. In the middle of the panel, a guy in business attire strolls in casually from the lobby. The panelists stop talking mid-sentence and someone goes up to introduce the guy.

“This is Seth Waugh, CEO of Americas for Deutche Bank.”

The room basically stops moving for the next 10 minutes (save the few people flipping to the page with the company organization chart and glossy executive photos, to make sure we heard right) as Mr. Waugh talked about the firm. Great moment.

New York City Food Bank, The Bronx, NY – 3:30pm, Thursday

So this is the Bronx. Props everyone for a job well done repackaging donations.

New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, NYC – 9:30am, Friday, May 28

This is hands-down one of the most exciting events of the program. If anyone was watching CNBC on Friday morning, the people you see waving to the camera in the background are… us. There is so much energy (and testosterone) on the trading floor it’s just incredible.

Near NYU Dorm, NYC – 11:25pm, Friday, May 28

I am sitting in a movie theatre watching Sex and the City, IN the City. Yes, to you New Yorkers this might not be all that special, but I’m feeling very giddy. It’s a full theatre, maybe 25% guys tied to their gfs, and 75% gals.

12th Street and 3rd Avenue, NYC – 2:45am, Saturday, May 29

Can’t… keep… eyes… open. Standing at a street corner with a giant luggage at 2:30 AM is so friggin’ scary. At one point a dude came up to me and said, “You know you really shouldn’t stand there alone at this hour with so much stuff.” I KNOW, I KNOW. Never doing this again. GOD DAMN IT WHERE IS MY SHORTLINE.

Speeding towards JFK – 3:15am, Saturday, May 29

Passing out on shuttle, exhaustion.

Terminal 8, JFK – 4:30am, Saturday, May 29

I AM NEVER FLYING AMERICAN AIRLINES AGAIN. AN HOUR WAIT TIME IN LINE TO CHECK LUGGAGE?! WTF!!

Departure Gate, JFK – 5:00am, Saturday May 29

Strategically wrapping my carry-ons around me so no one would steal them. Curling up in the corner to sleep like a hobo.

Flight AA1, JFK – 9:00am, Saturday May 29

So I’m wearing a red Cornell shirt on the plane. The lady next to me looks over and exclaims, “Oh! Cornell! Wonderful school. I went there too.” She was traveling with two other people so basically my entire row, from left to right, was Cornell grad of 2012, 2007, 2007, and 1973. Amazing.

LAX, Los Angeles, California – 1:00pm, Saturday May 29

Thank god, one more flight and I’m home. It’s so nice hearing “Vancouver Passengers” on the PA!

My bed, Richmond, British Columbia – 6:00pm, Saturday, May 29

I have never appreciated sleep this much.

This year, I waited after the New Year and New Decade euphoria to settle down a bit, hoping the overly-optimistic and wishful thinking would be out of my system before I sit down and make resolutions that are actually feasible. So here they are, somewhat anticlimatically presented.

Write New Year Resolutions – YES! DONE! (Kidding…)

Think before I speak – to avoid embarrassment, regret, hysteria, and perceived stupidity on my part.

Do something terrifying – gorge-jumping or dancing in front a large crowd of people maybe?

Hit the big FOUR-OH, not agewise mind you, but grade-wise.

Learn to cook beyond boiling water.

Get my driver’s license, because my friends currently view my inability to drive as practically a disability.

Blog more often! And write for a publication.

When it comes to extra-curriculars, DEPTH, not BREADTH.

Take every opportunity to travel.

Sleep before 12:30 and get up early to preview lectures – I have a feeling this will be the toughest one.

Of course, there’s the “internship/career/graduate school/fitness plan/eat healthier” staple that come with every resolution list which I will bypass here.

QOTW: What are your New Year Resolutions? And how many have you broken already?