Overwhelmed and Surprised by Sebelah Sheriff

While I was in London and Paris on vacation doing homework for TRIP I had regrets of applying. I had no idea how much work we would really have to do. I thought there would be perhaps a few 1-2 page packets we would need to read and then answer short questions. I was COMPLETELY WRONG. We were doing 2-3 different nine page packets for four Sundays in a row. I was so mad at Dr. Purdy. But now, after the first two sessions, I am glad we had to do that work.  I would’ve been completely lost without knowing those things ahead of time. However, as I walked into the classroom, I realized something I never would have thought could happen. I was the only boy out of eight students. This was something that has happened to me many different times in various activities in the past. But as soon as I let my guard down, BOOM, here I am again. 

During the icebreaker I felt pretty relaxed, especially after I had entered the science lab anxious and nervous. I realized that everyone else in that room felt the exact same way as me, even the TA’s who went through the same emotions and frustrations as me. Knowing that made me more of an extrovert that day and influenced me to stop staying in my shell and being shy as I usually do. ​

I picked the morning session which is 5 hours long. I am working at McDonald’s this summer and I usually have 5 hour long shifts. It felt as if the day was way too long! That thought got blown out the window after the first day. Right after the 30 minute lecture, we went at it full throttle. Using pipettes, making solutions, filling vials, and this was only the first day. This pattern didn’t change at all the next session. We sorted flies, and made grape plates. Those five hours became the fastest five hours of my entire life. The entire day goes by in a flash. I would say time goes by when you’re having fun, but that would be an understatement. I have been wanting a summer camp like this for so long. A camp that is beneficial but also, doesn’t feel like an eternity everyday. Overall, I made some assumptions about TRIP that were easily proven wrong, and I am excited to be proven wrong again.