We are driving back to NC from Case and the drive is so
boring that I’ve decided to put together some thoughts to post to our family
blog the next time I have internet access.
I am probably the least articulate one in our family but I’m going to
give this a shot. The Gallup Family
bubble has divided. There are now 2
bubbles: the one containing the parental unit and the other one containing the
cool college kids and their new Case Western environment (to be referred to as
CRU (pronounced ‘crew’) from this point forward.) I got that slang from one of the many
orientation talks that Steve and I have attended over the last 2 days (one of
the most useful bits of information for that matter). If you ask me, the girls are living in the
better bubble but I am hopeful that our bubble will soar to new heights;
however, only time will tell.
It has been a very
exciting and exhausting week. On
Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013, we moved our girls into their new living
quarters. We moved them in 3 days prior
to the rest of the first year students converging onto campus. The early move allowed us to avoid crowds but
also meant that we received ZERO help during the process. Whilst the other first year parents just sat
in their car as all of their child’s belongings were hoisted away by
upperclassmen, Steve and I and the girls got to move all of their stuff in with
no hand truck (insert reminder here to bring one for next year). At this point, I seriously questioned the
decision of the girls living in different buildings. Once moved in, the pre-orientation leaders
whisked our children away for 3 days while Steve and I got to play in order to
keep our minds off the impending ‘Goodbye’.
We toured the
pro-football hall of fame on the 16th where I learned that the
Washington Redskins used to be called the Boston braves, then the Boston
Redskins before moving to Washington to become the Washington Redskins and
remained so until this day. Ironically,
there is now controversy over the name ‘Redskins’ as it is derogatory to the
American Indians and so, the Redskins may have to change their name once again.
On the 17th, Steve and I biked 32 miles with the
Akron Bike Club up some very exhausting hills (or small mountains in my
mind). Halfway through the ride, we
stopped at Howe Meadows Farmer’s market where we had some refreshments and then
continued back up to the “mountain” to the parking lot. Since we weren’t exhausted enough, we then toured
the Stan Hywet mansion and gardens. On
the way back to Stone Gables B&B, we saw Brandywine Falls, proclaimed to be
one of the largest Falls in Ohio. The
Falls were anticlimactic and not worth dragging along to have a gander. Back at the B&B, we collapsed instead of
going to Little Italy’s Feast of Assumption, which was the original plan.
On the 18th, we checked in for parent orientation
at Case, went to a welcome session and then toured Cleveland on ‘Lolley the Trolley’ tour which was
somewhat interesting. We learned about
cultural gardens in Roosevelt park, a hidden cemetery in University Circle
where Roosevelt is buried, and how some Ohio high school students sold the
rights of Superman for $147 – bet they are a little peeved about that. We were
able to spend a little bit of time with Jasmine today but Sam was still riding
back from Ohiopyle State Park. Jazz told
us all about her pre-adventure including the ‘Rite of Spring’ ballet that she
was very excited about. Steve and I
then had dinner at Alladin’s Café in Coventry Park.
On the 19th, we listened to some mildly
interesting orientation talks about student safety, health services, and Case
cash. A parent round table discussion
never happened but an administrator that has a child entering Case as a
Freshmen led an impromptu discussion amongst the parents in the room. Afterwards, we finally got to sit down with
both of the girls and it felt as if the Gallup Family bubble had merged once
again. The merger did not last long as
we split again for the last 2 most boring sessions of the day. We merged again after the last session,
walked the girls back to their dorms where the Gallup bubble split
permanently. The parental unit went back
to the library to drink heavily and try to forget about the split and the
college kid bubble moved on to exciting events such as a barbeque and a
Luau.
On the 20th, the parental unit bubble went to the
Rock and Roll Hall of fame before departing Cleveland bringing us to the boring drive that I referred
to at the beginning of this tirade. I
know that the girls will be fine in their CRU bubble but want them to know that
their bubble is welcome to merge with our bubble anytime!!! I will keep you posted on where the parental
unit bubble goes from here…..
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