Feast and Friends at Romano's Macaroni Grill

It was 3:30 PM when school ended. I was ready to leave and change for the meet and greet at Romano's Macaroni Grill. I had been anxiously waiting for this event the whole day. I was ready to feast on Italian food and make new friends. 

Because I didn't have a ride to the restaurant, my chaperone, Mrs. Joanne Whitlock, also my AP United States History teacher, offered to give me a ride since we both live in the same city. She picked me up around 4:30 PM and we drove to Romano's Macaroni Grill in El Cerrito. Since there wasn't much traffic, we got there early. After a few minutes, Aimee and Krystal arrived and all four of us entered the restaurant. Camila, Lynda, and Bailey trickled in one after the other in the next few minutes. Once everyone arrived, it was time for the party to begin.  

The location of the feast.

We all introduced each other and gave a little brief about who we are and what we do. Then, it was time to decide the meal. We all took a few extra minutes to decide what to order since there were so many great options to choose from. After being indecisive about the type of pasta I wanted, I decided to create my own pasta. Since most of us were craving pizza, we ordered cheese pizza as a side dish. 

While the food took its dear time to arrive, we cordially lamented about the constant testing most of us had to do in this past month in the form of the SBAC, AP tests, and the SAT. We all shared the excitement to attend Brown and participate in the Women and Leadership summer program, considered the best program offered by ILC. Since I attended Brown last summer, I babbled with elation about packing tips, Brown's campus, my dorm, the dining halls, and things to do in Providence. Soon the dinner arrived and we all began to enjoy our meals. 

Bliss.

My "Create Your Own Pasta" made of spaghetti, roasted garlic cream sauce, roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, and roasted mushrooms. Yum, yum, yum!

We do this as a ritual before every meal.

The pizza was absolutely delicious. The bliss was in its simplicity. My pasta was rich and flavorful as well. I enjoyed my meal thoroughly. 

Soon it was desert time. I debated between a tiramisu and a homemade chocolate cake. Since Krystal ordered a tiramisu, she offered to share. So, I ended up ordering the chocolate cake. When I tried the tiramisu I had a small feeling of regret, but the chocolate cake quickly made me forget the regret. We all shared our deserts and it was a small, yet sweet way to bond with everyone. 

Whip cream, chocolate cake, and hot melted chocolate. Oh my gosh. More bliss.

After desert, we took a few group pictures and soon headed out of the restaurant. 

We had to take a group picture. (From left to right: Camila, Krystal, Lynda, Bailey, me, Aimee, and Ms. Whitlock.)

I can't wait to spend my summer attending Women and Leadership with this wonderful women!

Of course we couldn't leave without a selfie.

Ms. Whitlock and I waited for everyone to leave and then we left as well. On the way home, Ms. Whitlock and I talked about the success of the meet and greet. We both agreed that the meet and greet turned out great. 

We also discussed my plans for the summer, my senior year, and the colleges I am considering to apply to in the fall. Ms. Whitlock advised me about the difference between community service and service learning. She recommended me to record and submit my hours for both community service and service learning before my senior year so I won't have to worry about them while I am in amidst of doing a bazillion things related to graduating and going to college. Before I knew it, I was home after a lovely evening. 

Today's meet and greet was amazing! Time was spent well. It was great chatting with the whole cohort about Brown, agreeing how stressful the past year has been, and sharing the excitement for the summer. Everyone is very nice and I am sure we will make an awesome cohort. I am so excited for the upcoming events!