It is such a beautiful campus, and it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The college was founded in 1853, long before the "other" Cornell in NY. :P The college was founded by the United Methodist Church, but there is no big affiliation AFAIK. In fact, the Chaplain is Episcopal! I hope Nicolette could get a good gig like that some day! :)
Anyway, I digress....my brother, SIL, and mom drove up from Knoxville, then we all drove to IA for the festivities. We were able to take in Nathan's museum exhibit, and while we were there, the curator/director offered Nathan any support she could give. I guess she really appreciated what those two boys did for the museum. I know he liked it.
We drove around Cedar Rapids to see some post flood progress. We walked through Czech Village, or what's back, anyway. That whole area was underwater, and there are a few shops and bakeries that are back in business now. They still have a long way to go though.
We also drove through Iowa City, where Nathan will be starting this fall, to see his apt. The bldg didn't look too bad, who knows what the inside is like! LOL
Then we had a most wonderful dinner feast.....HuHot has just opened at the Linndale Mall in Marion, and O.M.G.....I'm still stuffed. LOL. It's one of those mongolian grill places where you choose your meat, veg, noodles, sauce, and then the chefs grill it for you. Instant stir fry! Pretty tasty...we can only hope one opens close by.
The Baccalaureate was very moving. Nathan actually got up for it, and I think he was glad. It was held in Kings Chapel on campus, which is a beautiful little chapel built in 1876. The bldg is stone, the stained glass is beautiful, and the pipe organ sounds great! I really enjoyed the chaplain's sermon. It was very obvious that she loves Cornell (she is an alumnus), loves the kids, and loves what she does.
We had buffet brunch in the dining hall, which was obviously better than anything the kids ever see! And we didn't have to "swarm." This is a very odd tradition at mealtimes. They have their meals set up in stations, and you never wait in line for anything! You literally push your way in front of someone if you want something from that station. New York mode! LOL Rude? Yeah probably, but it's the way things are done.
The graduation ceremony itself was in the gym. There were a few speakers, and the history prof was very interesting. One other weird tradition....instead of being seated alphabetically or by department, they let the kids choose whom to sit with. They also allow the kids to list their preferred name to be called for the walk across the stage. Thankfully Nathan stuck with his real name, since in HS he totally confused Viviano when he gave him "throat warbler mangrove" for the name. LOL However, Nathan was seated by Bubbles, there was a Sisterpants behind him, and further behind was someone named "Jessie loves Britney Spears" or something like that! No, the diplomas had their real name. I can only imagine Bubbles getting work as a stripper somewhere. LOL
I feel a bit sad that he was only there three years and didn't really graduate with his class. Although he has said that several of his friends transferred after a year because of the block schedule. He can always run over there from IC next year if he misses it! He had some wonderful professors and made some great friends.
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