Earth, Wind, Waterfire

The first full day with no class at Brown was still full of stuff to do. I had to wake up actually earlier to get on the bus to Newport, than I do to get to class on time. After I grabbed a towel, swimsuit, and wallet, I ran out the door with my dorm mates to get to the bus 15 minutes early. (Are you proud of me Don?) Sadly I didn't get to eat breakfast, but we did make a quick pit stop at a Starbucks before heading to the beach. 

Back at the beach! 

Though this is the same beach we visited before, for some reason I always forget how different it is than the Bay beaches. Instead of rocks, fine sand! And the ocean water felt like bathwater compared to stepping into our Pacific. A good amount of time was spent, tanning and playing in the waves. Sadly, I stayed out a little to long in the sun, so my skin got more than a few shades darker, but I'm blessed with genes that make it very hard to get a sunburn (sorry Nick).

The trip to Newport was a trip that I think is very consistent with what the Summer@Brown institute wants us to learn: having the freedom to go where we want, but being responsible enough to get back on time. It was nice to be able to explore on our own, but at the same time, I felt very safe with the Resident Advisor's, Ayano, number in my phone. 

Waterfire, minus the fire

Waterfire at night was an amazing experience that really
brought together a lot of people from all over town.

After getting back to Olney, I raced 20 other girls to get to the shower, and through sheer endurance was the first to get to remove all the sand and seawater from my hair. After the shower, we all met Mrs. Kaplan a couple blocks up from my dorm to get to our dinner. Because of the Waterfire event, many a street were blocked off, so we took a roundabout route to get to Rick's Roadhouse, Providence's only one star restaurant, a fact they were extremely proud of. Nick and Taylor decided to begin the meal with some really really really hot wings, which meant that I started my meal with three gallons of water and more than a few tears. 

Waterfire is a Providence, Rhode Island exclusive event that takes place on the canals of Downtown Providence. We arrived early, so we got prime seats right on the water. Though we had to wait a little until the fires started, we thankfully sat next to a magician, so we were kept entertained for a substantial amount of time. When the fires started, the combination of didgeridoo background music and enigmatic ambiance made the entire process of gondolas floating up and down the canal seem surreal. It was incredibly gorgeous, with the flames having the appearance of floating on water. Being so busy with class and studying, sometimes I forget that I have all these opportunities to leave campus and stumble upon new adventures.