Kelly: No, not the President of the US. Just of the college. Which is pretty cool anyway. On Monday, we were asked if some of our choir members would sing for the college's Trustees meeting. Since they only come on campus four times a year, I figured it would be a good opportunity to get to know some of the "powers that be" of the school.
Walking into Boone Tavern (that's where we ate. It's a fancy hotel and restaurant), I really didn't know what to expect. I am ashamed to say that I was expecting a bunch of rich people who talked about money and their multi-million dollar homes. I was way off base. I think we were all way off base. At my table, it started out with me and a fellow choir member who happens to be a good friend of mine. The Trustees were gathering around other tables and it was just the two of us for a while. A few minutes later, the Student Government President and Vice President kindly joined our table. We began chatting about being busy students when all of a sudden we were joined by none other than the President and his wife.
I had never met the President in my four years/eight semesters here at Berea, until tonight. I had always wanted to but was never given the opportunity. Until tonight. And we all enjoyed a lovely dinner with good conversations with a Trustee member who later joined us. The menu was a nice salad with feta cheese and "peanut brittle" as the Trustee called it, spoon bread (just look it up), salmon with a bed of grits, spinach and mushrooms underneath, and a "chocolate bomb" for desert. Yes...a chocolate bomb. It was delicious. ALL of it was delicious! Beats food circus any day or time of the week!
Our conversations were nothing about money, million-dollar homes, or ANYTHING of the sort. We talked and talked about travels, family, our walks of life and...a Baconator funnel cake that you can get at the Charlotte motor speedway (in North Carolina). It is a funnel cake topped with bacon, chocolate syrup and strawberry syrup. 1300 CALORIES. I remember what the President said: "That's hilarious!" I said..."101 ways to make a nursing student cringe." All in all a very good evening. 10 times better than I expected and then some. And of course we sang wonderfully; one of the Trustees did not want us to leave. :]
Holly: Sis, I don't think ANY of the Trustees wanted us to leave!
Before I share my side of the story, I'll start with a brief story: I had been feeling pretty icky for most of the day (caught the respiratory cold junk going around, go figure), and just got out of a particularly difficult test. I went in to work to complete a silly task for my boss (making paper footballs for a lab he's running next week...I'm not making this up), who is away at a conference in New Orleans. About half in, my biochemistry professor's (from last semester) ADORABLE seven-year-old daughter comes in and instantly takes a liking to me. Turns out she's a great paper football maker and way too cute and fun for her own good! As she's leaving, she says "Bye, Holly, I hope that I'll see you again soon." OH. MY. GOSH!
I almost died of the cuteness and the sweet. Children never cease to make me smile! :)
Anyway, on to tonight. I'll be frank and admit that I was expecting the Trustees to be snobby rich people who had no interest in Berea College students. Holy moley, I could not have been more wrong! I met some of the genuinely nicest people I have ever met!!! They asked us so many questions, told the best stories (one of the gentlemen at our table turned out to be the nephew of the writer of the Scooby-Doo theme song. Again, not making this up!), and were genuinely interested in us and our views about Berea. Tonight was easily one of the most memorable and enjoyable nights of my college career. I realize I say that about a lot of things, but I'm serious about this one. I mean, we talked about EVERYTHING: basketball, soft shell crab, $30,000 houses, The Wizard of Oz...the list goes on and on!
Just one of the kajillion reasons I'm grateful (and blessed) to have found such a place as Berea. I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that more students had half the opportunities I've had.
No comments:
Post a Comment