Choo Choo! The Train is Leaving…
Waking up into a sunny and wonderful, yet a sad day. The time flies, the time has come, the inevitable became a reality and our journey is coming to its end – it is the last day spent in the most magnificent and marvelous city, Chattanooga.
The morning was dedicated to packing, those who have already done so grabbed a coffee with our mentors or took a last stroll around the streets of downtown reminiscing about the great time we have had here. Some of us slept in and left packing until tomorrow. That’s also a solution!
The scheduled Farewell Luncheon was slowly approaching, time to dress up. All our mentors and coordinators came. And not only them. Some of our teachers as well as personalities from NGOs and other ventures that we came in contact were present, the only person I haven’t seen until this particular day though was the Mayor of Chattanooga himself, Andy Berke. He gave a speech about his descent, his family and his apparent mission to bring more diversity in the city. That is why he sees in SUSI a big potential. We felt so honored that he found time to come and speak to us. The next speakers were Dr. Robert Dooley, Dean of the UTC College of Business, and Mr. Takeo Suzuki, the main coordinator of our program. Without them we would not even be here. All the dedication and hard work just to bring us to the U.S. Maarten and Catarina gave a superior speech on behalf all of us. I am glad that I was not given the task to express our gratitude --no "thank you" is enough to convey our appreciation and thankfulness for this unrepeatable experience.
After that, something more challenging was lying ahead of us. The last-minute preparations of our capstone project were on track. All I remember is stress and nervousness. Other groups went off well, but our feelings were justified. Our group received a lot of criticism on the content and competitiveness though the core idea was said to have a potential. Well, at least we have something to build on, right? After that, we received our signed diplomas with cute little fluffy Scrappies.
Last scheduled event on our list is the Farewell Dinner in the Hunter Museum. The atmosphere was so warm knowing this is the last day we are together with our beloved (de)mentors. My friends gave wonderful speeches, coordinators handed us their certificate awards. At the very end of the dinner we prepared some flashy dance moves that impressed everyone including museum staff members. Emotions took over, some tears were spilled. No wonder, we are leaving these precious human beings. Afterwards, the best summer of our lives will come to an end.
We might not be here physically. However, this city will be once and for all in our hearts and in our veins running through our blood. Thank you for everything, we had the greatest time.
Forever in love with you, Chattanooga <3
