Today started off great: after an exhausting week, we were allowed to sleep in until 11. At 11, we headed off for a scavenger hunt around the campus. As the “Welcome to SSP” message on the instructions hinted to, the scavenger hunt was supposed to be done at the start of the program to get to know IU campus. Still, it was very fun and allowed us to take a break from writing our research reports and enjoy a walk among the familiar buildings. Although our group failed to find any of the owls sculptures and probably would not get the prize, “the real treasure was the friends we made along the way” (and Starbucks we got on our way back).
After scavenger hunt, we turned back to our research reports. The nostalgic music and the snacks bought on our numerous Union Market raids helped us to get through the work as we struggled to complete our Results sections and prepare for the tonight talent show.
Finally, at 8, the first talent show at SSP IU started. This show was on our minds for weeks as we desperately searched for any talents to demonstrate. The performances included violin and piano concerts, singing, dancing, drawing, comedy skits, card tricks, presentations on non-Euclidean geometry, and more. Still, the one participants expected the most and our residential director feared the most was the spicy ramen competition. Among the tears, cries for milk, and encouraging calls from the audience, a dozen participants competed to finish the bowl of an extremely spicy ramen. Kudos to Luke for finishing first. (Go team 10!) Special shout out to Karenna, our TA, who came third.
The talent show, the event that always seemed so far in the future, came to an end, and, with it, came the reminder that SSP as a whole is ending as well. Although it is rewarding to see the results of the weeks we spent in the lab come together in the form of our research report, it is also incredibly sad to know that we are not coming back to the lab anymore. So we rush to make the most of our last days here to make sure that SSP for us is truly “an experience of a lifetime”.
-Vika