Surprise Field Trip.

Earlier in the week, my friend Emily texted me asking if I had to work on Friday. After telling her I did not, she told me to keep that morning open and that I would receive further instructions later in the week. A few days later, she texted me again to say that I needed to be ready and waiting on my front porch at 8:15 am on Friday. I agreed but was very curious. She would not divulge anymore information. I complied.


So, Friday morning finally rolls around and I get up and get ready. She comes to my house to pick me up and still would not tell me where we were going or what we were doing. Emily did, however, allow me to ask yes/no questions about our activity. I kind of had a hunch...


Me: "Does it have to do with school?"
Emily: "Yes."


Me: "Are we touring a school?"
Emily: "Yes."


Me: "Is it in Dalton?"
Emily: "No."


Me: "Is it in Chattanooga?"
Emily: "No."


Me: "Hixson or Cleveland?"
Emily: "No."


I was so confused. I proceeded to tell her there weren't any other schools around here that I knew of. I even had to guess Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold knowing there was no college in either location. She was having too much fun with this.


Finally, she told me we were going to Covenant College on Lookout Mountain. Emily called and made an appointment for me to have a tour of the campus and conversations with a few of the staff members. I was really excited because I have heard how beautiful it is up there, and it was even better than what I expected. The mountain is already one of my favorite places to be but after being on this campus, I really saw what an amazing view into the valley looked like. There is nothing like being on a mountain.


Anyway, my tour started out with me being able to talk to one of the English professors (since Emily told them I was interested in majoring in English). I really enjoyed that conversation. He told me about a few of the classes offered and gave me a rough outline of the courses required for an English major. He also was just very encouraging about doing something you love even if you don't think your degree will be put to use right away. Which, that makes it sound bad, but he worded things better. 


I then talked to someone from financial aid, the records office, and someone from admissions. They were all extremely helpful in things I didn't really have a clue about. And everyone was so nice. This being a Christian college, you kind of expect them to be nice people, but they were also just so genuine and interested in what I had to say. 


After talking with people, Emily and I got to attend chapel. This weekend is Homecoming weekend for the school, so we were told it was going to be a little different than usual, but I loved it. The students attend chapel every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They worship in song and have someone speak from the staff or a guest speaker. The guy that spoke today was so funny! And his message was so good. The students are very fortunate to have that.


After chapel, we were given a tour by a very lovely girl named Lydia. She didn't really show us much, but we went in the library and Liberal Arts department. We talked about so much with her though, so I didn't really care to see everything. She had lunch with us in the Great Hall (the "Great Hall"... like Harry Potter! :D). We talked about school, relationships, jobs, and she told us her and her fiancé's story. It. Was. Adorable.


I learned that the building that has the Great Hall and dorm rooms was once a hotel. It was shut down durning the Great Depression and is now part of a college. How cool is that?!


Every person that we talked to was so excited that Emily made this a surprise visit. Apparently word got around before we even got to the campus and they were overjoyed to meet us. They kept telling me what a great friend I have... and I can't help but agree 100%. :)


All in all, it was a very good morning. This doesn't mean I am going to Covenant, but just being able to talk to people about going back to school was a big help to me. And seeing what an incredible community Covenant is makes me want to be in school so I can experience college like it is supposed to be. (I had a bad experience at UTC...)


So, for now I am looking into schools and seeing what all is out there. :)