The Sweet Crazy Life

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

CHAPTER 1: New Beginnings

Ariana

"Take one big breath, Ari." I told myself as I was about to enter the school campus. "Your finally in college."

There were plenty of students and cars filing in the north entrance. I was told a Ms. Harper would guide me through the campus. CIA was one of the best culinary schools in the country and my mother celebrated like there was no tomorrow when she found out her only daughter got a full scholarship for it. My older brother, David, called to congratulate me from his engineering school miles away from home. I was reluctant to leave home and stay in the residence halls in the campus but my dad, told me it was a chance that I should never pass up. So now, I have 2 associate degrees: culinary arts and baking and pastry arts.

"Hello, good morning!" a british voice resounded just ahead of me. "Are you by any chance, Ms. Starr?"

"Yes, I am." I answered the lady. She was a petite woman with a thin frame. She wore a dark colored pencil skirt with a paisley blouse and pointy heels. Her red hair was tied into a neat bun. A clipboard was in her right hand. "Ms. Harper?"

"Yes, that is me." Ms. Harper replies giving me a wide smile as she shook my hand. "I'll be giving you a tour around CIA. C'mon now, follow me."

I shifted my backpack once again and took off after her, my suitcase behind me. Wow, for a small lady, she walks fast.

We walked through a pathway with white arch-like figures above. "See there, on your right?" Ms Harper asks, pointing a finger. I glanced to where she was pointing and found a field. "That's the soccer field but at the same time a softball field. Sports is one of the recreational activities we have here in CIA." she says and I nodded.

Up ahead was the main campus building. A five story tall building with a red brick structure and classic white windows. Four gigantic coulumns lined the front and it formed one big giant letter C. A fountain with a trimmed hedges and benches were placed right in front of the entrance. An architectural beauty, something my brother would've loved.

"It's beautiful..." I whisper but Ms. Harper heard and nodded her head in agreement.

"You like it now, but wait till you see it at night." Ms. Harper says and continued with her tour. "This is the Roth hall, you could find several of the school's restaurants and facilities inside where you'll be doing most of your training and classes as a chef."

We went through the General Foods Nutrition Center which was in St. Andrew's Cafe, J. Willard Mariott Education Center where we would be holding classes in baking and pastry arts, the Ecolab theatre, a small chapel just across the south entrance, McCann education annex and also through several gigantic residence halls. There was even a park behind Roth hall. How big could this school get?

"Which residence hall do I live in?" I glance at the three gigantic buildings in my view.

"Not in any of these buildings." Ms. Harper replies as she checks her clipboard. "CIA has four residence halls, six lodges and twenty townhouses."

My eyes widened. THIRTY residence areas?

"Shall we continue on the tour?" Ms. Harper asks. "We were only able to explore half of the school campus."

HALF?! I guess this school just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

There was even a lake behind the student recreational center and a fishing pond near Herndon residence hall and another center for Food and Wine.

"Finally, we have the Spice lodges." Ms. Harper says proudly as she gestured to a mini-village looking area. Every lodge was Adirondack-styled and had three stories. Wooden signboards with painted lodge names hung on each front porch. "CIA built the lodges this way in order for you students to feel like one community." Ms. Harper explains.

"Each lodge can house thirty to thirty-two students. Three of you would share the same room. But don't worry, each room is furnished with a desk, a chair, a wardrobe and a closet for each student and a private bathroom. You all will share the main-floor which has the kitchen and the Great room where you eat, mingle, study and etc. Your laundry facilities is free. Best part is free 24-hour wifi."

I liked the sound of these lodges. Ms. Harper said that the townhouses were for the ACE students. Students were already milling around to their assigned lodges, meeting new people (and probably new enemeies) and were just smiling and waving, talking about food and whatnot. It was a comfortable place.

It wasn't called the Spice lodges for nothing. There was the Clove, Ginger, Juniper, Cayenne and Nutmeg lodges. Ms. Harper and I were walking towards the sixth.

"And this is where you'll be staying." Ms. Harper announces happily at the last lodge. "You'll be staying here in Cinnamon Lodge until you graduate, your room is on the third floor, room 657. I'll be leaving you now so I hope you enjoy in your stay here in CIA, Ms. Starr. I wish you the best of luck for tomorrow."

And with that, Ms. Harper fled off and I wasn't even able to say thank you.

I stared at the looming lodge. The door was closed but you could hear several voices inside. A nervous feeling crawled at the pit of my stomach.

"Here goes." I mumble as I turned the knob.

(NEXT CHAPTER: The Roommate)

PICTURE IS TAKEN FROM: Academbot.com