So Harvard was a successful visit. And Boston, despite its cold, seemed much more like a potential home than NYC ever did. But regardless, I had committed to going to see Columbia, for the sake of fairness. The goodbyes were quick, but the girls were very sweet and they made Boston feel like home really fast. After which, it was an episode of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as I went from Harvard, to the airport, to JFK, to Columbia. And there was one episode of feeling the love that broke all that up. I fell in love at first sight.On a train in New York, the transfer from JFK to the subways, I got a warm smile from a brunette with olive skin and red lips. Seeing a batch of empty seats next to her, I sat directly next to her on pure impulse, and it wasn't long before I struck up some dumb travel conversation about where we were headed. From there, it turned into a real conversation about how she was Peruvian, formerly here on study abroad, now just for work, and she spoke four languages, and how I spoke only three. She even skipped her train stop to keep talking. That 10-minute conversation felt more magical than any of the ones that ever started any of my relationships. When I had to get off at the train's final stop, we kissed each other on the cheek as I walked away, my hand reluctant to part with hers. I spent the rest of the day playing little what-if games, wondering if I'd ever see her again, wondering if I should call 411. So, Gabriela Aguilar, if you ever find this because you Googled your name, drop me a line, because you won't soon be forgotten. After a long, long subway ride, I found myself staring at Columbia University, which has a nice campus but seems to have something that just feels ‘off' about it. Thankfully, the law school is a bit separated, thanks to a major intersection, and I shortly made my way to the Admissions office, where I was much more welcomed than I was at Harvard. After thumbing through some brochures, the receptionist recommended I have a meeting with an admissions advisor. The fella I met was very receptive, very encouraging, and even familiar with Plan II. It almost felt as if Columbia really wanted me there, whereas Harvard could care less. I felt loved. After killing some time in the law school building, where it was warm, it was off to Chinatown to feel some family love with my 3 cousins in the city. Our meeting point, naturally, was a gigantic McDonalds.I arrived more or less on time, thanks to a lucky train change I almost didn't make. When I got there, I found the guys, Ty and Wade, burning Camels while Kelly played the part of the good girl. Kelly guided us to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner, which tasted like all other Vietnamese food I've had – bland, but edible. The conversations varied wildly because of the lives we've led – Kelly wants to leave the USA once she gets bored of art, Tyler wants to wander the country in search of something interesting, I told stories of Harvard, and Wade enlightened us to the adventures of Broadway musicals on acid. All told, it was a fairly short family reunion, as straight after dinner we made our way to train stations and slowly split off. I made it back to Long Island at 10:00, completely exhausted and ready for bed. After a shower and a quick packing session, I went to bed thinking about serendipity, wondering if I experienced something in the last 24 hours that would end up changing the course of my life.That, and I hate public transportation. All things told, I spent about 4 hours of my day *not* on a train or a plane. If I had to spend that much of my time in my car, I could get a hell of a lot farther than Boston to NYC. That, and when I drive I feel like it's quality time – but sitting on trains and planes is just time out of my life lost. I need to live someplace where I drive, because I'll really go insane without it.