It's All Becoming Clear

Perhaps in ansawer to Andrea's question yesterday about how we'll be occupying our time for the next two weeks, our instructor Peter gave us the first part of a multi-phased assignment today. We're writing yet another business plan. Pleasantly, it does not involve working in groups, and it appears that all of the work will be done in class. Today, we selected a name ("Mama's Kitchen Breakfast Catering") and a location (downtown Oakland), and we researched our location, including demographics and competition. In the days to come, we'll be working on marketing, including some elementary web site design and menu development and pricing.

First thing this morning, after roll call and uniform check, we went down to the Bistro to do a site walk-through. About half our class was absent today, so we were a small group. We discussed set up and decor ideas for our benefit luncheon to take place in two weeks. Much of the talk centered around inexpensive ways to liven up the space, since our budget is exactly zero. That's not my committee, though, so I mostly listened.

And we had a guest speaker -- Tiffany, a representative of the finance office who deals primarily with alumni repayment of student loans. Before we can graduate, we have to get sign-off from four school departments, including financial aid, whose job it is to drill it into our heads that any money that we borrowed must be repaid. "Don't default on your student loans," Tiffany said. "They will hunt you down, and they will find you." Repayment begins six months after the conclusion of the internship. And what's gonna happen between now and then is a big question mark, for all of us.