A Beautiful Day in Philly

Thanks for taking me to class!

Preview day is over and there weren't any other activities planned for the students. I was kind of worried about what to do since I basically had today all to myself. Fortunately, I was allowed to go to some classes with Dyana. I met up with her around 10 AM to grab breakfast at a food truck. I have to admit, those food trucks are inexpensive and delicious! Kind of a digression but there was a Middle Eastern food truck last summer that blew my mind. I bought a gyro from it and fell in love. Ever since, I've been wanting to try it just one more time. Believe it or not, I actually found it while I was walking to the subway but didn't get the chance to buy one. I will definitely try to buy one tomorrow before I leave. The universe works wonders!

Back to topic, we first went to her introductory level language class on Mandarin Chinese. It was a really small class with about 15 students. Although they were mostly speaking Chinese, I wasn't completely left out of the loop since the professor kindly gave me notes to follow along. The class was short, only an hour. Through the class, I was able to gain an understanding of how language classes function at Penn and even learned a thing or two about the Mandarin language! 

The next class, which began 10 minutes after the first, is called integrated studies on cognitive science. It was a lecture style classroom with about 80 students. The section that was being taught was on emotion. The professor talked about emotional responses and how it affects judgement, leading to either rational or irrational decisions. She also talked about several brain defects and how it impairs the person's emotional responses. This class was interesting and I really liked it. I'm glad I had an opportunity to visit some classes at Penn. I learned that not all classes are extremely difficult and, of course, that gives me some comfort. Attending classes with Dyana was a valuable experience that provided great insight on what I should expect this fall.

Penn Bookstore

Afterwards I met up with Alex for lunch and we ate at Cosi. He tried taking me to see David Toomer but he was not available to speak with me until Thursday. Alex couldn't stay for too long since he had homework to do so I bid him farewell and there I was all alone. I decided to do some souvenir shopping which was a great way to pass time. However, the fun was short lived. I didn't have anything to do after the shopping so I walked around campus and just enjoyed the view. I got to admit it was pretty lonely though.

It'll be difficult leaving the west coast.

Eventually I found a place to just sit down for an hour or so. A strange yet memorable experience occurred while sitting on the bench: A man walked by and said to me, "I was in the same seat as you were in, until I found God." It was pretty funny but that made me wonder, did I look that lost and alone? Some time later Christina was able to pass by and accompany me for a while. It was really kind of her to do so. With nothing left to do, I decided to walk back to the hotel and enjoy the new things I would see.

Overall my experience here has been amazing. The city of Philadelphia is filled with shopping, food, and people. It actually reminds me of San Francisco in way -- which is a good thing! The University of Pennsylvania is beautiful and attractive. From what I hear I came when the weather was really nice. The sun was shining bright the days I have stayed here and I hope that symbolizes good fortune for my future. I want to take the time to thank the Ivy League Connection for all that it has done for me. It all began last year when I stepped foot into the interview room for Grand Strategies. From that, I was exposed to schools like U Penn during my trip last summer and that directly influenced my decision to apply here. I'm still surprised that I have been accepted into U Penn and I know I wouldn't have done it without the ILC. So thank you Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Don for all that you have done for me and the program. The program works. And also, I want to thank Dyana So, Christina Pelayo, and Alex Elms for being really supportive and friendly while I visited Penn. It was really relieving having them here. A BIG THANKS to everyone! I really enjoyed my time here. :)

I want to go ice skating!

Delaware River

Random park I came across.

Clock Tower