Great Conversations Over a Philly Cheesesteak

Me and the Benjamin Franklin Statue

Woke up around 7:30 this morning and headed for the train station. We picked up some snacks from the train station and ate our "breakfast" on the train. We lugged all of our luggage down the station and found empty seats. I managed to find a seat next to this boy who seemed to be near my age, but our only communication was approving head-nods and awkward smiles. He also seemed to be uninterested in having conversation since he left in his headphones in the whole time, so I took advantage of the quiet and smooth journey and slept.

We arrived in Philadelphia at around 10 AM. We first headed for our hotel, however; our rooms were not yet ready, so Ms. Thrift suggested that we go out and get a Philly Cheese-steak. We found one interesting place around the corner, and ordered the traditional cheese-steak. Don't get me wrong, the cheese-steak was great, however it did not live up to my high expectations.

At the table, our cohort engaged in rather deep and thought-provoking conversations. We addressed matters such as abortion, birth control, and celebrated the recent Supreme-Court ruling on gay marriage. I felt like I had truly found my place with a group of people; typically when I attempt to have deep conversations with peers back home it ultimately results in confusion on their side and frustration on mine, as most people aren't as informed on topics or are completely ignorant towards them. 

Another building that looks like Hogwarts

We returned our hotel and awaited for our rooms to be ready. We waited probably 2 more hours than expected, but we were eventually able to access our rooms. We unloaded our bags, and headed towards UPenn where we were to have a campus tour.

My cohort and I met with our tour-guide Dyana in between the Benjamin Franklin statue and the button. She took us around the campus and we were able to get more of a personal tour since there was only 4 of us. I saw many beautiful buildings and she informed us very well on facts about UPenn. 

Dyana So our lovely tour-guide

Michael a rising junior from Penn

Samantha, one of the realest alums I've met

After the tour, we returned to our hotel and freshened up for our dinner with Dyana and two other current UPenn students. We ate at Distrito, this incredibly hip and modern Mexican laptop. The food was incredibly delicious and unlike any other place I had been before. We had some really great conversations at the dinner table. I feel so much more informed on the college process, and it feels great to have people to contact whenever we have any concerns. We finished up our meal, and headed back to the hotel.