South Street Stroll

As a reserved and passive person, social events prove to be a challenge to take part in. Many people may find that unusual because a social event is supposed to be interactive, natural and fun. Personally, the thought of taking part in a social event is rather terrifying. I originally had mixed feelings about going to college because I wanted to start a new chapter in my life, but I did not know what to expect. I had only experienced life behind the walls of a small town in the suburbs of Maryland.

After moving to Philadelphia over a week ago, I immediately came to realize that I was going to have to overcome my absurd fear of being social. College life revolves around the interaction and communication of diverse students from nearly all over the world who are also lost in the atmosphere. This atmosphere of confusion and apprehension can be subdued by providing a way for students to get to know each other. In order to catalyze the interaction of students, Drexel provides several social events in which students can participate- one of them being the South Street stroll.

It was a Saturday night, two days before classes started, and I decided to be adventurous for once. I walked out my dorm room, and I decided that I was going to invite a few friends to join me on my journey. After recruiting four other friends, we made our way to the trolleys that were taking students to South Street. We reached the line, which was nearly a quarter mile long, and we began to feel irresolute about our decision to go. One of my friends turned and said, “Whose idea was this again?” Everyone began to laugh hysterically while subtly accusing me of this disastrous idea. While we were waiting, I began a conversation with my friend Nicky and I got to know more about him and his life. Nearly an hour had passed and the line was still a few feet long. We waited impatiently for the next trolley to come pick students up, but it felt as if the trolleys were lost. My leg began to hurt after standing for such a long time, and just as I was about to sit down, two trolleys made their way back. I was overwhelmed with excitement because we were finally going to make it to our destination. The line began to move up and the two trolleys began to fill. One trolley was filled with students and already left. The second trolley was filling rather rapidly, and my hopes began to dwindle as I thought that we were not going to make it on the trolley. My fear was confirmed when we were stopped right before going on to the trolley. We were the first ones in line!! So we waited another twenty minutes until the next trolley arrived and took us on a bumpy and windy ride to South Street.

I began to walk along this brick road to a street full of bright lights and shiny cars. The street was full of people and assorted shops. The sidewalks were packed with people talking, screaming, and laughing on a seemingly aimless journey. My friends and I made our way down this seemingly endless stretch of shops and entered various ones that we felt intriguing. We entered various stores, some of which the names I can not disclose due to their sexual content. One of the best stores we went into was Jim’s Cheesesteaks which also had an enormous line. At first I was hesitant to even attempt to wait in line but my friends convinced me that this place had the absolute best cheesesteaks ever. We waited in line again for nearly thirty minutes, but it was worth the wait because the cheesesteaks were delicious. After grabbing something to eat, my friends and I continued down the street and chatted as we walked. I began to feel comfortable around my friends after sharing stories and telling jokes. My fear of social events always seems irrational after taking part in one. My fear arises irrationally before these social events and I hope that someday that will dissipate.

After walking for nearly ten minutes, we decided that it was time to head back home. We arrived at the trolley line to return back, and we were going to have to wait another twenty minutes! My friend again turned and said, “Whose idea was this again?” We all started laughing, but then I said, “At least it turned out to be fun. It was definitely worth the wait!”