partying

Moving from home to college is a big step, but moving from one country to another is huge. That’s what I had to do when I was coming to Drexel. I was leaving everything I knew behind. It could have been frightening, but I had friends from my high school, coming too and I usually like to experience new things. We hooked up and one of the guys, who is a sophomore, invited us to a house party that night.
We thought, finally a party, how different can that be.
First of all we had to get to the party; this wouldn’t have been bad if we actually knew where it was. We walked everywhere! Walking all over, doubling back when we realized we were going the wrong way, walked around blocks then cutting across till we ended up exactly where we started off in d first place. After about 2 hours or so the excitement was wearing of, my feet were being pinched by my shoes, I was sweating and the conversation had been reduced to mere grunts. By the time we actually found the party we had lost a huge chunk of our eagerness. We got to the door and we were asked to pay. It’s a small thing, yet I had never heard of that before. But it was our first night so we just paid and went in. Only to be hit by the hottest, most stale air possible! It was like breathing in liquid air, nothing actually going into your lungs. Then there were the people. Being in that room reminded me, vaguely, of those classic cartoons that pack so many clowns in that tiny, wind up car. There was absolutely no space. We had to inch in with our elbows tucked in. I am not a tall person, being about 5’ 4”, you can just imagine how easily I was pushed around by the wrestlers and basket ball players, I couldn’t even walk in the direction I wanted to go in and I was helplessly guided to the dance floor by the movement of other people, where I got my second shock.
I’m not a conservative person but the way people dance here is just amazing. I had never seen such licentious dancing and I was fascinated. Such dances cannot be described for an assignment but many people know what I’m talking about.
This party was a bit too much for me. I couldn’t take the heat and the smell. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse I heard from the door way, “This is the police, everyone needs to leave. This party is over” I looked at my watch and saw it was only to 2 am. This didn’t make sense, a college party ending so early? But it the cops so people were out pretty fast.
It was still early so we decided to go to our friend’s apartment. At the door, I heard a conversation in another language, one I understood. Inside there were a few people talking and laughing, all from where I was from. It was such a relief to hear that after the awful night we had. They then told us about their first years in college too, making our situation seem much more humorous. My first experience wasn’t too great but meeting these people made it easier to deal with, and we made more new friends anyway.

getting off my high horses

It was Thursday, September 18th, and after a long day of moving in, the night had finally begun. Greek Row was the scheduled event for the evening where all the fraternities and sororities opened up their houses to potential new members. While getting information on the formal aspect of Greek Life, minds raced contemplating the social scene associated with each chapter. After all, college fraternity parties are notorious and undeniably something most high schoolers look forward to. The anticipation was great while whispers floated through crowds of anxious freshmen inquiring where the party would be that night...

Sooooooooo after asking around, TKE was the house of choice for the night. A group of girls and I approached the house together and made our way to the front porch. The only guy with us was my good friend from high school so we figured our guy:girl ratio wouldn’t receive complaints. We assumed too quickly because just as we were excitedly making our way through the door, we were stopped. 

“Hey who is this guy coming in?” one of the members demanded. 

I turned around with a smile and said, “he’s my friend. What’s the problem?”

“No guys are allowed in,” he firmly replied. “It would be considered dirty rushing if we let him in.”

“What is that????” I asked insistingly. I had never heard of “dirty rushing,” and thus thought it was a made-up excuse. I was convinced that the guy was giving us a hard time solely because he wanted only girls admitted into the house so that the TKE fraternity members would be able to “feast” wholesomely. I bluntly said, “BS” to the fraternity member’s surprise. He wasn’t expecting such defiance. “I’m not coming in unless you let my friend come in, too.” The member would not relent, and my efforts proved to be futile. For once my sass didn’t win me the argument. I didn’t feel right leaving my friend; however, he insisted I should go in with the other girls and enjoy myself. I gave the guy at the door a nasty look and proceeded inside.

The party was upstairs, so as the first one in, I started up the central staircase. Suddenly I heard a voice from behind say, “Woah wait a second!”

I turned around to see another fraternity member at the bottom of the stairs ushering me down and holding back the other girls from following me up the stairs.

“What now???” I asked frustratedly. 

He stated, “only members are allowed on the central staircase. All other non-members must take the back stairs.”

Severely offended, I began bickering, “what!?!?! That’s so ridiculous! Not only did someone make my friend leave at the door, but now this, too?! We’re your guests here and you’re making us go up the back stairs!?!? That’s so wrong!”

Again, my efforts were futile, and we were led to the back stairs. I continued by angry rants up the back staircase and made sure the guy leading us got a piece of my mind. I had taken such great offense. Call me a raging feminist, but at the time I thought it was so degrading. 

  The rest of the night went well, but I still couldn’t believe what had happened at the beginning. I needed to vent to someone, so I called one of my good friends who is a sophomore at UC Irvine. I told her the story, but instead of getting consolation, she gave me a major reality check. 

“Ranna, I can’t believe you made such a fool of yourself. Sororities and fraternities are not a joke, and you need to start taking them more seriously. Dirty rushing is a legitimate excuse for the frat member to refuse your friend’s entrance. The term refers to a version of bribery. The frat does not want to get accused of trying to convince your friend to rush their frat by showing him a good time at a party. Student recruitment is supposed to be done in other, more formal ways. The frat could get in trouble if other frats suspect them of dirty rushing activities. 

As far as the whole ‘central staircase’ issue goes, all I have to say is that you need to get off your high horses. Going up that central staircase is an honor for members. They get that privilege because they put the time and effort into earning the membership to the fraternity. You are not allowed up those stairs because you are simply using the house for a party. I suggest you display more modesty and discretion in your actions from now on.”

I was speechless, and I felt completely humiliated. She was right; I really didn’t give enough credit to sororities and fraternities for being honorary groups. My disrespect towards the fraternity rules and traditions made me seem ignorant and quite frankly, (pardon me) like a bitch. Anyway, I guess part of being in college involves getting stripped of your dignity at some point. I had my shining moment on day one so who knows what’s to come... 

miles away

Most freshmen here at Drexel are from Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and other cities and towns, big and small around the US. Where am I from? I am from Mumbai. Well of course it’s not another city in the US. It’s Mumbai, India. Yes, I am an international student here at Drexel and it is my first time in the US. I have flown thousands of miles on a 16 hour long flight to get here and so long my experience has been exhilarating. Being a “Mumbai boy” for 15 years was quite enjoyable, but a 15, for the first time I was about to move from Mumbai to Singapore for high school ahead, and today I have crossed several boundaries to get to the US. The transition between Mumbai and Singapore and Mumbai and US was poles apart. At the beginning of my journey I was apprehensive, questions like “How is it going to be to stay so far away from home?”, “ Will I be able to adapt to a new place and an unfamiliar environment” and many other q’s kept bothering me. But to my surprise it wasn’t as complex and challenging as it seemed. It has been more of an adventure where I am learning a lot about ‘change’. Interacting with people from around the globe, making new friends with ease, learning about their culture, acquainting them with mine; assimilating to the way of life in a country far away from home is rather exciting.

Moving in late at Calhoun, I missed my first weekend on campus and the fraternity parties. However on a dull Tuesday evening when I was too lazy to walk up to the dining center I got a few friends to join me for dinner at Chillies. We reached the restraint at around 9pm, and placed are orders. I ended up ordering “egg roll” thinking it’s going to be stuffed with eggs, but it turned out to be stuffed with egg plant. Except that, it was my first time out with friends around the campus. During the brief 20 minutes or so, we got to know each other and were well acquainted about the basics. During the conversations during as we chewed on our appetizers , we realised many of us shared the same interests - food, music, lifestyle, hobbits etc. As we reached desert we knew pretty mush all we had to about each other. This was one my first Drexel experiences although not on a large scale, it was quite interesting. In the days to come, I hope to have many more great “Drexel experiences”

College Life

Throughout my first week of school there were many times when the opportunity to not have class and have a good time came up. First of all I moved in four days before classes started. Second, I realized I only had class a maximum of three times a day, and even had a day when I only had to show up once. This quickly led to a problem of me asking myself what to do. I was in a new city, that previously I had only spent a day in my entire life in, and knew no one. So I set out to find something fun to do and quickly made some friends with people who had common interests with me. One such group was a bunch of guys who liked to go play football at Buckley Green. Which is a field used by club/intramural teams and for impromptu games. It was a great time being able to go play a fun game of football. I had played football in high school, but I wouldn’t call it fun. Practices all year and long days where I constantly wished I was somewhere else. Now don’t get me wrong, I like to play football, but not at the price of my free time. So being able to go play a pick-up game of football is something I call a good time. I found myself at Buckley a lot. While there, I enjoyed playing the game I love instead of practicing it. Also, it gave me a lot of new people to meet and go do other things around the city with. Some of whom have become my closest friends here at Drexel. All in all college has been great so far. I have never been sitting there looking for something to do, I have never been bored, and I have never not had a good time. It’s awesome.

So much for events...

What are these “social events” everyone speaks of? To me, it simply means nothing. To be honest, I really don’t get too much time to go out like the average kid. I play tennis for the Drexel team, so my focus is strictly on practicing and winning. Education is definitely part of the agenda as well, but that already is a given.

I have been absent from each and every single social event that occurred during the first week of school. However, I did attend my first tennis tournament as a Drexel Dragon representative. This tournament, The Philly Six, consisted of LaSalle, Villanova, Temple, St. Joe’s, University of Penn, and Drexel. It was quite the transition from being in the junior level to playing a Division I level. Everyone is bigger and hits harder, and I became merely a small fish in the ocean. Despite the size discrepancy of me being 5’6 and everyone else at least 5’10, I stood my ground. With the support of my fellow Dragons, I felt confident and determined. This was quite a new experience; having the support from a group of people I just recently met. Tennis no longer felt like an isolated world where there is just me. It suddenly became a team sport. Anyhow, I took on the tournament and won the damn thing, and I’ve never felt better.  I shared my triumph and victory with the team, who now became my family. In addition to such rewards, I was able to represent for my school and proved that Drexel is a force to be reckoned with.

College Living

I thought I new what to expect when I got to college, from hearing about it from various friends and family members. But now that I’ve lived on campus a little over a week I realized what they all forgot to tell me. How completely free you are. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want, and eat anything that I want to eat. How I don’t have to tell my parents everything about my day and my night like I did when I was still living at home. To me it was on of the greatest feelings in the world how independent I had to be and wanted to be. I loved the feeling that I was in control of my day and what I did.

Through out the past week some friends and I have gone out around our campus as well as UPenn’s, and I just love it. I love that we can just go out and walk a few blocks and I can get whatever I need from food to entertainment and everything else. I am really enjoying campus life and living in a great place with all new people.

Old Meets New

The transition from high school to college is often a difficult one for many kids. The prospect of meeting new friends and fitting into a new environment can seem like a daunting task. In my case; however, the transition was smoothed by some familiar faces. I decided to move in early, the Wednesday before school started instead of Thursday, but found myself virtually alone on my floor. I was too timid to walk around and meet new people and wasn’t quite sure what to do. After I finished unpacking, savior from a lame night by myself watching a lifetime original movie came to me in the form of a text message. My two good friends from high school, and current UPenn freshman asked me out to a ‘welcome to college’ dinner at our favorite restaurant in center city. I gladly accepted the invitation and got ready to go. It was great to see my boys and catch up on our summers. Conversation then turned to what they like to do in Philly at night. They told me about all the best restaurants and great clubs. I got a crash course in Philadelphia nightlife and how to maneuver the public transit system. After our evening, I still felt somewhat nervous about making new friends the next day. What if I didn’t like my roommate? How would I go about meeting new people? Luckily, I was able to use my newly acquired Philly inside info to make conversation and meet some people. I even suggested to my new friends that we go to one of the clubs my friends told me about. Since I knew where to go, I was the man of the evening. Thankfully, my old buddies helped me in making some new Drexel friends.

Race Street Floor Six

On Wednesday of last week, I moved into the sixth floor of Race Street, and from what I hear, we on floor six have it the best. Although we had to wait for a week for our RA Tushar to show up, he is by far one of the nicest people I have ever met. My sister went to Rutgers in New Jersey, and the administration just didn't seem to care about their students as much as Drexel does. Along with all the programs and perks Drexel has to offer to their new and existing students, they go even farther to make sure that even the freshman RAs truly care about their students. Tushar gave all of us his number just in case we found ourselves in any trouble on- or off-campus, organized us sixth-floor movie and sushi/karaoke nights, and even offered to take a group of us into the city for ice cream.

This all would have been nice by itself, but what makes it even better is that everyone on floor six gets along really well. Of course, roommates and suitemates will always have their own individual differences, but everyone on our floor is friendly with everyone else. At any given time of day, more than half of all the doors on the sixth floor could be open for anyone to just pop in and say hey. In fact, only one room has had their whiteboard stolen off their door, and that was probably just a prank. There are a couple of people from various other floors, and even other buildings, who chill on floor six, complaining about their own floors' stuffiness towards meeting new people and simply being friendly. A few other kids who like to cook and I made everyone dinner in our kitchen, and it was kind of nice to have twenty or so people walking in and out for some chicken parm and pasta. Some people brought their friends and everyone just had some fun talking and eating dinner on a rainy Saturday night. And of course, Tushar helped us all clean up, even though he had some work to do for his classes this week.

It's been kind of strange being thrown into a situation that forces such close contact between individuals who have never met each other before, let alone people who would have never even talked to each other previously. Two of my roommates are people I necessarily would not have talked to pre-Drexel, simply because we don't have much in common. But after bonding with them over the past week and a half, I am so happy I was assigned to the sixth floor with them. I truly hope everyone else at Race and all the other residence halls are also having as much fun so far as I am, and I really hope this experience continues to be just as great as the first week has been for floor six.

Greek NIte

Greek Nite, having everything to do with letters and symbols of the Greek Language, but nothing about learning them. Greek Nite was a gathering of all fraternities and sororities, for the sake of recruiting new students to the organizations. The purpose of this night will be a foreshadowing of Rushing. This is a time of the individual pledging his/her allegiance and whole-heartedly dedicating themselves to any one fraternity or sorority that becomes of interest at Greek Nite. The irony of sororities and fraternities is that while they are meant to foster community of brotherhood and sisterhood, closeness, and a feeling of kinship apart from kinfolk; can cause alienation, humiliation, the taking advantage of new students and sometimes the occurrence of illegal acts. Pledging to a fraternity/sorority can be nerve-racking as it involves hazing. Hazing is any act of initiation needed to be carried out by the group toward the individual, whereby showing the approval of the individual as a member. Now, hazing in it of itself is not a bad thing...it can have its positive effects of personally challenging the individaul to, in a sense, "stay the course". What this means to the individual is that they are able to show the group and simultaneously prove to themselves that no matter how difficult the act of initiation, they are willing to sacrifice or in a more dramatic sense endure pain, no matter how severe or embarrasing, or both. This is a statement of dedication and will ensure the individual's acceptance. However, no matter how glorious this may sound, hazing can morph from a triumphant show of alleigance into a horrific stance of elitism, causing new students to feel alienated, and going too far in terms of how much is realistically can be demanded from one indivdual. This is what crossed my mind as I strolled down the lively houses on the row. This is what is realized would be at the back of the welcomes of upperclassmen, showing us and introducing us to sorority/fraternity life. This is was the stigma of Greek Nite and because of this I changed my mind and will not pledge. Thank You.

New Student Carnival: Lame event or friend building experience?

Let me start off by emphasizing one point--the epitome of a Drexel planned event was the new student carnival in the quad. The carnival was basically an extension of an ice-breaker; a way to meet new people. The concept of an ice-breaker event is not an old one. Similar events have been done for various groups of people where the majority of attendees have never met before. From awkward games to great hall dinners, this kind of social encouragement is a staple of American society--from college events to business conferences.
At first glance, what was dubbed a carnival was basically a lame avenue to obtain free food. Most of the attractions weren't really exciting at all; a moon bounce that was under-inflated, an inflatable rock wall that tipped over, and paintable frisbees to name a few. The main consensus of most attendees can easily be summed up by the word "lame". I too at the time thought the new student carnival was not very special, but now that I look back on my first week here at Drexel, I realize it was actually quite crucial. Events like the new student carnival served as a conversation piece--even if you didn't enjoy the event it was always something to talk about. I made many friends that I either met at or after the carnival or by talking to them about it. Showing off the (mostly ugly) frisbees and talking about the food and semi-terrible inflatables gave students a way to relax and all share a common, although unpleasant, opinion. Even the advertisement booth for Fuze fruit drinks was a good conversation piece. Many students (including myself) now carry Fuze branded lanyards and often remark to each other "hey, I have that same lanyard!" The theme of slightly awkward social interaction gave everyone a way to relax and have fun. All in all, the immediate experience of the new student carnival was not very exhilarating, but the long term effects of social bonding will be felt by all of the class of 2012/13.



Oh, and next time there should be cotton candy.

Experiencing College

I really wasn’t quite sure of what to expect going into my first year of college. Actually, college was quite intimidating; I just didn’t know what I was getting myself into. On the other hand, I just could not wait to move-in so I could experience the college life that everyone was telling me about. I was told so many times, “College will be the best time of your life.”
My first real college experience was Night on the Row. This is when all of the Fraternities and Sororities open their doors and welcome anyone in who would like to know more of what the Greek Life is like. Night on the Row was a great event where I was able to connect with many other students and see what college life was like.
My nerves were still not settled though. In my first week of class, my outgoingness kicked into play and I was meeting so many awesome people. Many of which I see becoming my best friends. Everything that I was experiencing was exactly what I was told. I was told that I would meet some of my best and closest friends at college, and I believe it now. As I begin to realize that, everything everyone is telling me about college is coming true, my nerves are calming. I now realize that I could not have chosen a better college. I can’t wait for my future career here at Drexel.

Commuting Conflicts

Being a commuter has its perks as wells as its downfalls. Having to be on the road an hour before the campus resident student wakes up, I already have found myself driving around for thirty minutes looking for a parking spot. However, every night I receive a home cooked meal. I do have already pre-existing friends that are residents on the campus. So, I am almost pampered by both worlds.

One morning in between classes, my friend calls me and invites me to come up to his room instead of spending an hour or two in the library. He tells me the room number, and I think nothing more of it. I bring my books with me so I can proceed to my next class with very little transition. I make it up to the room no problem and start knocking. No answer. Wait a little bit more and then knock some more. No answer. Look for my phone but my pocket is only filled with keys and pens. Then, someone comes to the door, but it is not the friend I was looking for. Apparently, he had told me the wrong room number, because the person that stared at me was not planning on waking up to a stranger at 10 in the morning. Luckily, I had met the friendly giant this past summer. Having wasted 30 minutes catching up on things, I had to rush to class. After the class, I receive a phone call from my original friend, and he is wondering where I was. I tell him what happens and my original friend, my reacquainted friend, and I all go and grab some food then hang out.

Dining at UPenn

Its been about a week since I have moved to Drexel University and I am already sick and tired of the food. I am a very picky eater and I need variety in food. Earlier today, I wished that Drexel had more restaurants on campus like the other schools did. To my surprise, a friend of mine told me that UPenn had a lot of different food choices and that you didn't have to be a part of the school to eat there. For dinner we decided to eat there and I was enthralled by the variety. The campus had Auntie Annie's pretzels, Taco Bell, Cosi, Quiznos, and much more. I was so excited to eat because I wanted the taste of the Handschumacher Dining Hall to leave my mouth. My friend and I decided to eat at Taco Bell and we were satisfied much more than we would have been had we eaten at Drexel's Dining Hall. I would definitely eat there again.

The Projects

Well I have to say first off that college life in the city is incredibly different than the lifestyle I used to live in. I'm originally from Lititz, PA which is just north of Lancaster county. I'm experiencing an immense difference in culture and living away from my family and out of the farmlands. The amish have virtually ceased to exist here. It is great to finally be in a big city though, and learning my way around the campus is always an adventure.

The first few nights I was here I went around introducing myself to people, and I have made a good amount of friends and, sequentially, there are a few guys that I naturally hang out with more than others. I was surprised when I came in and started talking to my roommate and found out that we were a lot alike. It really is a relief when your roommate likes the same music, movies, and sports that you do. Although it may be too soon to decide, the four other guys I have been hanging around with and myself have decided to start looking for houses that we can all live in together next year instead of living in dorms again.
Along with all the new things I have been experiencing at Drexel, my two friends and I went out a few days ago to watch a girls club soccer game. While we were walking we thought that we might have gotten lost, so Ken decided to get out his Blackberry and check the map for directions. In fact, we were already going in the right direction, so we decided to keep walking and trust our instincts while, naturally, we would never stop to ask for directions being men and all. As we continued on our way we saw the complex that we were supposed to be in, and kept walking around it to find a gate to the inside. As we were walking, we saw an entrance to a park that looked like it was attahed and went through to the soccer fields. We traveled this path, and upon entering, were approached by two African-American people. The woman, seeming to be nice, told us that we should turn around, because just the other day a white student got mugged by a few people in the park. Her boyfriend/husband told us that she was crazy and we should not listen to her, and being the idiots that we are, we continued through the park. After walking a few minutes, we realized that we were walking through the projects, and were now looking out for our lives and money. There were three buildings and everyone around was staring at us when we walked by, but we made sure not to make eye contact with anyone. One woman in a wheelchair rolled up near us and asked what happened to my arm. She, as well as myself, had a broken arm, and she kept referring to us as "sexy white boys." At this point our hearts were pounding and we realized that we needed to find a road as soon as possible, as we were continually being watched like hawks from everyone around. Soon after, I looked back and saw that there were two men following us that were watching us before, and we picked up our pace at that point after spotting a road. Finally, after sweating bullets and walking until our legs fell off, we reached the entrance to the field. Being the astute studets that we are, we realized that if we would have followed the people we were following in the first place (who took the left in the fork) instead of listening to the Blackberry (going to the right in the fork) we would have been at the game 30 minutes earlier, instead of walking the entire way around the stadium, and almost losing our valuables/lives.
When we arrived at the game, the rain started coming down, and the thunder started pounding in the sky. A few minutes later the game was cancelled, and everyone exited the stadium. Although we were disappointed, we were glad to be alive, and sat at the stadium for a few minutes until we gained enough courage to get back on the streets and walk home. We most definitely learned a lesson that day, and have decided to always go with a bigger group if we are going to attend any sporting events.
Obviously everyone is going to have some scary moments in the city, and my friends and I had a good laugh afterwords, but I must warn anyone who doesn't know where they're going to be very careful while traveling in new areas. That's all for now.

Kevin

Unplanned Events

My first weekend here was filled with many planned events, from night on the row to a carnival in the quad. However these events are not where my most memorable social event took place. I was on my way to one of the scheduled "forced fun" activities. When i passed by the Volleyball Courts and saw one of the kids I met at New Student Orientation. His name was Brandon and he was getting ready to start a game with some other kids from his dorm. I quickly asked if they minded if i joined them.
That's when I realized you can't force friendships you have to find people with common interests and hope to build on those interests. Over the course of the first week I opted for volleyball instead of doing my homework. Which allowed me to meet new people with every new match-up. I developed friendships with my makeshift teammates. All in all I learned from this experience, that getting out and doing something will force you to make new friends. So I will continue to attend unplanned events because for me they are the best way to make friends and meet new people.

Drexel move-in

The few weeks before I moved into my dorm at Drexel University were simultaneously extremely boring and anxious. I am from Timonium MD, a northern suburb of Baltimore city. Almost all of the colleges from around me that all of my other friends were going to had already started weeks before move-in day at Drexel. So since most of my friends were gone, I was pretty bored.
That also meant that I had a lot of time to sit around and think about what starting college would be like. I’m kind of person that always likes to have a plan of what I’m going to be doing and college was something that I had no previous experiences to relate it to. The closest thing I’ve done to going away to college was going to summer camp with the Boy Scouts for a week for a few summers. A week is considerably shorter than nine months.
Move in was a lot of fun. My roommate had been in our suite alone for a few days before I moved in because he took an early materials science course so he was happy to have everyone else around. I am in the Race street residence hall, which has suite style dorms for mostly honors freshmen. I’m not in the honors college but apparently they had extra space for non-honors freshmen so I got in anyway.
I feel very lucky because the Race dorms are very new and quite nice. They are suite style with two bedrooms with two people in each room and a common area with a couch, chairs, a fridge, a sink and a bit of counter space. My roommates and I are working on decorating our walls with posters so the walls aren’t so bare. A few of the ones we have so far are from Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight, Sin City and The Simpsons.
So far college has been a lot of fun. I’ve met a bunch of new people and learned a bit already, mostly about how to live away from my family and their support. All of my classes that I take later that are more specific to my major seem like they will be really interesting and I’m already thinking about where I want to do my Co-Op internships.

Also, spore is an awesome game.

Back At Drexel

This is my first Hybrid course at Drexel, so I'll have to get used to the way things work. I'm actually a Sophomore but since the Music Industry program layout is 'different' from other programs, I take my English classes my second year of college. Since I was a Freshman last year I can still talk about my experiences as a Freshman during the first week of school, compared to being a Sophomore the first week of school. 

There are several major differences, although the factor of being able to 'socialize' without the burden of school work yet remains the same.

First major difference; registration (aka hell). As a freshman in most cases all your classes are laid out for you and you are pre-registered. After Term 1 that changes and you get to experience the fantastic world of the Term Master Catalogue, registration numbers and our wonderful administration. Although there is the freedom and excitement of getting to pick out your classes and make your own schedule, sometimes it doesn't always go as planned. Classes getting cancelled, class times changing and required classes not being offered the term you need them. I know I am starting to sound like quite the pessimist, but it is quite nice to be able to have your days start at 12, working it out so you have no class certain days and giving yourself lunch breaks through out the day. It is a stressful process at first, but something you begin to actually look forward to!

The second major difference is the socializing. As freshman, although you may know some of the students already from home, school, or orientation, there are many new faces. The question of ' who am I going to hang out with the first night' or 'what parties aren't creepy' may come up. Either way you meet people quickly and find out where not to go. If I can remember correctly, my first night at Drexel I went to a party with some people on my floor (Calhoun-Ahhh) way past Spring Garden Street in some sketch neighborhood. It was an experience and from things like that you quickly meet new people. This year, as a sophomore, I had to move in still, but after I was moved in, I called my friends. Knowing who to hang out with, where to go, and having a long list of phone numbers in your phone makes it a bit easier to hang, party, chill; whichever you prefer. I kept it simple my first week of school, moved in, met up with friends I hadn't seen all summer and hung out at the dorms and house; no crazy parties yet.

Freshman year is fun, full of new experiences and the start of your independence. Sophomore year is also fun, the search for Co-Ops begin and there is a sense of wisdom, experience, and independence. 

Best of luck everyone!

Eric                     

Un musée et une fille ivre

As this Saturday marked my first true collegiate weekend, my friends and I decided that free is always a good choice and so went to the Franklin Institute, which was admitting college students for free this day. Because I had only visited once before, much of the museum was new to me, although the long lines made it hard to fully enjoy. Despite this, we walked around and observed all of the amazing scientific feats on display. The highlight of the day, for better or worse, involved a video in the area called "Newton's Lounge", where a video displayed an extremely long Rube Goldberg machine (we sat there for at least 15 minutes). For those unaware, a Rube Goldberg machine is a device which uses a series of simple machines to accomplish a larger task, such as starting a toaster. What separated this video from other machines of the sort though, aside from its incredible running time, was the fact that the machine ended up doing nothing.

Thoroughly disappointed and more than a little hungry, we then ventured forth into Philadelphia, hoping to find the Hard Rock Café our one friend supposedly knew of. A short trek later, we had finally found it and sat down to a delicious and well-deserved burger. Having accomplished all our goals that day, we headed back to our friend's car and drove to another friend's dorm at Temple, where we stayed for a while until it was time to leave. At this point it was only myself and my friend with the car left, so he invited me to see his room at La Salle before taking me home. Having nothing better to do, I accepted.

This was the part of the night where everything began to spiral, culminating in seeing my first ambulance called to a college campus. My La Salle friend's roommate had left for the weekend, so he walked in expecting an empty room. However, his sight upon opening his door was a group of people from his floor sitting around drinking beverages of an alcoholic nature. Content to live and let live, he said they could stay as long as they cleaned up. After they promised, I was introduced to them and they to me. Things began amicably enough, with inoffensive radio rock being played and everyone chatting while my host showed me around the room.

Very shortly though, things took a turn for the worse as a pair in the room (one girl and one guy) began to develop more than platonic feelings for each other. This recent development had the effect of sending another girl into tears, whereupon she was taken to another room for consolation. To make a long story slightly less so, the proceedings came to a head when the girl (coupled with guy) began to deteriorate rapidly into a state of slurred mumblings and near-unconsciousness. Seeing that many things were amiss, a plan was hatched to take her to a communal bathroom in the hopes of making the night pass more easily for her. This failed however, and in short order several sophomores, roughly 3 RAs, and a small EMS team were gathered in the hallway. After the RAs gathered the necessary information, my friend and I left, with a new appreciation for sobriety.

Upon my arrival back at Drexel I briefly lamented the fact that nothing so exciting had happened here yet and went up to my room, trying to forget the cold that had been developing all weekend and deciding that there were worse ways to spend a Saturday night.

Do I fit in the Row?

Incoming freshmen all wonder about certain aspects of their college life before moving in. For some its about the friends, the parties, the sports, the classes, the amount of work,etc... Thd idea of friends and social life was the topic most on my mind.

Coming from a small town and going to a large university somehow freaked me out. I knew almost everyone in my high school and a lot of us were alike in so many ways. We liked sports, liked chilling, and were just outgoing. The kids i hangout with are unlike me in only one way. For me, education is something i always focus on almost to a sickening extent. My friends were opposite on the other hand. Hanging out with them made me feel more comfortable about myself because they weren't so serious all the time.

Needless to say I moved into school and things weren't like the dream I expected them to be. I moved into the honors dorms and knew my life had changed. A lot of people in here are constantly focused on their work. Their social life is almost non existent. I prided myself on being able to be social and crack down when i needed to. I needed to find that those kids who cared but also knew how to have fun...Thats where the "Night on the Row" came into play.

Night on the Row is basically a social event where you can see Greek life. The street where Greek Life occurs is called the row..Greek life is fraternity and sorority life.  Its  basically a group of guys or girls with similar values and ideas, who live in a house together. Incoming freshmen were allowed to meet some of these groups and enjoy food that the "houses" provided.  For the first time in college I saw kids with whom i connected with. They went to school but knew how to have fun. A lot of them liked the same things i liked and weren't so narrow minded on what one should do with their free time. I thrived for that brother like feeling I had with my friends at home. 

The frats seem like they can provide me with the aspect I miss most about my home. I just want to find my way in this huge place. I want to be in a fraternity not because of parties, or the house, but because of that brother like/ teammate feeling. I know I that my place is in the "Row."

so THIS is college

Growing up watching movies about college and having an older brother, I had a lot of preconceived ideas of what college would be like. I also took a year off after high school and went abroad, so all my friends are sophomores, so I thought I knew EXACTLY what I was getting into.  Within the first few days I already had my own group of friends, with new inside jokes and party memories (or reminders of what happened) to talk about.  The fears of being alone and struggling quickly melted away as the week before classes slipped through our fingers.  Everything I had heard was true! I wandered the streets and there were parties everywhere.  I wandered the dorm and new smiling faces waited behind every door. Of course it wasn't ultimate freedom compared to my year off, but all things considered, it looked like a wonderful, easy, fresh start.  

Of course, that 5 day weekend HAD to come to an end.  I HAD to go to bed before five in the morning.  I HAD to get a notebook and pen.  I HAD to do school work for the first time in over a year, and thats when it hit me.  WORK?!? Why don't they do work in the movies?? Why did my friends only tell me about the amazing parties and not the all night study groups?? What had I gotten myself into? My first instinct was to run away.  I had tasted full freedom.  I want to travel the world helping people, not be locked in what appears to be a much larger high school with much larger windows and much better weekends!! Where did this class thing fall into my plans? Of course I came to school to learn, but not to take notes and be lectured.  How can we be expected to sit in a lecture hall five days a week? PLUS all the homework.  If I have to read one more section of one more textbook I just might lose my mind! 

One thing that I really can't comprehend is how I'm supposed to know now what I want to do with the rest of my life.  I'm nineteen years old I don't know if I want to be a businesswomen, a lawyer, an astronaut, or a flavor inventor at Soy Delicious Ice Cream factory! I don't understand how I'm supposed to know what I want to do in 20 years time! Can't i just take philosophy and sit under trees trying to figure out just how we can prevent the human race from committing environmental suicide? I guess that would be an option, if I didn't have to sell an organ to cover the cost of each class.  

Anyway, before I knew what hit me, my day planner was packed with homework assignments, I had been embarrassed in front of multiple rooms of people I don't know, and I'd decided my life's course will be in business.  What a busy week! All I think about in class is the weekend, but even then I'm worried how I'll ever get the homework done! Although the weekends are straight from the films, college should come with a warning, "Must Do Work Until You Loose Sanity."  I guess I finally really know what college is like. 

Night on the row

Throughout high school I was kind of quiet and not that much of an outgoing person. Coming to Drexel University has changed that a great deal. In high school, I always spent time with my couple close friends. Meeting new people was I hard time because I never initiated conversation. I kept quiet and let everyone else talk. At Drexel, everyone is very friendly and outgoing and I am starting to adapt to that.



During the first day at Drexel, I spent time with a couple friends I met at orientation. They insisted we go to an event at night called night on the row where you can introduce yourself to fraternities. I suggested we just stay in and watch a movie. Let's just say majority wins so we ended up going out instead of staying in. At the end of the night I was very happy we didn't stay in. I met a bunch of new friends and got to check out what Drexel has to offer. Everyone was introducing themself, asking how classes are and such. They explained how everything works and why it is good to get involved. People that I met just that night seemed like best friends. When the event ended, new friends were calling me just to hang out and talk. I got so caught up I ended up going to sleep around five. Everyone I met introuduced me to new people so I always see familiar faces when walking the streets. That event changed everything because now I try to be outgoing instead of just sitting back being the quiet guy.

Welcome to the Big Show

While spending most of my educational career just getting by and not putting out the best effort, I had a good feeling my fresh new start at Drexel was going to end up being more than a full time job in a new unfamiliar area with new unfamiliar people. After my first week as a brand new college student I began to learn many new things. Sure, everyone goes out and parties and everything in Philadelphia is so exciting and fun, but what I started to learn was the huge awakening that I had in the classroom. With only one week of classes under my belt I knew that I had just stepped into the NFL, I mean this was the big show; no more slacking or procrastinating, sleeping or dazing, you had to bring whatever you had and more every day. The thing that I had to keep in mind was that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as they say; I know that by pushing myself and getting this great education I will hopefully set myself up for the rest of my life.
Along with starting the new college experience of being on my own and starting classes, I was quickly dropped into the world of Division 1 college wrestling. This is what truly opened my eyes. After having surgery over the summer I was not able to come into pre-season in the shape that I would have truly hoped to, but that’s just tough for me I guess because it doesn’t matter. Exactly one week after moving in HELL began. I’m talking about the wrestling pre-season. We immediately started to run distances of two to three miles followed by an hour of miscellaneous sprints and weightlifting. This was another time when I said to myself, welcome to the big show. While competing with 24 year old men and crazy coaches I finally stepped away from my high school mentality and quickly stepped into the role of my new full time job, Drexel University.

College - A Big Sleepover?

Yes, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for; especially when all our friends have been saying how awesome college life is for three weeks. And at last I took my first step into the dorm and there was an odd sensation of joy of never being grouped with “the high school kids.” In fact, I could finally be the one who could make fun of them and not be in that group at the same time. Anyway it was a good feeling all in all. But is college life the big sleepover everyone’s been talking about for (what seemed to be) such a long time? Well it turns that I’ll never be able to be a “rock star” that I was before, meet sexy college girls that are always in the movies, or even avoid the sweet trap of college that’ll eventually lead me into deep poo.

I’ve attended a boarding school for three years before I came here so I thought I was ready for the whole dorm life deal. And yes, I did have some knowledge I’ve gained during my high school life and had an edge over some naïve newbies; use plastic table ware because you will NEVER do your dishes; don’t wait to do your laundry until the weekend because every single machine will be taken; freshman 15 is actually about freshman 30.

But after a few days I realized I didn’t have that much advantage over the other people when college hit me with its biggest weapon; freedom. It is an advantage to have such freedom around but it can also be my worst enemy. Yes, it turns out that freedom is the sweet trap that’s gonna bite your end in the end. You may not realize it at first, but you soon find out that all the things that looked good at first turn out to pull you into a steaming pile of dung.

Co-ed dorm sounded so exciting after living in a single-sex dorm for three years. Well, it turns out it’s not such a fun thing. In high school people called me “rock star.” I was never such a cool guy before I went to high school but a few gigs at the school and around home gave me a taste of what it’s like to be a rock star for a few years. However, now that I’m here I realized that it wasn’t just the gigs that made me a star but it was also the closed dorm that hid the geeky side of me from the rest of the campus, such as me chugging down packs of Slim Jims or my proud collection of movies including the Marvel-hero movies. But now that I’m in a co-ed dorm, it’s not gonna be so easy to “fake my way to the top.”

Last night, after only having a salad for lunch I had a craving for a burger from Ross Commons. Well, being able to walk to Ross Commons at 11 in the evening is one of the nice things of college life here but it has its own down sides. When I was walking back to my dorm with my giant burger in one hand and huge fries in the other, I saw this hot girl right outside the dorm all dressed up nicely. I felt like an idiot and ran back in to my room. And of course, as that wasn’t enough, the one girl I like on this floor had to walk by and see me eating a giant burger alone in my room watching Scrubs. WOW. Just awesome. God, why do you hate me? I learned that it’s the small things that make you feel stupid enough to make you want to die.

These few events made me realize how different college life is going to be for me and not all it going to be as crazy and glamorous as Animal House or Step Up 2. However I do hope and believe college isn’t going to be as bad as I described it because I know I’m not alone in this crazy part of life. Every single student in this campus is dealing with problems big or small and I hope the people who are struggling to keep up with the monster can feel better after reading this. You’re not alone in the battle. We’re right beside you.

Being the Honorary Latina

Much earlier before actually even reaching the first week at Drexel, I knew that my room mate was from El Salvador and that I most likely would become friends with many more people from Central and South America. What I didn't anticipate was how different the experience of going on the weekends would be.

After venturing out with my newly found friends living in the race street suite style dorms on Thursday, my room mate suggested that I go with her to a "Latino party" as they are called with her on Friday. A Latino party is a party in which a group of Spanish speaking students (all usually from central or south America) from all around the area and surrounding schools meet up so that they can dance, drink, and socialize with people who have grown up with similar situations.

My roommate and I began our night around 11:30, which is accustom seeing as in Latin America culture, most don't even eat dinner until at least 9:30. We finally reached our destination around Midnight, after a walk to an off campus University of Pennsylvania house (in heels mind you).

First off, I noticed that everyone greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek and an excited "Hola! Como estas?" meaning, "Hello! How are you?" After getting over the initial shock of getting kissed on the cheek by about eight different people, I realized that the main socializing area was around the Hookah. A hookah is a device made for smoking tobacco and it is considered a very social event in almost all cultures. So mustering up enough courage, I joined my roommate in the hap-hazaard circle around the hookah and started talking to different people around me.

I had never realized how diverse the student population in Philadelphia was! I met people from Ecuador, Bolivia, Hoduras, Costa Rica and two others non latinos, one from Ukraine, the other from SIberia Russia. I was astounded by the sheer amount of culture that was packed into one slightly cramped apartment.

After staying at this apartment until about three in the morning, I had gotten my fill of drinking and socializing, it was now time to go to an after party to get the last important aspect of a Latino party, dancing.

Our group arrived at the after party which was a Upenn frat house basement party, I was then schooled in how to dance like a Latina. Seeing as I have been living in America my entire life, my definition of dancing that goes on at parties is, as my boyfriend has defined it in the past, "Groping your partner to a beat, therefore 'qualifing' it as a dance." But much to my surprise, none of my newly found friends had any interest in dancing like this. Instead, they taught me a very simple salsa which honestly, made me like dancing again. Instead of it being about "How vulger can I be on this dance floor?" it was about "How much fun can I have getting spun in and out and keeping to the rythm of my partner who genuinely just wants to dance?"

After about an hour or so of dancing and realizing just how exhausted we all were, we decided to go back to the dorms. As we made the treck back to the dorms, shoes no in hand, loud spanish streaming around me, I realized that I could get very, very used to this. I can't wait to see what happens next weekend.

A lot of the move in and ice-breaker events Drexel had planned during the first few days of “Welcome back week” did not really appeal to me. I really couldn’t see myself going to things like a casino night and a carnival on Friday nights. So during those first few days and nights I found my entertainment without Drexel’s direct help.

Then came Sunday, the best day of the week, the day you can be lazy and do nothing but watch football. I was ready to sit in my room with the TV on alternating between CBS and FOX all day. But then I received a text from my friend from orientation asking me if I’m going to Ross Commons for the Eagles game. I was skeptical at first I had never been to Ross before and assumed it to be a weathered shack with some beat up pool tables, moldy couches and an old Rear-Projection TV. I figured I would just go and check it out and that is what I did. I found Ross Commons and walked up the stairs of what seemed like a decked out frat house. I was shocked when I got to the top floor the Plasma TVs, game tables and hundreds and hundreds of Buffalo wings.

The Eagles and Steelers played that Sunday and won 16-5. With every big play on either side you could feel the energy in Ross. I myself was not to worried about the result of the game because I’m from New Jersey and like the Giants but it was still cool to be in an exciting atmosphere like that. Most of my focus was on the wings and the multiple pool games I played. I was also spending a lot of time observing my fellow students, understanding how important the Eagles success really was to them. Sports are a big thing here in Philly especially amongst the Student community. I look forward to more sports related events, and maybe having the team spirit here in Philly rub off on me.

Chik-Fil-A

After a trying junior and senior year of high school, starting at Drexel was a breath of fresh air. Finally I had a chance to start over, to become myself again and meet a few new friends on the way. With about 2,500 students in the freshman class, I was confident I could find friends easily. The only problem I had to overcome, as I’m positive many of us did, was the slight awkwardness associated with meeting people for the first time.
Before Move-In Day, I spent countless hours devising ways to avoid uncomfortable encounters with my new classmates. The night before the big day, I finally found my solution, a Chik-Fil-A nugget tray. I realized if anything brings people together, it is food. So I called my dad at 4 o’clock in the morning and ask him if he could order a large Chik-Fil-A tray for the next day.
After an exhausting Move-In Day, the moment of truth arrived; my dad called to tell me he had the chicken in his possession. I nervously text messaged a few people I met at orientation and asked them to come to my room to hang out. Within ten minutes, my room was crammed with then-strangers. I cannot really explain what it was, either the aroma of chicken nuggets or just a handful of Drexel freshman in a similar situation that made my transition into college easier than I could have ever imagined.

Hardcore Show

Greetings Bloggers.

Today I will be reciting to you an ancient tale, full of wonder, merrymaking, damp  basements,  and loud music.  Be forewarned: the story you are about to hear is aeons old, it's age being surpassed only by its HORROR.  

It all started with a valiant young man named "Me," who will be sometimes referred to as "I."  Yesterday, September 27th, I was hanging out with several of my friends in my luxurious castle abode in West Philadelphia, north of Spring Garden Street.  For all of the freshman who don't yet know (I'm guessing most of you), Spring Garden is the street where Drexel Public Safety dares not venture north of, partly because of the flame expelling dragons who roam the streets, but mostly because the sidewalks are uneven and often extremely hazardous.  As I was saying, me and my buddies were kickin' it after having walked around the city all day at the Art Museum and the Philly Campus Kickoff on the Ben Franklin Parkway.  We were relaxing, enjoying a few colas when suddenly, with my brain and mouth working in unison, I realized and simultaneously exclaimed, "I have a show tonight!"  You see, when your'e in  rock and roll band, the last thing on your mind is your duties as a member of a band.  The main thing we concern ourselves is simply living like rockstars.  But, on this occasion I happened to remember that I had a "show."  For those who don't know, a "show" is the bastard child of a concert.  It is smaller, the bands are usually on independent record labels (if any), and often times there is much more fun to be had.

So, the show was to take place in the southern part of West Philly, just below Baltimore Avenue, at a friend of mine from USP's basement.  Because we young Philadelphians despise the use of automobiles, we knew we were going to have to hoof it all the way there.  Instead of trying to carry all  of my large guitar amplification equipment halfway across the city, I made a phone call and asked to borrow an associate of mine's equally large equipment which was already at the show.  Of course, he readily obliged to my request.  So, with guitar case in hand, me and my six bretheren began our quest which took about 40 minutes and was uneventful except for the rain that began to fall and a man who became angry with us for not giving him change for him and his supposed girlfriend.  

When we arrived at the show, the first act had just started, a hip hop group named Circuits and Tendons which consisted of two emcees and one DJ.  With this being a hardcore show, the sight of a hip hop trio would seem unusual to most, but, in my infinite wisdom I knew that the one emcee was a brother of the owner of the house.  Also, the other emcee is a guitarist in my band, so in fact my wisdom would seem quite limited in scope.  After the first act, everyone went upstairs and commenced the ancient ritual rites of the "Tapping of the Keg."  A keg is an ancient device which holds a large amount of soda pop, in this case, root beer.  After two more bands played, it was time for my own band "Cut It Out," to play (I didn't name the band, relax).  So, we played loud and fast, transcending hardcore music into a dimension of rock and roll bliss.

After the show, I finagled a ride back to my abode and then walked to Spring Chinese restaurant where my peers and I ate reasonably priced and reasonably crappy chinese food.  After this, we set off some obnoxiously loud fireworks and I went to bed.  Thus is my story, as it has been for thousands of years and how it shall be for thousands more.

Panini: A Good Way to Make Friends

It was only day 3 of my new life here at Drexel, but the "ocho" was up to their usual antics (an amazing feat considering we had such a short amount of time to develop any sort of habitual activities). The "ocho", for those of you who are uninformed, is my floor. I live in Race Street, on the 8th floor, with the wildest group of kids that you could possibly imagine. As a result, my new home, the "ocho", is actually a never ending social event in and of itself. Nevertheless, day 3 stands out because it was Panini day. I like, well... love to cook, so that's just what I did. Last Saturday morning, 12 members of the "ocho", including myself, took the Trader Joe's on 22nd and market by storm. We weaved our way in and around 2o something year old democratic business women buying organic foods and quickly rounded up a various assorment of panini ingredient essentials.

After a quick trip on the green line, we set up shop in the kitchen. Random appliances, utensils, and plastic plates filtered their way into our common kitchen at the end of the hall. And there I stood, at the center of it all, warming up my grill, as an industrial kitchen was coming to life around me. Then, when we had decided that every kitchen tool known to man was now at our disposal, the grilling began. We instantly starting pumping out three delicious flavors of panini sandwiches.

The first was chipotle cheddar chicken, a wonderful combination of chipotle lime chicken, cheddar cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and maple roasted barbeque sauce. (Am I making you hungry?) As the chef, I was honored with the first bite of the first sandwich, and it was fantastic. Then, we switched gears to our next sandwich, Teryaki ginger garlic, a vegetarian option, filled with peppers, onions, and mushrooms and then topped with the title sauce. Finally, there was the creme de la creme of the panini world: Carribean Jerk Steak panini. Just the aroma of this sandwich started attracting guests from all over the building. Within minutes, our kitchen had crowded itself with nearly 30 people, all of them hounding us for paninis.

In 45 minutes, we made almost 50 sandwiches and many more friends. The entire operation was a great success in meeting new people, not to mention a delicious endeavor. As a result, Saturday afternoon is now cooking time every week for the floor. Just yesterday we made top notch quesadillas, and we have many other meals in store.




P.S. Warning: This is not part of the primary entry.
To advertise, you're all welcome to come by on Saturday afternoons. $5 all you can eat. Email Goggles rm553@drexel.edu come out, eat well, make friends. (I promise I won't spam this again).

Leaving home for a new home...

I am a resident of the U.A.E, United Arab Emirates, or used to be in any case. I have heard from different groups of my family that I am very ambitious and brave to travel to a foreign country to pursue my studies. And these were encouragements that i took for granted, but I did not realize until the day of the flight how much I would miss my family and the country i was raised in. Although my dream was coming true, coming to the United States to go after my college degree in one of the best Universities in the nation, tears did not escape my eyes when i wished my parents and family good-bye at the airport. No one in my family have heard of a relative leaving his parents at 18 years of age and traveling abroad, to them it was strange and new but they were reminded, by me of course, that this was the 21st century.
There I was traveling thousands of miles to fulfill my dream and to make my parents proud. After 19 hours on an airplane, I landed in a new world. Where rules, concepts, and ideas were a total revolution to my own. My uncle and grandmother, whom i will be staying with for the duration of my studies, was supposed to be waiting for me at the airport at 19:30 p.m. After, I was done from immigration, that went very smoothly contrary to me expectation. I realized the deadly mistake about telling my uncle the time of my arrival to the U.S., they were expecting me the next day at 19:30 and they had there preparations. I made some phone calls, and had to wait approximately for 2 hours to get picked up.
After the hugs and greetings with my beloved uncle, that I haven't seen for years. My uncle started telling me about college life, their house, and commuting method to the University. Just so you know, I am sharing the basement with my grandmother, God bless her she's the one that is taking care of me, 'she's a piece of my mother and I'm a piece of her daughter' as she described. I have a beautiful room, nature, and home cooked food at my basement it was more than enough.
The first day to university, I was equipped with a car and a GPS and tips on road regulations and highways (never seen anything like it). I got to the University "safely", and then headed to the ISSS office, very nice people greeted me. Then, I was enlisted in a University tour, where i found my high school friend also attending Drexel. Later on when University started, and got to know new people and get to know the place. I started to fit in to my new environment and what i call now home. Drexel and Coopersburg is where you can find me folks, a home away from home, literally!

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!”