After a very exhausting semester, which I call Semester 1.0. I flew out Dec. 21st to Las Vegas where the median temperature has been 50+ degrees! Goodbye winter coat, hello hoodies! I immediately had to prepare for family flying in from Mexico, adjusting to a new puppy, Barnaby, at home and finishing some last minute rewrites for my History of American Higher Education course. While everyone did last minute shopping and the radio played count downs of the top 2013 songs….I forced my to work on finishing the semester so I could enjoy Christmas! Pandora kept the Christmas spirit alive and well for me.
My motto was: Ready. Set. GOOO!!!
By tradition, Mexican families celebrate Christmas Eve dinner with family and friends. There after we attend midnight mass. This year all the yummy food had most of us passed out on the couch while we pretended to watch midnight mass broadcasted from the Vatican in Rome. Here are a few pictures of the many food selections we had:
Ponche: A traditional drink made out of guava, prunes, tamarind, raisins, sugar cane, and tejocote. Served warm and sometimes with a bit of rum in it. Usually drunk during Posadas or during Christmas Eve dinner.
Tamales: A variety of spicy tamales with various meats, cheese, or sweet tamales served as a side dish.
Mexican rum cake
And some Christmas cupcakes for those who wanted something more American and traditional
Last but not least, I present to you our 7month old rescue: Barnaby Socks, Barnaby for short. 🙂
Happy New Year, Quakers! I hope you all celebrated accordingly 🙂
Since we’re only into the second day of 2014, I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to look back on the many fond memories I had in good ol’ 2013. However, this is, after all, a Penn blog. That’s why I’m using this post for My Top 12 Penn Moments of 2013, one for each month. Enjoy, and try to think of your Top 12 Penn Moments as well!
12. JANUARY
I get invited to become a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority! I celebrated my acceptance with my new sisters all through the night, right into my 19th birthday the next morning. Talk about a great birthday present!
I finally meet my Big!
11. FEBRUARY
Big-Little Week for Sigma Kappa! (For those who are unfamiliar with the term “Big-Little Week,” click here for more info.) After a FULL WEEK of anonymously-sent baked goods, gifts, and guys, I discover who my wonderful Big is: Tara!
10. MARCH
Spring Break has arrived at Penn, and what better way to spend it than with my fellow Quakers! I take a weekend trip to Tenafly, NJ with my good friends Charlotte and Gabby, both of whom I met through the freshman seminar “Katharine Hepburn Films.” I also travel to New York City with a few members of Counterparts: Lilly, Scott, and Nina.
9. APRIL
Enjoying Fling with some SK girls and Mask & Wig guys!
CP about to take the stage
Ok, so I’m cheating a little bit here. I have two big moments from April 2013. The first, of course, is Spring Fling. I mean, how can I leave that out? It’s the largest collegiate carnival on the eastern seaboard! Not to mention, it was my first one. The second moment: Time to Shine, of course. Counterparts was one of the many student groups to perform before the Train and John Legend concert. What was even cooler was that we were the first group to sing on the same stage as these artists!
8. MAY
My freshman year at Penn finally comes to a close, but not before I start recording for the new CP album! In the midst of studying for final exams, we all come in at various times to record various songs from first and second semester.
7. JUNE
A beautiful day to see the Arc de Triomphe
Bonjour de la France! Already having departed in late May, I am entering my third week in Tours, France with the Penn-in-Tours summer abroad program. For six weeks, I study a year’s worth of French at the Université François-Rabelais with about 30 other Penn students. We all live with host families and go on weekend trips around the Loire Valley, visiting castles, exploring museums, and tasting wine! After mid-terms, we are given a three-day weekend to travel anywhere in France. I, along with my friends Rachel, Emily, Fola, and Faith, decide to spend those days roaming the magnificent city of Paris.
6. JULY
A summer is not complete without a trip to the beach. In addition to my family’s annual vacation in Strathmere, NJ, I spend a weekend in Wildwood with my good friend, Alexa. She’s one of the first friends I made at Penn!
5. AUGUST
BACK. TO. SCHOOL. After another summer of not tanning at all, I am ready for Sophomore year to begin! Before NSO even starts, however, I kick off the new school year as a student leader for the PennArts pre-orientation program. I participated in PennArts as a freshman, and it’s just as fun to experience it again as a leader. The 50-60 of us explore all the arts that both the Penn and Philadelphia communities have to offer.
The PennArts leaders are ready to welcome the freshmen!
4. SEPTEMBER
CP welcomes its newest members: David, Emily, Michael, and Andrew!
3. OCTOBER
Date Night? More like Neuro Night! A Wharton junior in SK has partnered with the drink company, Neuro, for a class project. As a thank-you for all of her hard work, Neuro brings in manicurists and hair stylists to the SK house to help the girls get ready for our Date Night downtown!
Sarah, Virginia, and I try some Neuro while we wait to get our hair done
2. NOVEMBER
After weeks and weeks of rehearsal, Counterparts performs its Fall show, “Private ‘Parts.” I sing a jazz song by Melody Gardot called “Baby, I’m a Fool.”
1. DECEMBER
I am invited to sing at the Mask & Wig Club’s annual Charity Ball! The band held auditions earlier in the Fall, and several girls (a bunch of them in CP!) were selected to perform. The guys were extremely fun to rehearse with, and the songs were so much fun! Of the three events I sang for, Charity Ball was definitely my favorite. Everyone dresses up in gowns and tuxedos for a night of great food, dancing, and music. What a classy way to close out the year!
Me and my date, Luke
And there you have it, 2013 through the eyes of a Penn Quaker. I hope 2014 brings just as many great moments like these, maybe even more! Enjoy the new year, Quakers 🙂
It was late, so late at night. We were sitting–he on one side of the room, and I on the other. Something was happening, something was changing. Christmas lights were hung upon the wall; they were the only lights in the room. All outside was darkness. The lights upon the wall, like creeping luminescent vines caressing the walls and roof, twinkled upon the reflection of the window glass, so that nothing outside could be seen. In that moment the outer darkness could not plague us, could not hurt or separate us. Being in that room was all that was, it was all that existed–that moment itself is all we had–it held us both, for a moment, still.
Over the course of the three-hour conversation, something had changed. The mist was gone. I could see now, not just through the air, but also through to my friend. He was, in a way, reborn among the small scintillating lights. I was reborn in his eyes, too. It was as if the questions and answers that spewed forth from our curious minds doused each of us, baptized us, gave us a sense of communion that brought us closer. It was as if those small lights were burning into me–embedding an undying, pleasant memory upon my mind.
It was, to be fair, so very cliché. I usually hate cliché, but I made an exception just this once. It was a moment of revelation, that monumental epiphany when realizing the creation of an everlasting friendship. Considering the fact that there aren’t many people who can fill that role, it was a special moment. There was finally clarity, the barriers were all gone–and was it all through a simple conversation?
So much knowledge, so much power, conveyedbetween us. And is this how it all goes? Is this, perhaps, the answer to so many of our troubles? We plunge ourselves, together, into the dark depths of an ocean, we morph and change, we destroy what was and create what now is, and emerge upon the shore as–as what? Different beings, but the difference is something only we can detect within each other, invisible to the outside world.
And that is the final product of these last four months–not just creating friendship, but also realizing the necessity, the importance, of taking those we do not know, removing ourselves with them from reality, from all the invisible strings that make up our world, our rules, and that hold us back, keep us from being with one another and limiting us in discovering the whole truth about each other, and define humanity. We define this humanity by breaking what we do not understand within each other, by taking the unknown in our hearts and in others’ hearts and converting it, evolving it into something new that allows us to understand those around us.
That is progress, that is good, that is knowledge– knowledge we discover from those in which we never thought we would find knowledge in the first place. It is by breaking all those strings that entangle us in a world of false reality and prejudice that we keep humanity in its purest form, how we keep each other united, and how we, as human beings, keep each other human.
That was my epiphany–three hours later as I look at the clock on my friend’s bedside table– it lasted a second, it lasted an eternity. And even though it was only one conversation, I am glad to know that the number of invisible strings–those unfortunate byproducts of a corrupt existence–has diminished by one in my world.
In case you haven’t heard yet, Quakers, Finals Season is in full swing. This explains why I haven’t posted recently, but with 1 final and 2 papers already completed I am back in the blogging game!
I am sure many of you remember from your college days the various “study breaks” offered by different college houses and groups at Penn. Anything for free coffee and muffins, right? This year, however, I had the pleasure of taking a study break that was a bit more, well, unconventional.
Planning the College Christmas Party is a delicate art. It’s more than just ugly sweaters. One needs the perfect amount of hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, one or two competitive games, and of course a rockin’ holiday playlist. Fortunately, the lovely ladies in Harnwell Room 1712 are experts at throwing the ultimate College Christmas Party.
Alexa, Leah, Katie, and Nina have been some of my closest friends at Penn since my pre-orientation program and NSO. Last year, they planned an awesome Christmas party from Alexa’s tiny single in the Quad, and luckily they had a bit more to work with this year in their apartment. Leah baked mini quiches, Nina made latkes, Alexa and Katie ran the Post-It Note game and Christmas Bingo, and I had the honor of making the playlist.
Again, the festivities were a success! Not only because of food, games, and music, but more so because of the company. It’s very easy to get caught up in the gloom and doom of finals season. I can feel bogged down by the papers and the exams, of course. But one evening with friends is enough to remind me that I’m not in this alone. We all have crazy amounts of work, but we also have each other as study buddies or necessary distractions. Academics are an integral part of life at Penn. I’d like to argue, however, that friendships are just as – if not more – important.
Today, for the second to last time, I began finals week. Like everyone else here on campus, sleepless nights, endless papers, and drone-like cram sessions plague me. I never feel more on edge or ready to implode than on finals week. But…boy am I going to miss it. I love to learn and I love to prove that I understand what I have learned. These feelings of exhaustion, being overwhelmed, and borderline insanity are totally exhilarating to me. Overnight study sessions at Van Pelt are a natural occurrence for me in later December and early May. Also, somehow, knowing that this is one of the last round of finals I will take as an undergraduate at Penn, finals week has shown me just how much I will miss Penn.
Yes, this seems to be the theme my blogs will follow as my senior year continues to sprint towards commencement. I am really, really going to miss being a Penn undergrad. No matter how loudly I curse my professors this week, and no matter how many times I slam down a book in frustration, I rest easy knowing how fulfilling my time here has been. I have expanded not only my general knowledge, but also my ability to learn with an open mind and my ability to articulate my beliefs. And for these things, I can thank the hellacious rounds of finals Penn has thrust upon me. So, to any fellow undergrads or even potential students reading this blog, I give my sole piece of advice: Relish finals. Study as hard as you can and put as much effort as possible into this week. It will only make you a stronger intellectual and learner. Now, I’m off to read scholarly articles until my eyes bleed…
It’s that time of year again: Christmas songs are on a never-ending loop in CVS, I’m bombarded with hourly emails from Crate and Barrel and Lord & Taylor about holiday sales, and… finals are rapidly approaching.
The end of the semester is always a rush, but I think it’s important to take some time and appreciate what we’ve already accomplished so far. Here are some relaxation/indulgence techniques that my friends and I have picked up:
1) Baking. Nothing is better than a freshly baked batch of cookies, or the smell of gingersnaps filling your apartment. Although I can never make them quite as good as my mom does, they’re a comforting treat on a long night of studying.
2) Secret Santa! I love Secret Santa because it makes me feel like a ten-year old again. Presents! Secrets! A guessing game! And at the great “unveiling” party, even more food and time with friends.
3) Calling my mom. It’s nice to hear how everything at home is going, if my mom’s found a gift for my dad yet, and what she’s up to this weekend. After intense hours of studying locked in Van Pelt, talking with my mom is a reminder that life exists outside of the Penn bubble.
4) Speaking of the Penn bubble… Go off campus. Mid-afternoon walks to Rittenhouse Square are relaxing and good exercise. On Saturday mornings, I love grabbing a cup of coffee and window shopping, and not letting exams or papers or projects crowd my thoughts. It’s also a nice opportunity to interact with people who haven’t been studying fourteen hours a day for the past three days.
5) Watching Netflix. Yes, TV bingeing has been recently condemned in popular media, but I think it’s a great reward at the end of a study session. Letting your mind wonder through an episode of Mad Men is probably my favorite form of late night relaxation (with a cookie in hand, of course).
So, from Quakers who are in the midst of their first finals experience, to those who are seasoned veterans… Good luck! And have a good break.
There’s nothing like waking up and seeing snow falling out the window. Growing up in San Jose, CA, this was a rarity. I only got to see snow during our family’s annual ski trip to Lake Tahoe in February. Once I had made my decision to go to Penn, I was a little worried about the weather – especially the cold, snowy winters I had imagined on the East Coast. But I just packed up my snow gear and carried it out to Philly, and figured I would be ok.
Upon arrival it became clear that I had other weather issues to worry about first. Namely, humidity. Moving into Hill House with no AC was quite the experience, and the first week was pretty rough. But then it cooled off, and things were back to normal. As the year went on, I really only saw snow once or twice, as I managed to be at home over break during most of the major snow. This went on for the past few years, until I woke up this Sunday and saw the aforementioned snow out the window.
Snow in December has a magical quality to it, and just feels right. Campus becomes beautiful as the snow creates a smooth white layer over everything. There are less people out and about, and campus becomes quieter and much more peaceful. But that aside, it becomes a hassle to get anywhere. Out of my closet come boots, scarves, hats and gloves as I bundle up to get from one building to another, and as soon as I arrive the layers come off as all of the buildings are warm, and some excessively so.
I’m not sure where I will be in May after graduation, or where I will be come next winter. But for now, there’s nothing like walking down Locust with snow falling. This is one of my Penn memories that will stay with me.
It’s December and we finally received some snow. I’ve been waiting patiently to experience a Philadelphia winter since I lived through Boston winters for four years and hear it’s more bearable here. But it seems to be elusive, and since I’m trying to avoid all the dreaded work I have for the next 2 weeks, here are some pictures from my apartment window in Sansom East and the college green.
The craziest part of it all is, is seeing someone walking around with a snowboard. But it hasn’t REAAAAALLLY snowed yet!
For those curious of what my schedule looks like as a graduate student in the Higher Education program and graduate assistant at Penn Alumni, here’s a glimpse of this week. It’s more of a do-able week than the following week. Graduate students don’t get reading days, so we have finals during our regular schedules.
More than 80 photographers submitted 500 images of campus life to the University’s Flickr pool. In addition, photographers participating in the project posted 172 images on Instagram, as well as 260 tweets on Twitter, #PennDayinLife.
Members of the Penn community also sent images from the campus outposts of Botswana, Guatemala, and Seattle.
10:53 a.m. Jacqueline Harper and Linda Schnolis examine a neonate lying in a baby warmer shortly after its birth. Ms. Harper and Ms. Schnolis are second degree nursing students enrolled in the Nursing Care of the Pediatric Patient course. Photograph by Steven Minicola, University Communications. 6H0A7960
11:26 a.m. – Veterinary nurse practitioner Jessica Bosco comforts her patient in the fluids ward. Photo by John Donges
4:30 P.M. Quiet on the quad- image by Ian McCurry
5:15 PM- Designer and social activist Kenneth Cole stops by Penn to discuss his new book with College Fashionista founder Amy Levin. Photo by Jillian Kaltman
6pm: Studying at Starbucks in 1920 Commons, image by Sarah Tinsley
10:36 p.m. – Nighttime Laundry. No matter what time of the day it is, all the washing machines always seem to be in use. Photo by Hannah Rosenfeld.
As most of you may know, I am highly involved in the theater community at Penn. However, what you may not know is that I recently was given an opportunity to continue with iNtuitons, who just finished Midsummer Night’s Dream, on their general board for next semester. This means that I will be able to shadow older board members in order to find out what each position is like, take part in the choosing of the show we will put on next semester, and work on the show. I am so excited to get started because I am very interested in continuing with the theater scene at Penn.
The other group that I am currently working with is Stimulus Children’s Theater, which has just celebrated Stim Day! Stim Day was November 17th, and it is a day that the entire production team (cast, crew, and board) comes together in the PAC shop and finishes the last little things that need to get done before the show! It was really fun and I got to do 3 of my favorite things: paint, eat pizza, and eat cake!
This upcoming weekend and week are bound to be exciting as well. My first birthday as a college student is this weekend! Also, my college house is hosting a Thanksgiving Food Drive Gala on Sunday! Tuesday night marks the beginning of my first Thanksgiving Break and I’m so excited to see my family again.
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