It is the Wednesday after graduation, and the excitement from this past weekend has quickly died down and I am left to reflect on a year that whirled past me almost too quickly. Grades are in (I did well!), my transcript officially reflects my degree, and my body reflects all of the energy that I've put into final papers and post-graduation celebration. It's unfortunate that this stretch of sleep deprivation coincides with allergy season, because I could seriously fall asleep right now.
The GSE graduation ceremony was wonderful, yet a little bit sad. I've met so many wonderful people over the course of the past year, and while it was fun to celebrate our mutual accomplishments, it is very distressing to think that I will probably never see some of them again. I guess that charges me with the challenge of keeping in touch with my GSE friends.
I look forward to remaining a GSE student for the next few years, as I make the transition into the Ph.D. program in Higher Education. It has been fun writing this blog, and who knows, I may continue to update it over the summer. I'll be here in the admissions office for a few more months, so check back in for updates!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Beginning of the End, Part II
I survived! For a while, it was questionable, but I made it through the end of the semester, completed all of my final papers, and am now ready to graduate! I can't believe that the GSE Commencement Ceremony is less than three days away -- I was warned that these nine months would fly, but there's really no way to know how it feels til you've gone through it.
Last night, to celebrate the end of a grueling semester, I went out with several of my friends. Being with them made me realize that -- as I'd fully expected when I applied last year -- my experience in the master's program here will be indelibly linked to the friendships I've made this year. One thing that was really great about last night was that from last night's crew, only one friend was in my program. While I love my cohort, I'm really happy that I was able to branch out and get to know people from other divisions within GSE.
We played Quizzo (a Philadelphia tradition that has been imitated elsewhere but never replicated) which is a bar game that consists of four rounds of trivia. It's a team game, and there were two GSE teams on hand, the "regulars" (mostly from the International Educational Development program) and then my team, which represented Higher Education, ECS (Education, Culture, and Society), TLC (Teaching, Learning, and Currciulum), RWL (Reading/Writing/Literacy), Ed Policy, and Ed Leadership. Note that we finished a respectable fifth (out of about ten teams); the IED team trailed behind.
More to come about graduation, and final thoughts...
Last night, to celebrate the end of a grueling semester, I went out with several of my friends. Being with them made me realize that -- as I'd fully expected when I applied last year -- my experience in the master's program here will be indelibly linked to the friendships I've made this year. One thing that was really great about last night was that from last night's crew, only one friend was in my program. While I love my cohort, I'm really happy that I was able to branch out and get to know people from other divisions within GSE.
We played Quizzo (a Philadelphia tradition that has been imitated elsewhere but never replicated) which is a bar game that consists of four rounds of trivia. It's a team game, and there were two GSE teams on hand, the "regulars" (mostly from the International Educational Development program) and then my team, which represented Higher Education, ECS (Education, Culture, and Society), TLC (Teaching, Learning, and Currciulum), RWL (Reading/Writing/Literacy), Ed Policy, and Ed Leadership. Note that we finished a respectable fifth (out of about ten teams); the IED team trailed behind.
More to come about graduation, and final thoughts...
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Day I Did No Schoolwork
Personal care is so important to grad school survival, and as you know, final paper season is in full swing. So, this past Saturday, I decided (spontaneously) to have a fun day.
The first phase was the only part that was completely planned: a few of my classmates and I went to breakfast with our professor (Alan Ruby) to a great Australian cafe called Ants Pants. I am not a breakfast person, so I just had oatmeal (and it was great), but everyone else had food that looked amazing! It was fun to spend time with people outside of class and it was an honor to have a faculty member with us!
After we left breakfast, as few of my friends and I went to Rittenhouse Square to sit in the park and supposedly get work done. The weather in Philly has been absolutely gorgeous (90s for three days in a row now!), but not so conducive to staying inside and hitting the books. Luckily, my procrastination was further aided by the fact that one of my lovely cohortmates was celebrating her birthday via a cookout about 6 blocks from my house. Clearly, it was my responsibility to help share in the joy, so I went to Brown Betty Petite, picked up some cupcakes, and enjoyed the afternoon. The food was incredible -- I helped to make some tasty veggie skewers and helped to eat quite a bit of other food items!
The final event of my amazing Saturday was Yakitori Boy -- a bunch of friends and I went to Chinatown for an evening of karaoke and laughs. Yakitori Boy combines Japanese cuisine with both private karaoke rooms and a lounge. Because our group wasn't sure when we were getting there and who all was actually coming, we chose to stick to the lounge. I had the pleasure of entertaining the crowd with rousing renditions of "Take on Me" by a-ha and "Vision of Love" by Mariah. I think the house was brought down. :)
Sunday marked a return to the real world of research and paper writing, but the fun day has rejuvenated me!!!
Also, shoutout to my amazing friend Laura aka LEG who came to visit while I was writing this entry!
The first phase was the only part that was completely planned: a few of my classmates and I went to breakfast with our professor (Alan Ruby) to a great Australian cafe called Ants Pants. I am not a breakfast person, so I just had oatmeal (and it was great), but everyone else had food that looked amazing! It was fun to spend time with people outside of class and it was an honor to have a faculty member with us!
After we left breakfast, as few of my friends and I went to Rittenhouse Square to sit in the park and supposedly get work done. The weather in Philly has been absolutely gorgeous (90s for three days in a row now!), but not so conducive to staying inside and hitting the books. Luckily, my procrastination was further aided by the fact that one of my lovely cohortmates was celebrating her birthday via a cookout about 6 blocks from my house. Clearly, it was my responsibility to help share in the joy, so I went to Brown Betty Petite, picked up some cupcakes, and enjoyed the afternoon. The food was incredible -- I helped to make some tasty veggie skewers and helped to eat quite a bit of other food items!
The final event of my amazing Saturday was Yakitori Boy -- a bunch of friends and I went to Chinatown for an evening of karaoke and laughs. Yakitori Boy combines Japanese cuisine with both private karaoke rooms and a lounge. Because our group wasn't sure when we were getting there and who all was actually coming, we chose to stick to the lounge. I had the pleasure of entertaining the crowd with rousing renditions of "Take on Me" by a-ha and "Vision of Love" by Mariah. I think the house was brought down. :)
Sunday marked a return to the real world of research and paper writing, but the fun day has rejuvenated me!!!
Also, shoutout to my amazing friend Laura aka LEG who came to visit while I was writing this entry!
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Beginning of the End, Part I
In three weeks and one day, I will be graduating (hopefully!), and I'm mixed with feelings of excitement and sadness, but both are beginning to be diluted by utter exhaustion. It's not easy to think about the future or get too nostalgic when final papers and projects are hovering over my head. As much as I love research, doing five projects at the same time with roughly the same due date is a bit much. It's a good primer for my future life as a faculty member, I suppose...
In jest, I actually asked Lois MacNamara if I could still walk in graduation if I didn't finish any of my final papers and took incompletes in my classes -- for the record, she said no. ;)
So, although this is the beginning of the end of my master's program, it's also the beginning of a new beginning for me, as I'm starting the Ph.D. program in the fall. Between the two, I will be still working at GSE Admissions, so if you are in the area or want to come to campus for a visit this summer, let me know!
Next week, I will be fully in the throes of writing and editing these final papers, so stay tuned to see how beautifully I handle the pressure!!
In jest, I actually asked Lois MacNamara if I could still walk in graduation if I didn't finish any of my final papers and took incompletes in my classes -- for the record, she said no. ;)
So, although this is the beginning of the end of my master's program, it's also the beginning of a new beginning for me, as I'm starting the Ph.D. program in the fall. Between the two, I will be still working at GSE Admissions, so if you are in the area or want to come to campus for a visit this summer, let me know!
Next week, I will be fully in the throes of writing and editing these final papers, so stay tuned to see how beautifully I handle the pressure!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
"Stressed" is "Desserts" Spelled Backwards
Happy Tuesday! I am feeling the pressures of the looming end of semester crunch. However, I do not think that stress is cute at all, so I am doing my best to avoid it. I strongly believe that positive thinking can get you through anything, and it is all the easier when you have good food -- dessert, to be exact.
Luckily, Sarah takes care of my dessert cravings most Thursdays, when she brings in her freshly baked cookies. (They are really good -- if you ask her nicely enough and promise to read Anne of Green Gables, she will likely bake a batch for you!) However, Sarah is not always around, so I look to these places to satisfy my more than ample sweet tooth:
1. Brown Betty Petite (www.brownbettydesserts.com) -- cupcakes that cost $3 each, but are totally worth every cent...and that says a lot coming from me!
2. Barnes & Noble Cafe (on Rittenhouse Square) sells Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, and the Neopolitan has become a favorite of mine.
3. The Coffee Bar (17th & Locust) has an amazing 5-layer cake that I could barely finish. It was so rich, full of different types of chocolate.
4. Naked Chocolate (on campus -- Walnut St.) -- the peanut butter nudos are sooooooo good!
Although stress eating isn't everyone's best coping mechanism, it certainly works for me! Thank goodness I find time to exercise, because I would be living quite the unhealthy lifestyle!!
Luckily, Sarah takes care of my dessert cravings most Thursdays, when she brings in her freshly baked cookies. (They are really good -- if you ask her nicely enough and promise to read Anne of Green Gables, she will likely bake a batch for you!) However, Sarah is not always around, so I look to these places to satisfy my more than ample sweet tooth:
1. Brown Betty Petite (www.brownbettydesserts.com) -- cupcakes that cost $3 each, but are totally worth every cent...and that says a lot coming from me!
2. Barnes & Noble Cafe (on Rittenhouse Square) sells Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, and the Neopolitan has become a favorite of mine.
3. The Coffee Bar (17th & Locust) has an amazing 5-layer cake that I could barely finish. It was so rich, full of different types of chocolate.
4. Naked Chocolate (on campus -- Walnut St.) -- the peanut butter nudos are sooooooo good!
Although stress eating isn't everyone's best coping mechanism, it certainly works for me! Thank goodness I find time to exercise, because I would be living quite the unhealthy lifestyle!!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Day in the Life
So, what does a normal day look like for a second semester grad student in a one-year master's program? That's difficult to say, because each day is a little bit different. That said, I'm going to walk you through what I've done (and plan to do) today:
8am: My (annoying) alarm -- the same clock that I've had since I was a college freshman -- goes off. I am groggy, but not too groggy to turn on Today. I'm hoping that Meredith Vieira is there and that Amy Robach is also on, because they are my favorites. Quickly, I realize that I do not have time to be watching tv, so I proceed to get ready.
8:35am: I'm ready to go. I head out for campus. I live in Center City, so I have several transportation choices:
a) Walk -- it's the right thing to do, because even though it is windy, I have plenty of time to make it to campus by 9.
b) Take the bus -- oops, I have no SEPTA tokens. NEXT.
c) Take a cab -- no way. I only do that on days when I am in REALLY dire straits or if I have something large (like a posterboard) to bring to campus.
d) Drive -- I have a car here, but parking near Rittenhouse Square is NO JOKE, so I never drive during the week. While it's nice to have my car (and I love it dearly), it is so easy to get around town without one that I probably drive about once a month.
I've chosen a) and have the company of my iPod and the dozens of other walkers (most of whom I pass by) for the 20-minute walk.
9am: I arrive at GSE Admissions, where I work 20 hours a week in my graduate assistantship. Before I do anything, I go to get a cup of tea -- mandarin orange to be exact (Special thanks to Diana johnson!!). Tuesday mornings include our weekly admissions committee meetings, where admissions office staff and program coordinators update each other on the recruiting, application, and yield processes. The group is full of interesting people who care about students and advocate passionately for them! Most of my tasks today are for short-term projects: planning campus visits, writing this blog, reviewing copy for an upcoming newsletter. I'm also working on a few data collection projects for my supervisor.
2pm: Class -- Organizational Change in Higher Education, a very interesting topic with an amazing professor (Matt Hartley). Sadly, Matt is not here today, but we are working on group consulting projects. My group discussed the data that we've collected and will be preparing a class presentation that we'll deliver in two weeks. While I miss Matt's weekly instruction, I like the variety that this class has brought to my schedule. It's not often that we're given time to collaborate on long-term group projects.
4pm: Back to work! We have a web chat with accepted students scheduled for 5-7pm. Looking forward to learning more about the students who may be joining me here in the fall and answering their questions.
7pm: HOME! I will probably be exhausted, but I'll try to grab dinner before I reach my apartment. If I don't, I run the risk of being too tired to go back out...which will inevitably lead to ordering delivery (and unhealthy at that) food. There are plenty of decent places to pick up a quick, relatively healthy meal. I would cook, but I need to go grocery shopping. I usually do that on Mondays, but yesterday was a little bit too hectic.
8pm: Read, Read, Read. I have two classes tomorrow and one on Thursday, so I need to make a dent in my reading load. If I am focused and avoid Facebook and gchat, I will be able to get quite a bit done. If I choose to use my time unwisely, I will be sorrrrrrrrrry! :)
11pm: Lights out? Not likely, but I will start to wind things down and hope to be in bed by midnight. I have to be up again at 8am, and I need a full 8 hours of sleep to be anywhere near my best!
8am: My (annoying) alarm -- the same clock that I've had since I was a college freshman -- goes off. I am groggy, but not too groggy to turn on Today. I'm hoping that Meredith Vieira is there and that Amy Robach is also on, because they are my favorites. Quickly, I realize that I do not have time to be watching tv, so I proceed to get ready.
8:35am: I'm ready to go. I head out for campus. I live in Center City, so I have several transportation choices:
a) Walk -- it's the right thing to do, because even though it is windy, I have plenty of time to make it to campus by 9.
b) Take the bus -- oops, I have no SEPTA tokens. NEXT.
c) Take a cab -- no way. I only do that on days when I am in REALLY dire straits or if I have something large (like a posterboard) to bring to campus.
d) Drive -- I have a car here, but parking near Rittenhouse Square is NO JOKE, so I never drive during the week. While it's nice to have my car (and I love it dearly), it is so easy to get around town without one that I probably drive about once a month.
I've chosen a) and have the company of my iPod and the dozens of other walkers (most of whom I pass by) for the 20-minute walk.
9am: I arrive at GSE Admissions, where I work 20 hours a week in my graduate assistantship. Before I do anything, I go to get a cup of tea -- mandarin orange to be exact (Special thanks to Diana johnson!!). Tuesday mornings include our weekly admissions committee meetings, where admissions office staff and program coordinators update each other on the recruiting, application, and yield processes. The group is full of interesting people who care about students and advocate passionately for them! Most of my tasks today are for short-term projects: planning campus visits, writing this blog, reviewing copy for an upcoming newsletter. I'm also working on a few data collection projects for my supervisor.
2pm: Class -- Organizational Change in Higher Education, a very interesting topic with an amazing professor (Matt Hartley). Sadly, Matt is not here today, but we are working on group consulting projects. My group discussed the data that we've collected and will be preparing a class presentation that we'll deliver in two weeks. While I miss Matt's weekly instruction, I like the variety that this class has brought to my schedule. It's not often that we're given time to collaborate on long-term group projects.
4pm: Back to work! We have a web chat with accepted students scheduled for 5-7pm. Looking forward to learning more about the students who may be joining me here in the fall and answering their questions.
7pm: HOME! I will probably be exhausted, but I'll try to grab dinner before I reach my apartment. If I don't, I run the risk of being too tired to go back out...which will inevitably lead to ordering delivery (and unhealthy at that) food. There are plenty of decent places to pick up a quick, relatively healthy meal. I would cook, but I need to go grocery shopping. I usually do that on Mondays, but yesterday was a little bit too hectic.
8pm: Read, Read, Read. I have two classes tomorrow and one on Thursday, so I need to make a dent in my reading load. If I am focused and avoid Facebook and gchat, I will be able to get quite a bit done. If I choose to use my time unwisely, I will be sorrrrrrrrrry! :)
11pm: Lights out? Not likely, but I will start to wind things down and hope to be in bed by midnight. I have to be up again at 8am, and I need a full 8 hours of sleep to be anywhere near my best!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Registering for classes...AGAIN!
I think I've probably mentioned this, but perusing the registrar's website, reading course descriptions, and registering for classes are among my favorite activities. Just thinking about all of the learning opportunities I have is scintillating. Advance registration began last week, and now that I am officially an incoming PhD student, I can register to my heart's content!
As usual, there are more course offerings than I can handle. As a doctoral student, I will only be taking three classes per semester (which will be plenty, given all of the other projects I want to pursue), so I feel like I have to choose carefully. I plan to take several methods courses next year, because I don't have a strong preference for qualitative or quantitative research at this point. I think I'm so excited about starting the program that I want to do it all. As this is not remotely realistic, I'm hoping to use the first year to figure these things out. I'll be talking with one of my advisors about course registration next week, so hopefully I will be all set for the fall.
Of course, I have so much to do before this semester is over. I need to finish this master's program before I can really look ahead!!
As usual, there are more course offerings than I can handle. As a doctoral student, I will only be taking three classes per semester (which will be plenty, given all of the other projects I want to pursue), so I feel like I have to choose carefully. I plan to take several methods courses next year, because I don't have a strong preference for qualitative or quantitative research at this point. I think I'm so excited about starting the program that I want to do it all. As this is not remotely realistic, I'm hoping to use the first year to figure these things out. I'll be talking with one of my advisors about course registration next week, so hopefully I will be all set for the fall.
Of course, I have so much to do before this semester is over. I need to finish this master's program before I can really look ahead!!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Pressure Cooker
Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend Penn's PhD Applicants Weekend, the final phase of the PhD application process. I'm not sure I've even mentioned that I applied to the PhD program. It's been interesting playing three simultaneous roles at Penn: alumnus, current student, and prospective student. I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether it is okay to earn three degrees from the same university, but I feel like my undergrad experience here was so entirely different from my GSE experience -- two different worlds that share a campus!
Back to PhD Weekend, though...I was honestly surprised by how fun it ended up being, especially since I was so nervous going into the event. I thought that meeting prospective classmates would be difficult, because I did not want to think about them as competition. They all were really nice, and I hope that I'll have the opportunity to work with all of them in the future. It's sad to think that we won't all be at the same school next year, but the higher ed community is relatively small, so our paths will cross in the future. It definitely felt strange as being at the event as a current student, but knowing all of the faculty members was a comforting feeling. The "conversations" with faculty members were not intense, the formal presentations were very informative, and the rest of the event was very laid back. It served as a great reminder of why I love Penn GSE so much, a reminder that wasn't even really needed...
Back to PhD Weekend, though...I was honestly surprised by how fun it ended up being, especially since I was so nervous going into the event. I thought that meeting prospective classmates would be difficult, because I did not want to think about them as competition. They all were really nice, and I hope that I'll have the opportunity to work with all of them in the future. It's sad to think that we won't all be at the same school next year, but the higher ed community is relatively small, so our paths will cross in the future. It definitely felt strange as being at the event as a current student, but knowing all of the faculty members was a comforting feeling. The "conversations" with faculty members were not intense, the formal presentations were very informative, and the rest of the event was very laid back. It served as a great reminder of why I love Penn GSE so much, a reminder that wasn't even really needed...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I am not afraid to try it on my own...
(The title of that entry comes from a Whitney Houston song from a few years ago...)
Last fall, I was really bummed when I found out that one of my favorite faculty members, Dr. Laura Perna, wasn't going to be teaching this semester. I was looking forward to taking her Access and Choice in Higher Education class, so when it wasn't offered, I asked Dr. Perna if I could do an independent study with her. Luckily, she agreed.
This semester, I am working with Dr. Perna and two current Ph.D. students on a paper that we will hopefully publish and present at ASHE (Association for the Study of Higher Education) next fall. It's really exciting to be part of a real research project as a master's student, working with a faculty member and doctoral students to produce something that will be peer reviewed and eventually shared with so many people.
The downsides to independent studies are that you do A LOT of reading (much more than a regular course) and you don't have the opportunity to talk with classmates. Those are small prices to pay for the flexibility and opportunities they provide, though.
Last fall, I was really bummed when I found out that one of my favorite faculty members, Dr. Laura Perna, wasn't going to be teaching this semester. I was looking forward to taking her Access and Choice in Higher Education class, so when it wasn't offered, I asked Dr. Perna if I could do an independent study with her. Luckily, she agreed.
This semester, I am working with Dr. Perna and two current Ph.D. students on a paper that we will hopefully publish and present at ASHE (Association for the Study of Higher Education) next fall. It's really exciting to be part of a real research project as a master's student, working with a faculty member and doctoral students to produce something that will be peer reviewed and eventually shared with so many people.
The downsides to independent studies are that you do A LOT of reading (much more than a regular course) and you don't have the opportunity to talk with classmates. Those are small prices to pay for the flexibility and opportunities they provide, though.
Friday, January 30, 2009
I Love SEPTA
If you are living in the Northeast, you may have noticed that it's been really cold lately. I've lived in PA for most of my life (save for a 7-year stint in the DC area), so I am used to below-freezing temperatures. That doesn't mean I like it.
Luckily, on the cold mornings when I don't want to walk to campus from Center City, there's my good old friend SEPTA, the SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. If you live in New York, DC, or other cities with extensive public transportation systems, you may not be impressed by SEPTA, but it is pretty convenient and reliable. There are buses that run the entire length of Walnut Street, and they come every 5 minutes or so during the morning rush. If it's a really bad day and a lot of people are too lazy or cold to walk, the buses may be full...in which case they don't hesitate to pass you up. If that happens, the trolley isn't too far away.
While the subway lines cannot take you to many places, there's probably a bus that can take you just about anywhere. Ann, my wonderful coworker, lives in Northeast Philly. Since the subway doesn't go quite far enough, Ann has to take a bus, then the subway. It takes her a long time to get here, but she does it every day!!!
SEPTA also has regional rail lines that go out to most of the Philly 'burbs, and even into Delaware and the Dirty Jerz!
Visit septa.org for more info!!!
Luckily, on the cold mornings when I don't want to walk to campus from Center City, there's my good old friend SEPTA, the SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. If you live in New York, DC, or other cities with extensive public transportation systems, you may not be impressed by SEPTA, but it is pretty convenient and reliable. There are buses that run the entire length of Walnut Street, and they come every 5 minutes or so during the morning rush. If it's a really bad day and a lot of people are too lazy or cold to walk, the buses may be full...in which case they don't hesitate to pass you up. If that happens, the trolley isn't too far away.
While the subway lines cannot take you to many places, there's probably a bus that can take you just about anywhere. Ann, my wonderful coworker, lives in Northeast Philly. Since the subway doesn't go quite far enough, Ann has to take a bus, then the subway. It takes her a long time to get here, but she does it every day!!!
SEPTA also has regional rail lines that go out to most of the Philly 'burbs, and even into Delaware and the Dirty Jerz!
Visit septa.org for more info!!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
One Full Week Down!
I've had all but one of my classes at least once now, and I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I really like all of the classes I've attended. The bad news is that I have 6 classes on my schedule. Since we can only take 5 CUs per semester (and no sane person would EVER want to take more than that), I have to drop something.
Two of the classes that I thought were "on the bubble" are definitely keepers. The class I haven't attended, a quantitative methods course, may be the one that has to go. I plan on continuing in higher education for many years, and as much as I want to get methods classes in, I feel that I can wait one more semester. We shall see.
I just love the beginning of the semester. The pressure of exams, paper and project deadlines is far in the distance. We get to read syllabi and get excited about what we'll be learning in the coming semester. It's awesome. Sadly, while my excitement for learning remains throughout each semester, it usually gets trumped by stress and anxiety about getting everything done! Being in the second semester of a two semester program is odd in many ways. It's like going from first semester freshman to second semester senior over the course of one month.
More to come...hopefully the excitement will remain and the stress will be manageable!
Two of the classes that I thought were "on the bubble" are definitely keepers. The class I haven't attended, a quantitative methods course, may be the one that has to go. I plan on continuing in higher education for many years, and as much as I want to get methods classes in, I feel that I can wait one more semester. We shall see.
I just love the beginning of the semester. The pressure of exams, paper and project deadlines is far in the distance. We get to read syllabi and get excited about what we'll be learning in the coming semester. It's awesome. Sadly, while my excitement for learning remains throughout each semester, it usually gets trumped by stress and anxiety about getting everything done! Being in the second semester of a two semester program is odd in many ways. It's like going from first semester freshman to second semester senior over the course of one month.
More to come...hopefully the excitement will remain and the stress will be manageable!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The North American Tour
Well, this Winter Break has been far less relaxing than I'd hoped, but I am glad that I did as many fun things as I did. Last time I wrote, I think that I was in NYC. I had a really great time there -- got to spend quality time with friends and eat a lot of good food!! Unfortunately, it was REALLY cold and snowy, so I ended up staying inside and watching movies and TV with friends. Because I was hanging out on the Upper East Side and needed to get back to my friend's house in Washington Heights, I actually almost rang in the new year on the subway! At the last minute, I decided to stop and visit an old friend before heading back. All of the friends I saw here in NYC are Penn friends from my undergrad days -- it's amazing that after almost 8 years, I still keep in touch with many of them. I expect that I'll be even better at keeping up with my GSE friends, because not only are we very close, but we also have similar scholarship and career interests.
So, I took the train back from NYC to Philly on January 2nd, then flew to Toronto the next day. My dear friends Sarah and Matt got married in Southern Ontario on the 3rd, and I read in the wedding and emceed the reception -- lots of fun was had. Then, my friend and I drove from Canada to Pittsburgh, where I helped my family move into their new house. After a few days there, I took a train back to Philly...then went to Boston last weekend.
It is good to be back in Philly! Classes start tomorrow; I'm not exactly sure which classes I'm taking yet. I'm registered for five, but I may have to visit a few others just to make sure I'm not missing out on something great. Stay tuned!!!
So, I took the train back from NYC to Philly on January 2nd, then flew to Toronto the next day. My dear friends Sarah and Matt got married in Southern Ontario on the 3rd, and I read in the wedding and emceed the reception -- lots of fun was had. Then, my friend and I drove from Canada to Pittsburgh, where I helped my family move into their new house. After a few days there, I took a train back to Philly...then went to Boston last weekend.
It is good to be back in Philly! Classes start tomorrow; I'm not exactly sure which classes I'm taking yet. I'm registered for five, but I may have to visit a few others just to make sure I'm not missing out on something great. Stay tuned!!!
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