Those are two things you need to do if you live in a city such as Philadelphia.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, Philadelphia is full of culture. However, I can narrow that down even more, and say that the University of Pennsylvania is full of culture. To a large extent Penn consists of an upper middle class population. But everyone has a heritage and background. This past weekend I went to see a friend perform in Penn's South Asia Society Mini-Cultural Show. Eleven groups each performed one piece. Music, dance, even drama groups centered around the Indian culture, which I completely admire. Several of the groups are renowned on and off campus. Dhamaka is an all male Indian dance group. You can never overestimate the attractiveness of a man who can dance. Penn Masala is an all male a-cappella group. They go on tours doing their own renditions of well-known songs - with beautiful voices. Each cultural group has so much to offer. This free show provided a wonderful taste of South Asian culture.
Getting out of the city is a necessary part of living in it. All those stresses and fumes of city life can really get to your head. This past Sunday my dorm organized a trip to Linvilla Orchards for apple picking. Breathing fresh air and walking through the rows of apple trees was so relaxing. Taking a bite out of a freshly picked apple brought back simplicity. It is a great field-trip for your mental health. After apple-picking we wandered over to their pumpkin land. Pony rides, hay rides, mazes, farm animals, and of course a gift shop and country store were available for exploration. Fall has arrived, and it sure is beautiful (and deliciously fresh).
With the start of a new school year, working as a Move-In Coordinator, and living in a dorm, I have had my share of interaction with freshmen. When asked what a freshman that she met was like, my friend responded simply with "he's so....green." I look at them - bright smiles of excitement and exploration, curiosity and bewilderment - and I wonder when I became so jaded. I am jealous of their naivety and their fresh start. It's sad really. I feel old saying "if I knew then what I know now..." but it is true. I have recently been talking to new people outside my "circle of friends" and I've realized that I can get along with a whole range of people. The friends we make freshmen year seem to be by chance. I see freshmen cling to each other just so that they are not alone. Little do they know that they will all make very good friends anyway. I guess my advice for future freshman is not to freak out about making new friends, meet as many people as possible, and see who you click with most. Good friends take time.
On another green note - a friend and I attended the Philly Green Fest this past Sunday on South Street. I was glad to see how many people were out checking out the various information booths on living green. I felt somewhat helpless living in a dorm and not having control over the environmental sustainability of my living situation. However, I took some comfort in the fact that I use Philly Car Share, they even have a large number of hybrid vehicles in their fleet. I highly recommend these car share deals. Flexcar is another option, and is operational nationwide. Solar Panels are also in my future. My super tall friend had fun dropping an egg on a spread of recycled tires used for playgrounds instead of bark dust. And we correctly answered three questions about littering/recycling to win a prize! A litterbug was walking around the festival for photo opportunities. One thing that disturbed me was a man making a food sculpture. It looked awesome, but it was such a waste of quality vegetables - potatoes, squash, carrots, eggplants. I couldn't help but think of the numerous homeless people I pass each day that would benefit from that food. It did not belong at the green fest.
At the Green Fest I also picked up a flyer for the Divine Bike Church. Awesome idea. Open Tues, Thurs, and Sundays from 6:30-9pm and Wednesday for women and transvestites only. They are located in the basement of St. Mary's Church right on Penn's campus. They mostly provide the tools to fix up your bikes, but they also sell used bikes and parts. I picked myself up a beautiful old bike with a basket named Sunshine (it is scratched on the frame) and they walked me through changing the brake cable, setting the gears, and changing a tire. A functioning bike - all from recycled parts - and all for $36.
Green is a beautiful thing.
Getting out of the city is a necessary part of living in it. All those stresses and fumes of city life can really get to your head. This past Sunday my dorm organized a trip to Linvilla Orchards for apple picking. Breathing fresh air and walking through the rows of apple trees was so relaxing. Taking a bite out of a freshly picked apple brought back simplicity. It is a great field-trip for your mental health. After apple-picking we wandered over to their pumpkin land. Pony rides, hay rides, mazes, farm animals, and of course a gift shop and country store were available for exploration. Fall has arrived, and it sure is beautiful (and deliciously fresh). 
