Huge update, and here comes week 3!

Hi everyone! Before I begin what I plan to be a long post, I would like to apologize for failing to update for such a long period of time. Lately I have had many activities that have kept me very busy, but I will be sure to recount them all in this post. Sorry to keep everyone waiting!

Secondly but very importantly, I would just like to extend my thanks to all the readers for being such great supporters of our blog. I really appreciate how you guys go through every single post and take the time and effort to respond with great ideas, suggestions, and encouragement. It means a lot for us to know you all are behind us every step of the way on our adventure... thank you!

Finally, time for the stories that have accumulated since the last time I blogged.

One of the biggest events last Friday was the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. It was really intense (my friends and I were scared during the movie) but I must say it was amazing! There's no wonder why it has quickly become a box office hit. I feel really fortunate to have been able to see it the first day it came out, and I enjoyed it immensely. I won't give off any spoilers, but if you haven't seen it yet and you like action/superhero movies, you should DEFINITELY watch it. We were also able to see the premire of the American Teen on Thursday,also a good movie. It is a documentary about teenagers in their senior year of high school, and is expected to be released to the public later this year. Overall, I think the documentary did a good job in preserving an authentic teenage feel, instead of having it changed to something from an adult's perspective. I liked the film, but of course, I also think my own teenage life is a lot more interesting.

Although Dark Knight was in the spotlight for Friday, it wasn't the only major event that happened. After my lab, I actually went with a few friends to visit the School of Nursing, Biomedical Research, and Wharton's School of Business. We got lost on the way to Nursing and Biomed, but we were able to seek help from a passing professor. Not only did he provide us with directions, he led us on a mini-tour and told us some aspects of the Science field here at Penn. We ended up not being able to get into the Nursing and Biomed buildings because of the high security entrances, so we will probably have to call in advance next time. However, Wharton's was open, and we went inside to explore. The atmosphere was very professional, and upon talking to a few students, it seems to be a very enjoyable place to have class. The people were friendly and helpful, and there was also a convenient cafe located within the building. I managed to find the admissions office, but since they only open from 9-4 (the exact same time as my class), I have to find a day to go during lunch. I am hoping to learn more about both the world famous medical and business divisions of Penn soon!

The rest of Friday was pretty much like any other day of the week, with a normal schedule of morning lecture, afternoon lab, and journal club. I stocked up $30 worth of food from Houston's (my roommate and I were happy about the fresh supply of snacks), and also did laundry for the 2nd time. It's actually free to do laundry here!

Saturday was even more eventful than Friday. As you guys probably know, we went to New York and had a blast. I absolutely loved New York! It reminds me of our San Francisco back at home, but even bigger. In the morning, we visited a university of our choice (Cynthia and Courtney chose NYU, I chose Columbia). Although we weren't given a tour and only had about 20 minutes to explore, I thought Columbia's architecture was really beautiful, and the campus had an overall welcoming atmosphere. Before we left, an admissions officer introduced Columbia to us for a few minutes and gave us some tips on applying. One thing she said that I remember distinctly is, "it's not just about being bright and talented; we're looking for people with personalities so we can create an excellent learning environment." I really wish the Ivy League Connection Columbia group was still there when we were!

After visitng our respective colleges, everyone was driven to a mall near Central Park for lunch. That afternoon, we were allowed to explore 5th Ave and Madison St. for shopping. Although most of the shops were out of my budget (Coach, Gucci, Tiffany's & Co., Armani Exchange, Louis Vuitton, etc.), I had a lot of fun just looking at everything and being in crowds of bustling shoppers. I bought soft pretzels and typical "I <3 NY" shirts at streetside stands. At 5:30, we assembled once more to go to a harbor for dinner. There were a lot of shops and restaurants as well as a spectacular view of the river, so we were quite busy. What else can I say, my day at New York was superb! My only regret is that we were unable to see Times Square or the Statue of Liberty. Until next time, I'm sure I will go back in the future.

In the bus to and from NYC, I was able to get to know some of my classmates in Biomed, one of which an exchange student from Ghana. It was very interesting to be able to get an idea of what life is like in Africa, where I would like to visit when I am older. Surprisingly, his lifestyle is very similar to ours (he has an iPod, Nintendo, and other American electronics), and has a class schedule not unlike what we have at WCCUSD. I was really surprised when he told me in fluent English that this was his first trip to the U.S., but he explained later that English is considered a first language back home. However, despite these similarities, he mentioned that even in the major cities, poverty and third world characteristics are evident. He also commented that American cities had too little green when compared to the cities in Africa. I agree on that one! We definitely need more grass and trees in some places, but I am proud that Hercules is a very green community.

Believe it or not, Sunday got even better. Mrs. Crespo came up with the idea to take us to King of Prussia, the second largest mall in the nation! Summer Discovery is taking us this upcoming Sunday, but with a mall that big, it will take more than 1 trip to see it all! We had actually agreed the night before to just go shopping downtown and visit there historic sites, so this was a really nice surprise. We are planning to actually go on a historic tour sometime this week at night, so everything works out perfectly.

King of Prussia is only about a 30 minute drive away from our campus, so we were there in no time after lunch at Johnny Rocket. I almost fell asleep on the car ride there, but I sure was wide awake once we arrived! The mall has 2 sectons, called the Plaza and the Court. The Plaza is where most of the shops are located, and the Court is where most of the food shops are. I explored the Plaza, but since there are many shops in the Court as well, that is where I plan to walk around this Sunday. The mall has 3 stories, and is absolutely packed with every store imaginable. I really wish we had a King of Prussia of our own!

After shopping until the mall closed on us at 7pm, we went for dinner in South Philly. We walked it all off by looking through the little shops around the street, and then neutralized it by eating iced custard. I learned that iced custard is just like ice cream, but creamier and less likely to melt as fast. Both dinner and desert was delicious! We made it back to the dorms just in time for sign in at 10:30pm.

And of course, as something happens everyday, today was pretty eventful as well. In the morning, we had a lecture on the Spinal Cord, a sort of continuation from a lecture on the Brain on Friday. Mrs. Shuda wanted us to have a little variation, so we actually ended up watching a move the second half of morning class. In the afternoon, I got a good start on the final lab of the program, which I will go into more detail later on (this long post must be becoming very tedious). Our lab worksheets from last week was due today as well.

It's only a week until our final paper is due! And I can't believe we're already a day into week three. Time is moving fast!

That's all for tonight. I hope you guys like the photos and movies!

Susan

P.S. Like always, I will try to blog as much as possible. However, since the big paper is due soon, I probably won't be able to post on some nights this week.

group photo at Columbia U.

Streets of NYC!!!

Dorm birthday celebration.





More of Columbia U and "Love of Alma Mater."