I’ve been in Philadelphia for three full days now. I had no idea what to expect other than knowing that I would quickly be thrown into the world of public transport, commuter shoes, and Google maps becoming my new best friend. Arriving, however, I’ve experienced nothing but hospitality and ease. At my homestay, for example, my first night in I was greeted by my host, Maryellen, with a big bowl of popcorn, a beautiful house tour, and all the extra toiletries I could ever need! I’m sharing my room will Ellie, another gap year student who’s from Portland, Oregon. Her smile and bright personality fill our room, and she’s promised to teach me the art of thrifting, photography, and pho noodles. I think we’ll be getting along quite nicely! We began our internships today, but I’ll save that experience for my next post. Today, I want to talk about yesterday.
Yesterday was busy! We started the morning by heading to class with a brisk 25-minute walk (I’ve learned quickly to wear my comfiest shoes). This semester, we’re learning interview techniques and working to gain expertise in telling and recording stories, which will culminate in an oral history project focusing on the lives of our homestay families. After brainstorming interview questions and discussing some assignments, a few of us ran by a gap year student named AnnaBeth’s house in hopes of catching a mouse that has been terrorizing her backpack’s candy supply. We took a subway over to the hardware store, bought a trap, set the trap back at AnnaBeth’s house, refilled our water bottles, and took off to our next destination—Reading Terminal Market—to have a bite to eat. By the time we grabbed a slice of pizza, we were heading to the subway to meet up with the other students at a local park. After a few wrong turns, we made it to the park, just in time for me to turn directly around to head to the grocery store and still make it home in time for dinner. By the time we actually sat down to enjoy some tacos, I realized just how full my day here had been. It seemed that in the hustle and bustle of running all over Philly, I hadn’t even stopped to look around at all the incredible new sights that surrounded me! I was taken aback by my foolishness and reminded of a lesson I had learned the week previously.
The evening before we left Colorado, our leaders took us to a scenic roadside spot to appreciate the beauty of the mountains surrounding us. They told us that it takes the human brain 15 seconds of truly looking at a beautiful sight to process and forever remember that scene. Wrapped head to toe in blankets, we shuffled around the roadside in silence, taking in the wonders that surrounded us for what felt like the first time as the stars rose above our heads. How ridiculous it now seems that not a full week later I’ve forgotten to take the time to appreciate the little moments in life! How could I have wasted my opportunity to take a peaceful break in a perfectly green park in the middle of a city? How many chances to exchange a nod or a smile with a friendly stranger on the subway had I missed? How many of Philadelphia’s beautiful murals had I overlooked because my eyes were glued to my iPhone making sure I didn’t miss a turn? Would it truly be so bad to be a little lost in Philly? Of course not! I should be striving to explore Philadelphia—seeing the sights, smelling the (occasionally appalling) smells! I let my objectives and focus on whatever was coming next that day get the best of me, and because of that, who knows what kinds of things I missed out on appreciating! Now, this year isn’t about regrets or do-overs, but about making mistakes and learning from them. From now on, I plan on using my time in Philadelphia a little more wisely and slowing down to make sure I value the little things this busy city has to offer. Someday soon I guess I’ll have to retrace my steps and redo my less than purposeful previous day in hopes of finding what I before missed. I’ll keep my head up this time though, ready to stop at each and every 15-second wonder I may find.
