The Globetrotting Geek

The Frat Party – Thursday – Day 42

September 3, 2012

I still haven’t gotten my camera charger back but it’s on the way, so please hold on a little longer!

Something starkly noticeable about Penn is the quality of the people. This was nowhere more evident than my first time meeting the overall freshman cohort at the Provost’s welcome breakfast. There I met tens of people, most of the whose names I can’t remember. However, one girl who stuck out was Anne Stack from Zimbabwe, who along with numerous others, helped to make up a large African contingent. After a brief welcome to the class of 2016, the exchange students were shuttled off to a nearby building for introductory briefings.

From here on we began NSO: “New Students’ Orientation”

The first session was an introduction to studying in the USA and special mention was given to the large Australian cohort, the biggest that was present. After forty minutes of rattling on we were then passed over to a security briefing. Penn has the second largest private police force in the United States, which after a moment’s thought, seemed quite significant. Even walking around campus, one feels secure and watched at all times, with many cameras and guards on every corner. To my knowledge the total force is over five-hundred officers serving the campus area. Following that was the Penn Traditions Picnic where I first encountered the marching band.

Then back to the lecture theater, ho hum. This time for a speaker on sexual conduct on campus and abuse. Nothing that made me grip to the edge of my seat. “Call It What It Is” was the overarching theme and there could be heard more than a few giggles from the auditorium which, mystified the speaker greatly.

After a brief tour of campus given by student volunteers, it was off to my room to prepare for a dinner cruise that we were to embark on in the evening. Meeting up with everyone to walk to the bus, I was dressed up in my finest and walked alongside my new japanese friend Kaya to get to the bus. We arrived at the dock and boarded ‘The Spirit of Philadelphia’ for a cruise on which there was even kosher food! My table unsurprisingly for me, was composed entirely of members of the female gender but featured a fantastic international twist with representatives from five countries on board.

The rest of the cruise was dedicated to socializing, showing it off on the dance floor and, taking in the spectacular views of Philly that were to be had from the upper deck.

After we returned home, the exchange students decided that the time was ripe for our first off-campus night out on the town, which in this case meant trying to get into a frat party.

Walking down the streets next to Penn we came across numerous ‘sketchy’ frats, however none of them seemed to be taking people in. However, we followed the noise and foul smells down the street to arrive at a small, dilapidated gated house which was guarded by two built, topless blokes. When we tried to enter we were quizzed about our adherence to the night’s ‘ratio’, a sickening concept by which boys are admitted into parties on the basis of the number of girls they bring with them.

This is different to the Australian nightclub practices by the fact that it was made so explicit. The frat boys let us know that everyone was looking for some action and that we would likely spoil there chances. A charming and pretty french girl by the name of Marion dragged me in with a friend and I fulfilled the 2:1 ratio requirement. Inside was a mass of heaving, drunken bodies, swaying in a humid mixture of sweat, alcoholic vapors and smoke. Marion, a new boy she’d picked up inside and I entered the house to find the bar.

The bar served only two things, a very strong vodka and gatorade mixture and what must be the world’s worst beer. I tried a little of both and liked neither. The only benefit being that I didn’t have to shell out anything for the pleasure of drinking and perspiring in a forsaken hellhole. Don’t get me wrong, I am very pleased I went however, the experience was almost cinematic in its adherence to the frat party stereotypes. I have since been informed that not all frat parties are that bad but, it was definitely an experience to remember.

Wednesday – Day 41

September 2, 2012

The morning was a lot of moving in, getting my stuff all organized and generally learning the ropes at Penn. I sorted out my immigration and eagerly waited for my roommate to arrive at 11.

At approximately 11:03AM I heard the key in the door turning and opened it to see the beaming face of Anil Chitrapu and his equally enthused parents. After some introductions I set to helping him move in. His parents were incredibly genial and generous and offered to provide me with any of the dormitory essentials I was missing, eventually settling on just bringing me a quilt with a microwave for the room to follow. I was invited to lunch with them and told I now had a place to stay should I need one. I was also under strict instruction to let my parents know I was being taken care of properly. Anil himself is a fantastic guy, cheery, musical, intelligent and easy to get along with. He matches my standards of cleanliness and sociability and overall I think I couldn’t have found a better roommate.

Following the move-in, it was photo time with Me, Anil, and his mother.

Subsequently they departed for lunch and I prepared for a food tour of Philly that I was to be taking with the International Students’ Organisation.

The food tour was organized by “Best of Philly – City Food Tours”  with guide and co-owner, Robert Weinberg, a delightful fellow with a sharp wit and a keen sense of street smarts.

Our first stop after his multi-lingual introduction (hello in plenty of different languages) was Tony JR’s for another (vegan) cheese steak. This time it was much better and cheese fries were provided too. I tried to avoid the sticky yellow chips in front of me but decided eventually to try a few of them, not going to happen again. At the same time we were told the story of this dish, originally a true street food, that had developed over time from a standard hot-dog into a steak sandwich, to finally, a Philly Cheese-steak.

Next up was Tomato Pie, a somewhat pizza like concoction with a thick base and a large helping of tomato paste and an interesting sauce. This happened around the corner in a store filled with what were clearly a few locals. I liked the pie a good deal more and gratefully accepted a second slice from Robert.

Following that it was time for a delicious treat, fresh, hot, soft Philly pretzel with hot horseradish mustard! This was had at the Philly Pretzel Factory, a local bakery and distributor of the product. Such a fresh pretzel almost tasted like a european bread with a crisp salty outside, moderated by a tangy mustard laced with a hint of heat. Inside was soft and almost melted in the mouth.

As we walked along the main street in Philly we came to Del Frisco’s where although we didn’t stop to savour their food, we admired their architecture and interior. Del Frisco’s is housed inside a converted bank, with the lower floor featuring event space inside the bank’s vault, with the original door intact. Their wine collection took up vast vacuums inside  the vault and within the staircases and was a sight to see.

Dessert time! We headed to Reading Terminal Market inside the old train station where we found Chocolate by Mueller which, featured chocolate in the anatomically correct shapes of organs (kidneys included). From there we took away bags of chocolate coated pretzels that although were cute, didn’t taste as good as they looked. However, next we came to the final and my favorite stop; Flying Monkey Bakery. There we had small chocolate coated chocolate cakes which, though incredibly rich, were by far the most delicious item of the tour.

Following the tour, it was a quick race back to Rodin to get into some warmer clothes and then back to the Office of International Programs to embark on a trip to a ‘Philies’ baseball game, versus the New York Mets. Again our SEPTA tokens were handed out and we headed off to the Citizen Bank Stadium to watch the match. The first thing I noticed when we arrived was the size of the stadium, larger than most Australian stadiums I had seen, however I was soon corrected by one of the staff members who informed me that I was in fact looking at the football field. Which was surrounding by energetic baseball fans. Looking across the road I then saw Citizens Bank Park, the baseball stadium, that was packing with over forty-thousand screaming Phillies fans, all guzzling down cheese steaks, beer and hot dogs. By this point in time the oily food already didn’t appeal to me too much and unfortunately this meant a very meager dinner of the only salad I could find!

Our seats were located at the very top, at the very back of the stadium and we soon settled in to watch the first few innings.

Craig; a Scottish lad, a friendly Indian graduate student and I decided after about four innings to  go downstairs and try and get a closer look at the action. Guards were checking tickets and I waited till one of them left for a break before sneaking into the pricier section of the stadium. At this point our Indian friend decided he needed a bathroom break so he snuck off and out. Unfortunately when he returned it was made clear to the guard that neither he nor us had tickets and so we were kicked out and sent back to the regular area of the stadium. We walked around on the bottom floor for a bit more and came to a restaurant (serving greasy food) with seating facing the action and decided to buy some drinks and fries so as to be allowed to seat ourselves close to the action.

Unfortunately, the game was very low scoring with the tally at 3:2 to the Mets by the bottom of the eighth. We returned upstairs to watch the rest of the game and meet up with the rest of the crew. The game unfortunately ended with a Mets victory with the final tally the same as before.

Afterwards it was off to the top of one of the high-rise residences for a few drinks with the Brits and Belgians before a good night’s sleep.

College – Tuesday – Day 40

August 31, 2012

I woke up early and packed my bags, this was the big day. College. Downstairs where a taxi was already waiting for me, I waved goodbye to the doorman and headed to Penn Station. Arriving at 7:40AM for my 8:15AM Bolt Bus to Philly. The Bolt Bus ride was uneventful (though only cost me $12) and I was soon again on solid ground in my next city.

I hailed down a taxi and caught a ride with all my bags to Rodin House, my dorm for the next few months. I checked-in and received my key and temporary building pass and took the ‘elevator’ to the ninth floor where my room was. The building was largely silent and void of other individuals, as Rodin is solely for ‘upperclassmen’ (no first years) and they were yet to move in. I unpacked my small amount of stuff, picking a desk and bed next to a window for plenty of natural light. I then raced off to the Office of International Programs to see if there was room left on the bus trip to Target and Ikea to pick up needed supplies.

When it was clear to me that I wasn’t going to be able to get on the bus and that Target and Ikea were a cab drive away I decided to go shopping on campus for the real essentials. I went to the bookshop and purchased a set of sheets and a pillow and then went to the ‘Franklin Building’ and picked up my PennCard, my UPenn ID. I then walked back to my dorm via Locust Walk, the main walkway around which the entire campus is centered.

I settled back down to my room for a few more hours (watched an episode of Breaking Bad) and then headed out to meet with other exchange students for dinner. One of the UPenn students showing us round decided it might be wise to try a Philly Cheesesteak and so we caught the SEPTA (South-Eastern Philadelphia Transit Authority) subway to a well-known place. There I purchased a vegan Philly Cheesesteak and a Dr. Pepper Soda. The Cheesesteak I couldn’t bear, far too oily, however I thoroughly enjoyed my soda.

After that I retired to my room to reflect on the day and prepare for an early start the next.