When I moved into my college dorm at Temple University, I knew I was going to have a hard time. I grew up in a suburban area that was pretty close to Philadelphia, but I was never given the chance to explore the city. Switching from a quiet, suburban town to a college that sat in the heart of a city was rough, and I felt like I was unprepared.
My first experiences in Philly were fun, but unhelpful. In elementary school, my class went on a trip to The Franklin Institute. My chaperone took my group to the Heart Exhibit, and we were only allowed to go inside the giant heart. I got scared by the constant heartbeat and ran to my chaperone’s side. I wasn’t allowed to play with anything else until we went home.
Years later, I returned to Philly to watch my cousin graduate from Temple. This seems like the perfect opportunity to explore the city, but that chance disappeared instantly. The ceremony took place at Temple’s multipurpose venue, the Liacouras Center. So I was only able to see a quarter of the campus. Everyone was tired from the ride there, so we went home right after the ceremony ended.
At the time, I wasn’t fully committed to going to Temple. So I felt like I didn’t need to go into Philly just to explore and adjust. Plus, I didn’t want to go anywhere due to COVID-19. I thought that visiting Philadelphia twice would help me adjust to college life. But when I moved into my college dorm, reality hit me hard.
I felt like I was not ready to become a college student, let alone an adult. My knowledge of Philly was so slim, I felt like I had no idea where I was, even when I was walking on campus. That was when I heard about Collegefest from a friend. I saw a chance to test my maturity. So I gathered some friends and revisited The Franklin Institute.
I was able to go to places in the museum that I was never able to go to before. It almost felt like I was at a completely different museum. But eventually, I ended up at the Heart Exhibit once more. I’ve decided to have a rematch with the giant heart. I was more scared of getting stuck than the constant sound of a heart beat.
A live dissection was about to take place, but that caused a rift in the group. One of the girls was squeamish and didn’t want to see it, but she also didn’t want to go anywhere alone. So, I stepped in and split the group in half for the time. Everyone was able to enjoy themselves in the museum. Once we were done, we visited the Philadelphia Museum of Arts until Collegefest ended.
Before we went back to campus, we decided to go to the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. Someone in our group wanted to take the lead and guide us there. We walked for a couple of blocks before we suddenly stopped. It turned out that they had no idea where they were going. None of us did. It started to get dark outside and the market was going to close soon. I was beginning to worry if we were going to be able to make it.
That was when I remembered my father. My father would always know the layout of an area, especially in cities. He would make a note of any buildings or landmarks that he would find interesting. Once he returned to a landmark that he found previously, he would suddenly remember the either layout of the entire city. He always found a way to get us to our location safely.
I felt that my situation would only get worse if something did not change, so I decided to use my father’s tactics to help the group get back on track. I pulled out my map and lead the group back to the street we started on. I also remembered the way to the train station as we passed it, so we wouldn’t get lost later. After I took the lead, everyone was at ease. I started to feel like I can be a person that others can depend on. When we reached the market, one of my friends told me that most of the money made there was given back to Philly’s residents. It was hard to pick something for lunch because I wanted to support everyone there. After I chose to eat a sandwich, we took a train back to Temple.
When I stepped back into my dorm room. I felt a lot better about myself. I am proud that I am able to say that I am confident in myself and my ability to be an adult. I am looking forward to what college life has to offer me. And when I finally go home, my parents will smile at me, knowing that their daughter has become an independent adult.