Today I
find myself in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a dental school interview at The
University of Pennsylvania. I have never been here before, but quickly upon
arriving I realized that Philadelphia has a rich and interesting history with
regards to America and our fight for independence. I took the opportunity to go
walking once I got to my hotel. Although it is a big city, I still found bits
and pieces of nature that were beautiful in their own way. I stayed on 12th
and Market Street which is pretty central to downtown. I walked East to the old
historical district where Independence Hall and the famous Liberty Bell Museum
are located. It was only about a twenty-minute walk which was not bad at all
considering the much milder temperatures here than in Texas right now. I
rounded the last block and was met with a beautiful view of Independence Hall. It
costs to tour the hall, but the Liberty Bell museum was free, so I opted to check
that out. I wandered through the museum in awe of the history of the bell. I
never realized it played so many roles in the different movements in the
history of the U.S. It had served not only as a symbol of equality for our
nation’s independence, but also in the anti-slavery movement, women’s rights
movement, and civil rights movement. Today the bell is now even a symbol for equality
in the LGBTQ community. After making it through the museum I decided to grab a
coffee and some lunch somewhere outside to enjoy the weather. Next on the
agenda was to walk to the steps run by Rocky Balboa in none other than the
famous Rocky movies that I grew up watching. It was a rather long walk
from the historical district to the Northwest location of the steps and statue,
but it was well worth it. I was around five minutes from the steps when I looked
up and noticed dark gray clouds approaching the city. I asked myself a
question, “What would Rocky do?” So, I kept going. I made it to the steps and statue
and pulled out my phone to snap a picture just as the rain started to hit. I was
wearing khaki pants and a golf shirt, with no umbrella or rain jacket. The rain
went from a drizzle to unleashing a flood, and I found myself soaking wet. I
walked to the nearest shelter I could find… a Whole Foods that was about a two-mile
walk. By the time I got there I was completely soaked head to toe. Just as I
was about to stress and get mad, I started laughing. I realized that the worst worry
I had in the moment was getting wet. There are people starving and without
water around the world, and I was about to get upset by the mere inconvenience
of some wet clothes. I smiled to myself and made myself a promise to always
keep things in perspective. All in all, getting soaked was totally worth it to
see the famous Rocky steps. The ever-unpredictable essence of nature
finds its way to affect my life, even in the inner city of Philadelphia.
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