Doing Nothing and Relaxing Afterwards

Today I arose at the crack of dawn -- just kidding. I slept in and it was glorious.

It is so hot here that the squirrels just lie down in the shade and
don't  even care if you take pictures of them. 

Although Other Julia and I  had planned to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art today, yesterday's adventures demanded a rest day. So we scraped all our plans in favor of napping, relaxing, and more napping.

Our roommate Mayaan and I had lunch at Cosi, which is an excellent soup and salad place and another reason I want to live on the East Coast. Then we returned to our room where I tried to get a head start on our reading and took a nap. For dinner Mayaan, Julia and I went to Beijing, a Chinese restaurant just down the street from our dorms. As delicious as dinner was, the highlight of my day was our next event. Jessica, our (totally awesome) RC took us to get popsicles for a dorm-group bonding activity. I cannot explain the bliss that a fresh, cold, coconut hibiscus popsicle can confer when it is 90 degrees outside. It is simply something that you have to experience for yourself.

Coconut Hibiscus Popsicle

The first popsicle I had, which is my favorite so far, was the extremely fetching Coconut Hibiscus flavor. If you  were to only have one popsicle (what a sad and ridiculous notion!) I would suggest this one. For pure thirst quenching value, this the ideal popsicle. It features a great texture; it manages to strike the perfect balance between icy and creamy. The coconut flavor comes through very strongly and its an all-around satisfying choice. It is also a very pretty muted lavender color and it does not melt as fast as Watermelon Lemonade does.

Watermelon Lemonade Popsicle

My second popsicle was Watermelon Lemonade. While I still favor the coconut hibiscus flavor over this one, this is an excellent popsicle with many commendable traits. It had a lighter and more complex flavor than the coconut hibiscus. This popsicle is exemplary because of the balance of watermelon and lemonade flavors. Initially it tastes more like watermelon but finishes with a great lemonade aftertaste.

Philadelphia Orchard Project :)

I was excited to notice that the popsicle shop uses ingredients from the Philadelphia Orchard Project (which on of our teachers is involved in) and other local agricultural organizations. Good ingredients make for good popsicles!

I am so glad I had a chance to relax and reflect on the last week. We have been learning at a breakneck pace and today was useful just to ruminate on my experiences and all the things I've learned. Now that I'm all rested up, I'm refreshed and ready for next week, which promises to be just as good as the first.