Philly – a day in the life

Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well and surviving the midterms.

When my teacher asked us if we did today, another student answered; surviving but not thriving, and I do think it reflects the common mental and physical state on campus nowadays. 

In addition to all that, I’ve also been called upon quite a bit by the class below mine in my home school; since the exchange year is mandatory, they’re all reaching out to their mentors from the previous year to get feedback on the different destinations. The United States is definitely among the most sought-after. I remember myself a year ago with the same dreams and questions about how I’d live alone abroad, but today I feel like I’ve settled into a bit of a routine. That’s why I decided to share what a typical day looks like for me, to make the daily life of an exchange student in the United States more real for those who might be considering it. 

A day in my life, as an exchange student in Philadelphia 

6:30, I wake up. 

Okay, I’ll admit that it does not start on the most relatable note. But I promise I’m not lying, but since I’ve moved, although I overcame the majority of the jetlag and got used to the time difference, I stayed a morning person and have been more comfortable waking up super early than staying up late like the night owl I used to be. Honestly, Parisian me would be scared of and for me right now. 

I quickly shower and have breakfast; toast and peanut butter have become my best friends, as they’re very easy to grab in the USA and feed you quickly. I like to drink tea as well (chai nowadays), as it allows me to sit and enjoy my morning slowly. If I was able to do groceries in the past day I might have a banana with it but not so common to be honest. 

Since I’m living off campus this year, I then have to walk a short 15 minutes in order to get to campus, which is actually my favorite time of the day, since the Powelton neighborhood where I live has a lot of cute houses with front porches, and the autumn leaves have made it into a postcard-worthy landscape. 

At 7 (or 8 if I choose to do it on Tuesday which is more common), I get to the Rec Center, and head for the yoga studio. I discovered recently that you could do group exercises and lessons for free in the center, and have been enjoying morning Ashtanga since. The other options include spin, pilates, and core, but the slow yoga works better for me !!

The rec center also has facilities with free access for students from a swimming pool to a climbing wall, through weights. Go check it out!

After an hour of being reminded about how inflexible I am, I might go to the library right on the other side of the street for a quick hour of studying, which might consist of finishing up my work quickly or preparing for the lessons of the day. Monday, the day I’m describing, is my more packed study day since I organized my timetable that way, to have a long weekend and be able to visit my friend, but you could arrange your classes more spread out during the week so that the days are not as tiring. 

I then head out to my first class of the day; Religion & Science through History in the Academic Building, which I really enjoyed since I’m used to studying very delimited periods of history rather than following a subject through its evolution. Today was even a trial simulation, so I had to pretend to be a Renaissance scientist and argue that the universe was geocentric ( what wouldn’t I do for history ??). 

Straight after that, I have another history class and a very different vibe; this one is US Military History since 1900. It is more reading but we have dedicated time before each lecture to discuss the recent news which makes the class much more applicable. 

I then have a little lunch break, I often head to one of the campus food carts and get a warm takeaway, but sometimes I treat myself a bit more and head to my favorite coffee shop on campus; Greeks from Greece. After a morning of tiring my body and my brain, some warm food is always welcome. 

After that, It often leaves me enough time to study a tiny bit more (I keep mentioning I study in little bits; is that an organization problem or do I just not have a long enough attention span ??). I sometimes like to study in Lebow’s building since their lounge is so classy, it puts me in a good study mood. 

I then head to my third class of the day; American Government. This class is very fun because every week we do a simulation on the political science theme of the week; I might represent the federal level against the states on matters such as education, and it makes us engage so much more with the subject, which is always appreciated. 

After those 2 hours of discussions, I head for my final class in the Kline Law building; Mediation, Arbitration, and the Law of the Alternate Dispute Resolution. While this class is technical, the fact that we do trial and negotiation simulation with actual cases and not concepts almost makes me forget that it’s an evening class. 

If there is not a student event I can attend, I then head home with music in my ear ( French music since I miss the language a tiny bit) or face timing my friends who are studying in other cities in the US. When I get home, I and my roommates usually debrief our days while cooking dinner, a chill and warm moment that I enjoy very much. 

We created a tradition of French words of the day, for which I exchanged American slang! 

I wish I could tell you that as a student I eat very healthy and varied, but honestly, I go for the simplest (girl dinner !!!). 

Things no one tells you about living alone and abroad; the chores are ENDLESS. Dishes, laundry, cleaning up… I try to do as much as my motivation allows me before studying some more, sometimes on Facetime with my friend who’s currently living in South Korea, as it’s the perfect timing and she’s waking up and having breakfast the next day. 

I then go to bed and get ready to do it all again (or not since I only have class any other day ;). I also like to look on Instagram for all the fun stuff to do in Philly during the week before actually deciding to go to sleep. 

From now on, I’m going back to studying for my midterms, but talk to you next week !!