Hello all! I am currently writing to you on my way home from Philadelphia.
I spent a four day weekend in Philadelphia with Richmond’s Model United Nations (MUN) group. Ten of us in the group attended the annual MUN conference hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at the fancy Double Tree Hotel in the very heart of downtown Philadelphia. Although I participated in MUN in high school, this was my first actual college MUN conference, competing with top schools all across the nation. Because this was my first serious MUN conference, it was quite intimidating to debate real-life global issues with other dedicated and intelligent students. However, it was a great experience to interact with different people from different universities and I learned a lot that will help me be better prepared for my next MUN conference. The UPenn conference’s organizing committee also planned fun activities and events outside of conference time for all of the conference attendees. They gave us free time to explore the city, which my friends and I fully took advantage of. They also rented out a big private night club for all the college attendees to celebrate the end of the conference. Overall, it was a great extended weekend.  I was able to travel to a city that I’ve never been to before, attend a stimulating conference and just have fun in a new setting! And the best thing is that this entire trip was paid for by the University of Richmond! The University funded MUN students to go on this trip because it was educational and sponsored by a University student organization. That’s one of the great things about the University of Richmond – it has amazing resources to spend on its students to help students explore their topics of interests outside of the classroom.
That’s all for now! I hope everyone had as exciting a weekend as I did. Now I’m starting a countdown until Thanksgiving break when I will get to travel to New Jersey and New York. Updates to come!
Great view of downtown Philly at night from our hotel room.
 
The beautiful Philadelphia Town Hall building, which was just a few hundred feet down the block from our hotel.
 
The front of the Philadelphia Town Hall building.
 
Streets of downtown Philly.
 
More of downtown Philadelphia, amid fall foliage.
Happy election day to all!
I just thought I’d drop a few lines to commemorate this special day!
This election is my first time voting, not only for the presidency, but also for local legislators and issues affecting my hometown and home state of Kansas. It was also the first election for my fellow freshmen and many upperclassmen as well, creating a very exciting election day atmosphere on campus!
I voted and sent in my absentee voter ballot several weeks ago, but today is when it finally counts!
Happy election day!
My absentee ballot!
Marked, sealed, and ready to mail!
Trick or Treat!
It’s finally November, one of my favorite months of the year! Even though November is a college student’s busiest month, with big projects and papers due right before finals hit, I still love everything about it! November comes right after Halloween, a personal favorite of mine, and before Christmas, when I get to go home and see my family and friends! Also, you can’t forget the festivities and delicious food of Thanksgiving! Plus, I love the crisp weather of November, as it’s a mix between fall and winter weather. Much to my disappointment, however, it has been pretty warm here in Richmond. Hopefully cold weather comes soon!
This week has been just like any other in that it was busy busy busy! However, Halloween and a hallmate’s birthday made the perfect end to a stressful week. The University’s Halloween spirit was incredible all week. The dining hall served Halloween treats and put on pumpkin carving and cake decoration contests. Student organizations also put on Halloween dances and events. Personally, my friends and I took to pumpkin carving and decorating our rooms. It was just so fun to see everyone in the Halloween spirit all week!
I also got to go off campus for my friend’s birthday dinner at local restaurant with live blues music. The food wasn’t the best, but I enjoyed the different atmosphere. If you couldn’t tell already through my previous posts, I’m a big food connoisseur and I’ve been trying to hit up as many different places as possible since I’ve been in Richmond!
Overall, this has been a fun and eventful week. Stay tuned for updates on my November happenings!
My friend’s birthday dinner at a local blues joint!
Pumpkin carving!
Finished product!
Gretchen and I went on a decorating frenzy.
Lora Robins C1 girls on Halloween night!
