On October 29th, a number of students took a bus to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to visit the Mutter Museum. The trip was structured around the current Freshman Honors Life of the Mind class, linking the discussed body and mind arguments of Descartes with the exhibits of different bodies and their strange deformities at the museum. While there, students and faculty viewed many displays, some being much stranger than others. The exhibits included several conjoined/Siamese twins, many molds of skin diseases, human horns, malformed skeletons, dried bodies, and many other unique displays.
In celebration of the Day of the Dead, El Diá de los Muertos, the museum hosted several small events. These included skull cookie decorating, tissue-paper flower making and a speaker. Several Mexican dishes were also offered to the visitors that day, including chips and salsa, mango lemonade, and several others.
Having some free time, students also took an opportunity to explore some of the city. While the weather seemed to take a turn for the worst, bringing a mixture of rain, snow, and hail despite the time of year, the students still managed to do a bit of sightseeing. However, the weather did finally become a strong enough deterrent and the groups made their ways back to the museum, where many tissue-paper flowers were made. Overall, the trip was very interesting and offered a much needed break from the mundane schedule of college.