Getting Silly in Philly: APO Trisectionals

Never having visited the city of brotherly love I was rapt with excitement as a car full of APO enthusiast and I barreled down the highway (within the speed limit) to arrive there for APO tri-sectionals.  I looked out the window of our slightly crowded van and as I watched the scenery whizz by, I tried to imagine the strange people and exotic foods that I may encounter there.  Perhaps I would have a Philadelphia Cheese Steak, or maybe I would be so lucky as to partake of the city’s famed creamed cheese.  Before I tasted of Philly’s variety of culinary selections our van decided to stop and partake of the timeless roadway classic, Wawa.  Being a native of western Pennsylvania I was at first unsure of how satiating this “Wawa” would be compared to my traditional Sheetz.  As I surveyed the menu the absence of Schwings, Scheetza and fried mac and cheese, made my heart heavy with longing for my ancestral home.  However I was in for a pleasant surprise as the quesadilla I ordered took my taste buds for a much needed vacation south of the border.  We piled back into the car and as the minutes transformed into hours we rapidly approached the famous city of brotherly love.  Once there we disembarked from the train and made haste to the other University of Pennsylvania, in order to obtain our lodging in the dorms that towered over the campus. The next morning we fed our appetites with a healthy breakfast of chocolate muffins and coffee and prepared our minds for a daylong feast of leadership and service advice from brothers across the region.  As the day carried on we were exposed to APO brothers that brought with them new perspectives and ways of doing things.  It was truly uplifting to see so many people gathered under the noble banner of leadership, friendship, and service.  Upon disembarking from this strange and noble land I looked back upon the vista of steel and electricity that adorned its landscape in fondness for the experiences I enjoyed there.  There could be no better place to hold APO tri-sectionals, as the city’s namesake spirit of brother love was evident among all brothers gathered for this occasion. 


-Eric McCoy

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