Carlene Majorino - Photo Story

In Scranton, where I’m from, my life is different from my life in Philadelphia in many ways. Scranton is where I discovered local shows. Since my freshman year of high school, I have been enamored by every aspect of small local music scenes, from the bands to the musicians to the crowd. My early interest in Scranton’s music scene is what led to my current love and openness for all types of music as well as my hobbies of songwriting and playing guitar.

My small core group of five or six friends from Scranton were with me all throughout high school. Together, we experienced hobbies, relationships, jobs, and much more for the very first time. Scranton being a small town, one of our favorite weekend hobbies was going to a local café, The Northern Light, drinking coffee and playing Scrabble until closing time. Afterward, we would sit outside talking among ourselves and passerby until we were ready to go home.

Almost all of my friends are very involved in music, whether they play it or just love listening to it. Two of my very best friends from Scranton, Kirsten and John, love to duet together with John playing guitar. However, all of us that can play instruments take our turns and, after lots of experimenting, we collectively record our own music.

My boyfriend, CJ, and I have known one another for over three years now. Before we were even friends, we had mutual friends and always knew who the other was, but when we were juniors in high school we became close friends. Because we had known one another for so long before we dated, we’re very comfortable around each other and our romantic relationship is based largely on friendship.

In August of 2006, I moved to Philadelphia to attend school. The move was a large transition for me, both physically and emotionally. I was both very nervous and excited to leave Scranton and begin a new life.

Temple University is the primary and most important reason that I am in Philadelphia. I originally chose Temple because of its highly-rated journalism program, and since I began school it has become my life. Writing and education in general mean everything to me, and I could not be
happier about the friends I have made and the priceless experiences I have had because of Temple.



My roommates, Kristen and Lauren, have been a huge part of my life since I’ve gotten to Philadelphia. I met them my freshman year and they automatically began to mean as much to me as my friends in Scranton. They are true friends and all of us would do anything for one another.

Another large part of my life in Philadelphia is sports. I’ve always loved baseball, and the Phillies became my favorite team as soon as I got to the city. I love the fact that a Phillies game is only a subway ride away as long as it’s baseball season. I also began to love hockey and basketball when I arrived in Philadelphia and I feel that my new liking for sports has made me much more well-rounded.

I feel that one of the best things about living in a city is the seemingly-endless amount of places and things to explore. My friends from Scranton come to visit me quite often because they like to see new things in the city. One weekend, my friend Allen stayed at Temple for a weekend and asked me to take him to FDR, a popular skate park in South Philadelphia. These days, I continue to explore Philadelphia and I feel like I can never get sick of the city. However, being in Philadelphia also makes me appreciate my hometown for all of the people and things that make it unique. I feel that, in some ways, I live a double life in which one is always just as incredible as the other.