El Barrio

I had nearly given up on this whole blogging thing due to several reasons, the biggest of them all being a lack of time. For the last six weeks I did nothing but Teach For America. Because I spent so much time teaching, lesson planning, going to workshops and making assessments I lost all dreams of keeping anyone up to date on my time at Institute via blog. Even though it is all over I still have no real desire or will to fill in the gaps of very detail from those six weeks because it would be impossible. Instead, I am going to point out some highlights and lowlights from my life the last six weeks.

I am going to start with the outline for my daily routine:

5:40 am - Wake up and shower time
6:25 - Breakfast
6:37 - Board big yellow school bus to PS 165 in East Brooklyn
8:30 - Pick up students from breakfast then begin teaching
8:30-12:30 - Teach and attend sessions
1:00-4:15 - Attend sessions then board big yellow school bus
4:40 - Arrive back to Queens
5:30-6:10 - Dinner
6:30-12:00 (depending) - Work time, lesson planning, sessions, etc

IT WAS WILD! I am just now beginning to feel the lack of sleep from those weeks.





HIGHTLIGHTS


1) Meeting some great people including, but not limited to the following:
-My Institute roommates Patrick and Nate, both of whom really could have made Institute a living hell but the laughs that we shared made everything bearable.
-The E 116th St. Crew (Jaqui, Alex, Liz, Michelle and Andrew). These five people always made dinner a riot and we now live together in the same apartment building. Andrew and Liz are now my new roommates, and after tonight I feel like I know them a little more than I would have liked...
-All the other awesome people ranging from my fellow teachers at PS 165 to Jenn, Jessica, Dylan, Zach, etc.

2) My awesome 6th graders. Although there were only eight of them they each had such unique personalities and traits that made teaching difficult and worthwhile all at the same time. I feel as if many of them did learn from our experience this summer, and some of them really challenged themselves to succeed and work hard come the fall.

3) Seeing friends from Seattle! So over the past six weeks I have somehow hung out with/run into people I know from Seattle. This has ranged from my roommate Nate's sister dating the brother of a friend in Seattle, whom had actually been in NY at the same time all the way to seeing random people from SU at a party. I was fortunate enough to be able to see one of my best friend's Timm while his band Wait In Vain was out here playing two shows. Best time!

4) Moving into my apartnement in Spanish Harlem, or the Barrio. I now live in a rockin apartment with two great new friends, that will be great new teachers. The place is in a really vibrant neighborhood rich with culture and I feel good about living here. Even if the Metro North passes right by my window every 5 or 10 minutes. I have no complaints so far.

5) I live in New York City! I mean come on, what do I have to complain about. The other day we unpacked and walked to Central Park where we proceeded to sit there in the sun, people watching and conversing. IT RULED! There are so many crazy places to eat, the subway takes you everywhere, the people are so different and the possibilities in this city are seemingly endless.

6) I fall asleep to the sound of the Metro North train right outside my window, which is then followed by the sound of sirens and people's voices.

7) The Straight Edge


LOWLIGHTS


1) Not blogging for six weeks, therefore not wanting to really go into depth about my experience at Institute. Also, taking 4 days to just get this one going...

2) Missing a ton of people in Seattle.

3) Being really broke and having to wait until mid-September for any income.

4) Not having decent coffee on a regular basis. Sure Dunkin' Donuts is somewhat cool, but I am dying for a nice Vivace latte.

5) Being hot and sweaty all day, every day. It's whack.

6) Awkward situations.

7) Not having decent furniture that would allow me to take clothes out of my suitcase.

8) Waking up to the sound of the Metro North train right outside my window, which then sets off numerous car alarms. New York living I guess.


Overall, I guess it is fair to say that I can not complain too much. Life is good, really different but good. It will take time for me to come to the realization that not only do I live in New York City, but that I am also going to be teaching a group of 7th grade students starting September. I will make every attempt to continue on with this blog, but seeing as how this entry literally took me a number of days to complete I can not make any promises.

I would like to end this entry by saying that today I stood in the middle of the street between The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park and was unable to see the horizon.