Remember Me NYC

It may come to a surprise to all of you guys, but prior to this class and the birth of this blog, I was not friends with Colin, Ambrina, and Natalie (my fellow bloggers). I knew of them, as the college is particularly small and faces are very familiar, but I had never really had a conversation with them. I figure what better way to end a wonderful class and a wonderful blog than to thank and appreciate the people who've gone with me on this crazy media filled journey.

It felt kind of natural from the start. I happened to sit where I sat, they happened to sit where they sat. It was apparent to me that they were all friends already but they had adopted me without any question. After the very first class I had an inclination that a friendship was forming.

By the end of this class (present) I now call these three good friends of mine. We go out together, text one another, and make it a point to talk to each other when we see one another in the hall ways, or at work. I believe I owe it to them to write a little blurb about each of them in particular.

Worst Picture Ever.

Colin and I worked together... kind of. We are both under the roof of FAO Schwarz but have two different positions with two separate sets of teams. He was the buzz of Freshman year as one of the few attractive straight guys on the "market" at the time, so I heard a lot of him, but knew very little. As I've said in previous posts (visit the post about Mitch) I was never prone to having a lot of guy friends. Throughout high school nobody wanted to be caught with the gay kid, and I was naturally brought up with my sister and my mother without much of a male figure. I don't trust guys for the most part and I feel threatened by them more than anything based off of some ugly bullying situations in my childhood. Colin, however, made a distinct difference in my point of view. He's not "afraid" of me or treats me any differently than any of his other guy friends. Throughout this class and outside of class, I've come to really respect him for his intelligence and his passion for what he does. He and I are similar in that we're really just kids at heart.

This picture is much cuter.

Ambrina I had probably the least amount of knowledge of coming into this class. I may have seen her face once or twice, but I didn't even know her name. I really figured she'd just be a girl who I saw in class but otherwise would be a stranger. However, I couldn't be more wrong. She ended up being one of the sweetest and most sincere women I've met in a long while. She was kind, compassionate, and friendly from the very start. After the second day of knowing her, she wasn't afraid to ask me questions about personal topics such as my sexuality. Even after the second day of knowing her, we had established a trust that I felt comfortable discussing intricate topics like that with her. I'm still amazed by how close her and I became as she was really the biggest stranger of the three of us to me. Now today, she's the one who's texting me and inviting me to parties and always wanting me to come out with them. Every time she offers I'm even more excited than before. I always know it's going to be a good time if Ambrina is involved in the party planning.

Technically we're both int his picture...

I don't even know where to begin with Natalie. I'll start by saying that we've had classes together before, but we never really gave each other more of a second glance. We each had our niche of friends in class that never crossed paths with each other. Then this class happened, and I learned what a fierce woman she is. I've never met someone so fearless in speaking their mind and saying exactly what they're feeling the moment they are feeling it. I admire her brutal honesty and spunk. She has a personality unlike any other I've seen at Marymount. With her bold attitude, you can tell she's the kind of girl to get what she wants and doesn't take no for an answer. She and I got to the level where I felt cool enough to talk to her about my boy drama, and she in return let me into her love story between her and her boyfriend, Starbucks. We've definitely developed a relationship that I won't soon forget.

It's been a really fun ride, and even writing this final blog post I'm feeling kind of emotional. I never expected to develop any real friendships out of my classes this semester, but this time around I feel like I have. I'm not planning on losing touch with these guys any time soon after this class. Although we all have different plans for the summertime, I eagerly await fall semester where we can all reconvine again and continue to grow as friends. I'm really happy to have met these guys. It's definitely been an NYC Experience.

International Students

Every one meet Sascha. She is an international student from Holland and after getting to know her it was very obvious to tell that she was not from America. If there is anyone that I have met here that has significantly changed my life it's her. She showed me a different side to the world that I would have never experienced or loved New York as much as I do now. 

I can't explain in words the nights we would have together. The word "fun" doesn't even being to describe it. We just went crazy. We went out almost every night and met so many people including famous people. We were always together 24/7, there was never a moment besides when we were sleeping that we were apart. 

Now as I said earlier she is an international student but she does not have an accent so you wouldn't be able to tell at first that she is foreign. But after having a conversation with her by they the words that she says or by her ditsy comments that you would know that answer to if you were american. I know it may sound confusing but if you had a conversation with her you would understand what I was talking about. 


Coming to New York City alone without your family, its hard to have someone you trust. I can confidently say 100% that she is the only girl in this city that I have met so far that I completely trust. Its hard finding someone here that is really a stranger that you can completely trust. I trust her more than I trust my boyfriend. I am so incredibly happy that I met her and she helped me become the person who I have always wanted to be, living here on my own. I am so grateful that I met her and now I couldn't imagine not knowing her. 

The World Needs More People Like Her

           Being a constant broke college kid with a shopping problem means I will certainly do anything in order to not spend uneccessary money. One of the ways I save is by going home to Staten Island to do my laundry. So I travel two hours with dirty clothes via train to boat and boat (or ferry) to bus and then vice versa in order to get back into city.
            On my voyage back to the city, as I was waiting for the bus to take me to the boat, I met a really funny woman. She herself was not funny but her personality towards people really worked for her. Meaning, she wasn’t afraid to ask questions or help out an old lady who needed a seat because she had a lot of bags. She managed to be open and non judgemental all while waiting for the bus.  
 

           After my encounter with this woman I realized that more people should act like this towards strangers and stop being so damn stuck up all the time.

Everyone Plays

I was stretching my legs at Rainey Park in Astoria when I saw two men walking through the playground. One of them was wearing a reflective construction vest, both wore manly blue jeans and work boots. They chattered with each other as they trudged up the rubberized play pyramid that served as a centerpiece for the playground. Upon reaching the peak, which stood a solid 15 feet above the surrounding ground, They giddily grinned with the obvious appeasement that comes with ascending summits. The man in the vest paused and grabbed the top bar of the slide that could take him on a slippery plummet to the ground below but he did not slide. He wanted to slide, his eyes advertised it, but his mindful smile said, "Wouldn't that be wild if I swung down this chute like a child would play, with no vest and no boots?" His friend waddled slow down the pyramid slope. He must have decided his fun was enough, if he let out a giggle he wouldn't be tough. The vest man remained at his perch by the slide, he noticed my gaze when he glanced to the side. "Just do it," I whispered, "I really won't care. I know you grew up but the urge is still there." He loosened his grip and stepped back from the slide, then crept down the hill as he sheltered his pride. He joined his friend and they stomped their boots away from the pyramid and I felt disappointment sting in my chest. I buried my face into my leg in an effort to loosen a stagnant muscle when I heard, "I made it!" cheer from in front of me. I turned up my gaze and saw boots on a wall that was blue, curved, and towering seven feet tall. A climbing piece made to keep kids entertained had been conquered by men who let fun go untamed. They followed their instinct and moved in new ways that were borrowed from kids because everyone plays.

New Friends!

Have you ever been to a party, got really drunk and instantly became best friends with them? Well, it happened to me this past weekend. I was at a cinco de mayo party where there was a lot of tequila which means people were getting really drunk. 

My friend Yoni was having this party at house in Brooklyn and there were sooo many people there. It was such a great party I loved every moment I was there. There was good vibes, good music, and really good food. I immediately start drinking as soon as I got there. After a couple drinks in me I was good for the rest of the night. As it got later and later into the night more and more people started to arrive. I didn't really know that many people at this party which at first was a little intimidated but clearly that was not an issue. 

 At this point I had no idea what time it was and I saw this girl dancing to one of my favorite songs. So of course drunk me goes to her and starts to sing a long. Were dancing and screaming the song couldn't care about anything that was going on around us. After the song was over we start making small and started to get to know each other but on a drunk level. Which means we were just laughing the whole entire time about absolutely nothing. 

Needless to say that night we basically became best friends and of course we took a shit ton a pictures together. I ended up leaving this party around 4 am and before I left we exchanged numbers. We drunk texted that night and the next day we texted a little. I see her around school and say hi, this weekend I am going to another party and invited her to come. She said she wouldn't miss it, I am so excited!! 

Tattoo Josh

Incase y'all didn't know, my birthday was this Monday. However, I have this thing with getting older and by "thing" I mean I'm never growing up. Ever. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to the day at all. However, I was looking forward to my present to myself.

When I was a Junior in High School I had fantasized getting a tattoo of Peter Pan's shadow on my arm. It was just an idea but I really liked it. Peter Pan has been a strong resonation in my life for my whole life. He's one of my biggest inspirations. I told myself in two years, if I still liked the idea, I'd let myself get it. This year, I was getting depressed about turning 20 and forgoing my teenage years and, essentially, my childhood. When I say depressed, I'm talking birthday coma. It wasn't fun.

Then I had the idea! What better way to conclude my teenage years than to finally get Peter's shadow on me to make my statement that I'm never growing up. So it was decided. The day before my birthday (while I'm still 19) I would be tattooed. I was excited about the tattoo, however, I wasn't excited about the actual process of getting a tattoo...

Think about it- needles constantly jabbing your arm injecting ink again and again and again and AGAIN! It's going to hurt! I'm going to scream! What if I pass out? Will there be blood? PANIC!!

Panic. So I decided to go in the day before to talk to the guy and gather an idea of what I was getting into. (Here comes the NYC Experience).

I knew the place I wanted to get it done because my room mate last year got his done in this place, called NYC Kulture. It was clean and his tattoo came out really nice. So I walked in and approached three big muscular guys with sleeved tattoos, piercings, and the swagger of kings. Measly I asked for help. The shortest of the three (but also the widest) turned with a huge grin and asked what he could do for me. Then I began ranting, as I'm sure you can all imagine.

He ended up being the exact opposite of my stereotypical first impression. He was sweet, funny, and comforting. He assured me that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and that basically anything I wanted he could do. Through conversation I learned I could trust him, so I told him I'd be coming back the following day. He told me his name, Josh, and gave me his direct number so if I were nervous I could call him.

So the next day, I come in. He and I discussed and reaffirmed exactly what I wanted. I paid far too much and then laid on what could have been my death bed. He knew I was nervous, so he started cracking jokes. He totally eased my tension and was constantly acting in support. I sing when I'm nervous, so I started. He told me to keep singing, and to sing as loud as I could. So I did, and the whole process was over in under 45 minutes.

Did it hurt? Yes. Was I terrified? Totally. Would I have actually gone through with without Josh? No. He was exactly the person I needed to get this tattoo, and I really believe if I had anyone else it wouldn't have happened and I'd go into my twenties without my statement and, symbolically, without my childhood. But I did it! I follow Josh on Instagram now, and he told me we could go out for drinks whenever we all wanted to. What a guy!

Now I bet you're wondering... how did it come out?! Well, check it out for yourselves!

Not only was he the sweetest of hearts, but he was true to his word. He gave me exactly what I wanted.

Instead of Fate, It was the Bathroom that Bought us Together

                We all hate when we desperately have to go to the bathroom and there is a line. Sometimes it feels as if the line is as long as the Great Wall of China. Where my Great Wall of China took place was at a downtown in a college bar.
                Just picture it: this basement crowded to the max and only two bathroom stalls for girls. That’s right, it was harsh. So what caused me to be on this specific line is that I got bored of watching my friend get hit on by some extremely creepy MAN (remember college bar, so ew!) and I actually had to go. So I go to the bathroom by myself and I’m standing there and all of a sudden this girl starts talking to me. I thought “omg, I don’t look so bored and awkward because now it looks like I have friends.” To be quite honest I don’t even remember how we started talking as in the 1^st thing we said to each other. However, I remembered everything in between. We discussed the basics: what school do you go to, what year, what major, and all that jazz. This is what I got: she was originally from Pennsylvania, she goes to NYU, she is a freshman studying acting, she knew that she was going to live in a basement and sell/do crack for the rest of her life because she was studying acting, she knew other people that went to Marymount but they were acting majors too, she had to go just as bad as I did, and her name was Molly.
                I found Molly to be interesting, outgoing, and intriguing because our conversation was never dull. Long after I was done with the bathroom I saw Molly again (not near the bathroom) and she told me it was

really nice meeting me and that I should add her on Facebook. So the next day I found her on Facebook, she accepted me, and that’s where the picture is from.