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.

 

Theresa, get out of the road!

A woman with a power chair and a man with a cane were both struggling with the woman's power chair on the curb of a two-way street in Morningside when I came rolling by.
I asked, "Need some help?"
The man gave a hesitant nod and an awkward smile but the woman looked up at me, made a gargling hiss noise, and projected some spittle through the vacuumous cavern of her remaining teeth.
The man gave me another nervous chuckle. He asked the woman, "Theresa, where you goin?"
Theresa moaned and rolled her head around.
A teenager behind me reported to a friend, "Yo, a zombie!"
"Are we going up or down?" I dropped my scooter on the bricks.
Theresa decided that having one back wheel propped on the curb was sufficient, sat down, and throttled, spinning the suspended back wheel in the direction of the street. She made more noises.
The man told her, "I'm gonna give you a push," and he did.
My face got hot as Theresa dislodged from the curb, buzzed into the roadway, and spiraled in all directions. "Watch yourself," I warned.
The man repeated my warning.
Children on the opposite side of the street began laughing.
Theresa zigzagged her way from side to side. Cars passed tentatively and girls walking beside me deemed the woman insane.
I decided no more could be done and rode away while the man with the cane turned and hobbled in the opposite direction.

If you look closely, you just might see a power chair in the road. 

Strawberry Fest Friends!

As you all know, yesterday was Strawberry Fest at Marymount Manhattan. I definitely went a little crazy for any of you who saw me there dancing queen. Through my manic participation in all the activities presented, I met a few people. One of them who I met, Keira, was probably the best. She's the one on the right, I'm obviously in the middle, and another friend of mine Liane is on the left.

Keira was a one of a kind gal. She had a sense of humor to bring any person to their knees with laughter, and she was also a personable and charming person to be around. These aren't exactly hard traits to come by with people, but Keira had a certain special quality to her. She also had just come out of the closet at a lesbian and was dealing with the emotional strain that went with that and in telling her family and friends from home so in that regard I had a connection with her. The only reason I know this is because she had a phone call with her mom during the celebration that didn't go so smoothly and Liane and I consoled her through it.

I've met a lot of people throughout this semester that I've blogged about, but there was something indescribable about Keira that I simply can't get out of my head which is why I chose to blog about her. If you happen to see her in MMC, be sure to stop by and give her a friendly hello.

Dogs Skateboarding !?

For some reason animals doing human activities really fascinate me, as I'm sure it does for most people. This past weekend I was in central park and saw a bulldog skating on skateboard. No joke. This dog was kicking and every thing. It was awesome. 


I saw a crowd and immediately was curious as to what was going on. Then all I saw was a dog and a skateboard that a man was holding skateboard. I wasn't sure what to think, I first thought that they were just spending a nice day in the park together but then why would there be a crowd surrounding them? I stayed to watch to find out that the dog was riding! 

I have seen videos on youtube of bulldogs riding skateboards but never one in person and let me tell you that it is waayy more shocking seeing it in person! I obviously pulled out my phone and took a video of it because it just blew my mind.

The man would push the skateboard and the dog would run with the skateboard and hop on it. It was soo cute to watch. He did this many times for the duration I was there but one incident in particularly that was so funny to me was when the dog was trying to hop up on the skateboard he completely slipped and fell on and rolled down a little hill. I know that sounds awful but it was so cute.  

What are all of you looking for?

The George Washington Bridge spans the Hudson River, connecting Jersey to the furthest uptown reaches of Manhattan. It's a majestic bridge, and my NYC cycling map indicates that it is bicycle traversable, which means its also scooter traversable, which means I must traverse it.

I had a free afternoon, so I took a long train ride uptown and set out on my quest of scootering across my first state border.

Well, I did it.

The bridge was actually pretty easy to cross. It was very long, but pretty flat. Nothing compared to the mountainous Queensboro bridge in my neck of the woods. Once I got to Jersey I cheered and smiled and asked myself, "what the hell do I do now?" I saw an entrance to a trail leading into a patch of forest nearby, so that answered my question.

I hiked a little bit through the woods and ended up on the edge of a respectably massive cliff overlooking the river. It occurred to me at that point that this place was pretty special. I continued my hike along this cliff, down some cool rocky steps to a paved road, then down the road (which may have been the best downhill ride I have ever experienced)to the riverbank. I made a pit stop at a man-made peninsula park then followed a new path along the river.

I took in the scenery for a while until I noticed some women descending from the hillside next to me. They left the marked trail: forbidden, but nobody reads the sign. They were carrying dirty bags. I wondered what was in them. Further down the path I saw more women digging in the dirt. Then I saw more women up in the brush rummaging around. Keep in mind, this is tsking place over a mile and a half of trail. When I saw yet another pair of ladies on their hands and knees digging, I pulled out my phone to take a picture. When I got close, the younger lady gave me an embarrassed "hey." I didn't feel comfortable taking a picture. I apologize.

I'm happy to see all these women outside playing, but they left me questioning. What in the world were they looking for? Maybe Jersey has shallow, undiscovered gold mines. Another thing I noticed was that every single one of these ladies was Asian. I don't know what to make of that. All I know is I want in.

My Good Deed

             My mornings usually consist of me going back to my house in the morning looking a hot mess because I usually do not sleep in my own bed, because I sleep at my friends or boyfriends house and don’t bring an extra set of clothes to sleep in or even pajamas to sleep in. So on this particular day I was coming from my boyfriend’s house all the way in the Bronx. Since he lives in the Bronx I have to get there via MTA. Do you understand how miserable, embarrassing, and unattractive it is to ride the train looking like a dirty raccoon if not someone who clearly had the night before? Yeah, it is not a nice image.
             So I am standing and being hideous at 9:00AM when the 125^th Street stop pulled up and for some reason that is the most popular stop on the downtown train at the hour. All of a sudden- there are seats! I’m not sure if you know the feeling but after standing in the same spot, same position for 20 minutes straight having an open seat is the next best thing to an orgasm. Thus, I take my seat.
             So as I’m sitting after all these people clear out ,more people come in but there was this one lady in particular who “needed” a seat. I heard this lady screaming and moaning about her feet. So she gets on and she did not look like a “clean” woman; she her clothes were dirty and she had holes in her clothes. And her hair looked dirty as well. Despite of what she was wearing she had a cane that looked a little broken and bad posture so it was understandable why she did not have good posture. Also, she was not the smallest sized woman if you catch my drift.
             Anyways, this woman steps on the train yelling how she needs a seat because her feet hurt so bad. Even though she was screaming of how much pain she is in, I did not give up my seat. No it was not because I’m rude and insensitive but because if I gave up my seat there would have been no room for someone of her size if I did give up my seat. Thus, I am not a bad person. Luckily for this person who had “bad feet” someone gave up there seat. This nice and older lady gave up her seat for this woman so there was enough space for someone of her size to sit down comfortably. After seeing that I felt bad because it was clear that someone needed a seat and it seemed as if I was too selfish to give up my seat.
             So after I saw that I felt inclined to give the older lady my seat cause she was old and her body size was appropriate for the space that would have been available once I have gotten up.