Let's Hear it for New York

Jam packed. Not only my suitcase, but my days in New York! I have been to 3 boroughs in 4 days and have explored with all 5 senses. New York is such a vibrant and diverse city, where no two people or places look the same.

Wednesday morning, Joe Salvo, the Director of the Population Division at the New York City Department of City Planning came to speak to our class. One of Joe’s many hats is to work closely with the Census Bureau to create population estimates. Joe’s statistics of New York City were staggering: 8 million people live in this city, Brooklyn and Queens could stand alone as the 4^th and 5^th largest cities in the United States and the foreign born immigrant population is 3 million. These are just a couple of numbers to show how extremely dense and diverse this city is, no one dominates in New York City.

I realized this later that day, when our class split up into groups to venture to different parts of the City. I decided to explore the East River Ferry, which leaves out of Pier 11 near Wall St. and travels to Brooklyn and Queens. While I headed downtown on the subway, I understood what just what Joe meant; no two people looked the same. Whites, asians blacks, hispanics, all on one small subway cart. Almost everyone was “plugged in” in someway or another; to their ipod, phone, tablet, or newspaper. No one was speaking to one another, the streets above us were bursting with noise but our cart was filled with silence.

Our first stop off the ferry was in DUMBO, Brooklyn. DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) was very artsy, hip and contemporary, the “new” New York. Worn down industrial warehouses stood next to new brick buildings. I noticed the streetwalkers of DUMBO grazed down the blocks much more leisurely than the determined strutters of Manhattan. Next, we took the ferry to Williamsburg, Brooklyn which is known for a heavy population of orthodox Jews and hipsters (though that’s not exactly politically correct). A public yellow school bus with Hebrew scripture passed by us and glossy grafitti filled the walls of most buildings. While in Williamsburg, we stopped in “New York Muffins,” an adorable café that served tasty treats, I opted for a warm, delicious cranberry muffin. Williamsburg was a mix of edgy and conservative, like nothing I had ever seen before. Our last stop was Long Island City, Queens. This area was much more car-centric with few people on the streets. While walking the blocks trying to get a sense of the essence and people of LIC I peeped into a window to see many young children and their mothers playing together…or so I thought. I looked closely and realized the young boys and girls were all white, and their caretakers all black.

My exploration of these different parts of New York City taught me that a city can be full of contradictions; it can be loud and still, green and polluted, vibrant and gray, hip and old fashion. It can be white, black, asain and hispanic, it can be wealthy and poor. I loved observing, tasting and listening these very different neighborhoods. Above all, I realized New York City has so much more to offer its people than just bright lights, Broadway, fashion and food- things I previously thought of when I heard “New York.” There is rich history here and sustainability projects and innovative transportation use and public art and wonderful people from all different parts of the world, the list goes on and on. Learning about New York out of the classroom through direct experience was meaningful and powerful. This exercise was an introduction to the experiential learning concept that forms the basis of IHP. My impressions of New York has dramatically altered in just a couple of days because I am not just looking, but I am seeing. As Alicia Keys would say, let’s hear it for New York.

Enjoy the pictures of my adventure through NYC below!

Lots of love. Till next time,

Rachel

View of Wall St from Brooklyn

Warehouse in DUMBO

Jewish Day School- School Bus

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Grafitti in Williamsburg

Sunset from Long Island City, Queens

The Journey Begins

And so it begins! Today was the first day of my multi-country- four-month-adventure.  I was filled with thought and emotion while I walked through the doors of the International House on the upper (upper) west side of Manhattan to meet the thirty-three other students I will travel three continents with.  Excited, nervous, anxious, happy and overwhelmed were just a few of the feelings running through me.  But I have to say, the program coordinators orchestrated the afternoon activities flawlessly; it calmed my every nerve. I met the wonderful and knowledgeable faculty that will be traveling with us, many of my out-going and intelligent peers as well as our groups Trustee’s Fellow, Maggie, who welcome me with the warmest smile with a hug to match. The other students on the program come from a variety of schools; Brown, Vassar, UC-Berkley and everywhere else in between.  Everyone has a different story and purpose for being here, I am excited to learn more and more about them and develop meaningful relationships as we live and learn together.

With any orientation setting there comes icebreakers! One of our introduction exercises was called Hopes and Aspirations; each student spoke about one thing we are most excited for during our travels and one thing we are fearful about. My mind swarmed with a number of wishes and fears, and here are a few I would like to share with you:

Hopes: I hope to stay present in the moment (yogi reference…hi mom!), I want to soak it all in and truly make the most out of this special opportunity. I wish to meet and create close relationships with my faculty, peers, homestay families and local residents of each area, for after all, it is the people that make a city come to life. I hope to stay healthy, stay in touch and stay positive. I hope to learn something new every day. I also hope to maintain a confidence and faith in myself that I am capable of taking on the intensity of our travels and coursework. The “hope” I shared with my peers, is that I hope to truly and fully immerse myself and see how other parts of the world live a life. The way I live my life is just one, small, tiny way to live, I am so intrigued and excited to see how others create a fulfilling life for themselves, build a happy home and operate in their day-to-day world.

Apprehensions: I fear that I will get sick somewhere in my travels! But then again, Holly did send me abroad with every single potion, remedy and pill out there…so I think I will be just fine! No Delhi Belly for me please! I fear that I will miss home, my friends, and family…but technology makes it so we are never too far apart. I fear that getting an internship will be challenging overseas! That is to be determined. I shared with the group that I am apprehensive about the exposure I will have to aspects of the cities that will be difficult to see and hard to process. I am the type of person who feels things deeply, and I am working to prepare myself on how to make sense of some of the things I am going to witness, such as poverty, homelessness and beggars. Although this will be tough, this is a part of my make-up, it is ingrained in who I am, and I am okay with it.

Any new venture is filled with hopes and fears, but I am feeling ready to explore. These two weeks in New York will be jam-packed, giving us a foundation of what we will be studying while away. We will learn how to read a city through visiting all five boroughs and visiting agencies and community organizations. New York City is a complex and multifaceted city that would take much more time than two weeks here to fully understand. In the time we have here I hope to get a sense of the diverse people, the organizations, infrastructure and networks that make the city function. I hope to keep my senses open, to observe and engage and begin to learn how to read a city in New York and gain insight into certain characteristics of city that I can draw upon when making comparisons to other cities I will visit. More bonding and group activities will also be a part of my time here, as well as some free time to have a dinner or two with Amanda!

I look forward to broadening my view of the world. I hope you enjoy a[broad] view!

“...look closely…listen, linger and think about what you see…” Jane Jacobs

Lots of love. Till next time,

Rachel