So Thursday was Neighborhood Visit Day--a day in which we were split up into small groups of 5-6 in order to extensively explore one of the New York boroughs. I was assigned to the Staten Island group and prepared to make the hour and a half long trip to the borough from Queens by embracing the New England stereotype and chugging a large cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. You know that scene in Legally Blonde in which Elle sheds her Californian persona and basically becomes a ~real~ Harvard student?
~studious~ and ~New England~
That's exactly how I felt clutching my Dunkin, wondering where the nearest Starbucks was. But I digress.
In order to get to Staten Island, you have to ride a ferry from Manhattan.
the view of Manhattan!
And guess what I passed--THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
wow!!!
ME AND LADY LIBERTY
Now, I am basically the biggest American History nerd you will ever meet. I cry at the Pledge of Allegiance and the Gettysburg Address. So, seeing a beautiful statue meant to welcome the tired and weary and poor that longed to fulfill their American Dream had me like--
Upon arrival on Staten Island, we took a taxi to Port Richmond, a community with a large Hispanic immigrant population. To my absolute shock--we were able to find some real, authentic, INCREDIBLE Mexican food. LOOK AT THIS!!!
WOAH. I was like--
Super impressive.
But, if you can imagine, the food was only the beginning of what was to be a stellar, eye-opening, incredible day.
Have you ever crossed paths with an individual for only a few months, or hours, or minutes, that changes your life? Someone whose face you can never forget and whose story imprints itself on your heart?
I met so many of those men and women on Thursday. I met a woman who moved to the United States from Ecuador twenty-two years ago with her two children and worked as a single mother to support them. I met a man who has lived in Port Richmond for over thirty years and who works with at-risk youth of clashing ethnicities in order to promote peace and cooperation in his neighborhood. I met a librarian who has won multiple grants to revitalize and revamp her public library to serve more children and community members. And I realized in that moment, as a did in Israel, that my heart will be scattered around the world in a matter of a few short months. I leave little shards of it with every man and woman and place (and dog!) that touches my soul. My own family in California, and the Morris family in Israel hold the biggest pieces, and Boston, Jordan, Turkey, Montana, Nevada, and now New York have pieces as well. India, Brazil, and South Africa will soon hold some as well. And I will never truly be home again, with my heart scattered around the world--but oh, what a privilege and blessing it is to be broken.
We stayed in Port Richmond until about 6 or so then made our way back to Queens.
The next day, we presented about the neighborhood we'd visited and listened to descriptions of the other four boroughs. After that, we spent the entire day learning about New York history. I was absolutely enthralled.
After a long day of classes, a bunch of us gals got ready to go out on the own. We explored Manhattan and had a grand time. Honestly, one of the coolest experiences of my life occurred on the subway--a man walked onto the train and started singing some awesome oldies, and everyone else started to sing along!! Literally an impromptu communal karaoke on the Manhattan subway. I felt like I was in High School Musical.
It was extremely fun to get to know so many of my fellow programmers outside of an academic context and to learn that they're legit fantastic and fun and free-spirited people. I already know there's nobody I'd rather travel the world with.
some of the coolest people you'll ever meet
It's been an amazing few days, even if they feel a little bit like decades instead of hours. Tonight, I will be relaxing in the hostel with a bunch of the girls, catching up on readings, and writing in my planner (I LOVE PLANNING!). Hopefully, I'll get a full eight hours of sleep before a day of sight-seeing tomorrow.
But let's be real. There's no way I'm getting eight hours.
Sweet dreams, dear friends.
Much love,
Aubs
No comments:
Post a Comment