Quite a few changes have happened since this blog was last updated, obviously they were not changes to this blog. My fellow housemates in Davis are now without me, but they are adding two great people in Andreas and George. As for me, I've moved out to the Big Apple to serve a year in Americorps/New York Civics Corp for The Doe Fund. Right now, I am being poor, taking in crappy free WiFi, washing my hair in the sink, sleeping on hardwood floor with only a towel as a pillow and sitting on a 4th floor balcony outside my temporary room window until my apartment is ready for move in two floors down. Worst thing of all, no air conditioning. BROOKLYN BABY!
My flight out of hot, but dry Northern California was at 5:40 AM and I landed in hot and humid NYC at 5:00 after a :30 min circling pattern over LaGuardia due to a thunderstorm. I was put up in the Downtown Marriott in the Financial District. I loved the Marriott with it's awesomely cold room with a comfy bed. The views from my floor and my room were amazing to say the least (will hopefully update with pictures later). My room window overlooked the Hudson River directly across from the Colgate Clock and the window next to the elevators on the 36th overlooked Ground Zero. Had VISTA training at the Marriott that ran from about 8:00 - 4:45 for three days, but during that time I met a lot of cool people.
I've already had some awesome experiences so far:
1) Met my awesome roommates (Kelsey, Lia, Rosalyn) who are all girls. I know that the guys are probably thinking that I'm living the dream, and the girls are thinking that I'm crazy. Definitely gonna try to have fun though. Should be one hell of an experience!
2) Meeting new people and hitting up a couple bars.
3) Sworn in at City Hall with Mayor Bloomberg.
4) Interviewed by a local Chinese journalist: Lia and I got stopped by a Chinese journalist after the ceremony (probably because I was one of the few Asian participants). She began by asking the typical questions such as "Why are you doing this?" "Where are you from?" etc. However, when we mentioned that we're living together, she got flustered! She said, and I quote, "Together? In the same room?!" Also, like every other Chinese person she was disappointed to learn that I didn't speak Chinese.
5) First taxi ride in NYC: Got to know quite a bit about our awesome driver, Kashif. We had a talk about culture differences between our brothers in South Asia and East Asia and my American culture. He began discussing the problems here with divorce rates (he had an arranged marriage and says that he loves his wife so much. They never met prior to their marriage) and kids leaving to do their own things without putting family first. He too was disappointed to find out that I didn't speak Chinese and never visited China. He was very nice and stayed in his cab to see that we got into our building safe.
To say the very least, I'm looking forward to get settled in, having fun, and surviving on a low stipend, and surviving Crown Heights, Brooklyn!
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, is beautiful Brooklyn
Long as I live here believe I'm on fire hey
Cuz it's the B-the-R-the-O-the-O-K
L-Y-N is the place where I stay
The B-the-R-the-O-the-O-K
Best in the world and all USA
It's the B-to-the-R-the-O-the-O-K
L-Y-N is the place where I stay
The B-to-the-R-the-O-the-O-K
Mos Def!
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