Flying Without Wings

Hello everyone, I'm not really sure who reads this, but I hope my friends, family, and anyone else is well and having a good day.

Its been about a week since I last wrote and although the feeling of missing home has not gone away, I am starting to get used to the Bronx and the people here. Although the language here is still a barrier, I am beginning to understand a few key phrases.

Last Saturday, my roommates and i decided to site see on the circle line. The circle line is a cruise on the Hudson River that you can take during the day or at twilight. We heard that the twilight tour was very romantic so we landed on that choice. I am pretty sure i had been on this cruise before in 8th grade when we went on the Washington trip, but i found myself paying more attention to the tour and being more sentimental about it this time around. I don't know if it is because i am trying to take the experience in and remember all of it or if i am just older and wiser. But what i do know is that it was very beautiful and worth my while and money. We got to see New York Skyline and although it was a little cloudy the city still looked shiny and new. We also saw the Brooklyn Bridge, Eliis Island, Statue of Liberty, and other key parts of Queens, New Jersey, and New York. Perhaps the best part for me was being there with my roommates. Lauren had never been in New York so this was all new to her. I think it was important for us to get out and do this tour because it brought us together with our city. We all know different towns and we all came from different places, but for this one moment we were there together and that's when i realized that for the next year New York City is my city. During the boat cruise the couple that were sitting next to Lauren and Brian told them that they had tickets to a comedy club and for some reason could not make it there. Lauren and Brian graciously accepted and because they only had two, we had to buy two more tickets, but it was OK because we split the cost 4 ways. This is one of the things i love about life, the random acts of kindness. We went to the Time Square Comedy Club and had an amazing time. I had really never seen stand up comedy so this was an amazing opportunity for me. It turned out to be the most i had laughed in a long time. It was nice to laugh with the roommates and for a couple of hours escape from the russel and bussel of Manhattan.

The next day, Sunday, one of our friends, Sam, who is a Cambodian man who lives on our street, took us to Chinatown to eat a traditional Chinese brunch, called Dim Sum. One of the Priests named Father Roger, who just last week came over from China to learn English, came with us. Let me tell you Chinatown was an experience and a half. When we got off the train everything was different, the writing on the buildings, the smells, the language, and the people. the streets were very crowded, but instead of herds of people walking around Manhattan they were walking around the little streets of Chinatown. We arrived at the restaurant and the colors were bright red and gold. We sat down and Sam immediately began to point at different dishes that they then placed on our table. I felt a little uncomfortable and really out of place. It was not that people were making me feel this way, but it was total culture shock. The food at this place was not like the Chinese food people usually eat in the united states, it was traditional Dim Sum. As many of you know, i do not try anything new and outlandish so this was a crazy experience for me. The majority of food he ordered was shrimp, which i do not eat, chicken feet and tripe. I wanted to take the whole experience in and not regret not trying anything so i tried mostly everything. Yes, family and friends i ate shrimp (which isn't really a big deal, but it is for me), chicken feet, and tripe(intestine...blehhh) i did not like most of it, but i am very happy i tried it. We also had the most delicious dessert in the world called a sweet pizza. It basically was peanuts, coconut, and a dough rolled up all together. It tasted like oatmeal and was yummy! After we ate we walked around Chinatown and went stopped by a few stands out side and went in some stores. All in all it was something that i will never forget, mostly because Sam took us there and it will be a special memory i hold in my heart.


The following Tuesday was when i was going to start working at St. Rita's, which is where i was supposed to work for the year, but because class didnt start until Sept 14th i was working in the office at UPK. We had to register people for ESL classes and their children. Again, just like at Universal Pre-K it was very difficult for me to understand people and many of them became frustrated when i could not communicate with them. It is strange to be the minority, to be the one who does not speak the language and to be the one who looks different. I have never been in this situation and it is very humbling and eye opening. It gave me a snap picture of what many minorities go through on a daily basis. I went up to one of ladies that works there and asked her what i should do because i do not speak Spanish and she said to me without even thinking...."Then you try as best as you can and if you cant do it let someone else try." It is strange how i am so hung up on the language barrier, i think it is because everyone has the want to be heard and to be able to understand what is going on around them, and unless i am around my roommates i feel like like am constantly lost, but this feeling is slowly going a way.

Later that night Brian had found cheap Yankees tickets online so i went....i knew this day would come, but i didn't know what i was going to do when it happened. At first i thought i would wear red sox colors, but that plan was quickly spoiled when i realized i did not bring anything red sox because i did not want to be shot on a bus. Then i thought i could fake a sickness and then i caught a hold of myself...i could go to the game, i just don't have to cheer for them. walking up to the stadium was very weird, instead of seeing Ortiz jerseys and a sea of blue and red shirts and hats, i saw blue pin stripped shirts and Papelbum knickknacks. Throughout the game i kept on thinking how much i missed the Red Sox, but mostly the fans. Here in New York the people have told me that they don't mind the Red Sox as a club, but they loath the fans, which i think is very funny because that is what i love about it....Red Sox Nation!!! The only thing that made it ok was the fact that my roommates were there and that i have a huge crush on Mark Teixeira. I got through the game relatively unharmed by what i saw. According to Brian i saw everything that is great about the Yankees in that game, so i went to a good one....we will see about that..i am looking forward to when the red sox play the Yankees so i can finally watch them on the TV!!!

When it comes to everyday life...i am starting to get used to the routine here. Every Monday night we have dinner with the priests next door, which may sound a little strange, but they are a group of wonderful men, who i feel completely comfortable around. For the rest of the week we alternate cooking dinner and although i feel like the least accomplished chef in the bunch i hope to find a dish i can impress my roommates with. We have decided as a community to have every Tuesday be taco Tuesday. It is great because if my night lands on Tuesday then i do not have to worry about making an interesting dish. I still miss home and my family and i still wish i went to Merrimack, but i try to not think about it too much. Its only when i have to to think about things going on at home i get a little down in the dumps. My friend Katelyn is coming to visit soon, so i cannot wait to go around the city with her and experience my new home with her. I am excited to start work on Monday and cannot wait to get this year going. I am looking forward to the weekend of October 16th because my community and i will be heading to Lawrence MA to see that community. I am hoping to get home for a little while, but also see some long lost friends at Merrimack.

Well this is the end of this blog, i hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures and i cannot wait to share with you in the future!

Peace, Love, and Dim Sum,

Alli!

The Start of Something New....

Ahhhh...so i finally bit the bullet and decided to do a blog. I was thinking about it for a while, it was between this and journaling, and i figured i could do this AND be on facebook at the same time...this was the best bet for this one!!! Also, Kupski was doing it so obvi i had to as well.

I apologize if this blog is very scatter brained, but if you know me, then you know that this how I am...so deal, but i will do my best to make it make sense. I think that this will be a great way for my family and friends to read about what i am doing and the things i am seeing...

I guess i will start at the beginning...

After an amazing and relaxing summer at the brook i decided to embark on what i am hoping is the biggest adventure of my life thus far. I left everything i knew and almost everyone i knew (with the exception of kupski and susan) to begin my year as an Augustinian Volunteer. For all those who do not know what an Augustinian Volunteer is: http://www.osavol.org/....The service of the Volunteers is with established educational, social, and health programs and varies according to the needs of the sponsoring site and the individual Volunteer. Kupski and I flew out of Manchester Airport and true to fashion, my mother and i were a mess at the airport. The people and the line must have thought i was going to jail!! it was nice to have one of my best friends there to help me through leaving the familiar and flying into the unknown. So we took a two hour flight out of Manchester and landed on time in Philadelphia. I sat next to a women who was in a fight with her husband who was sitting across the isle, trying to get her attention most of the flight.

Once we landed in Philly we had to wait at the airport for a while to wait for our ride. With every passing minute my anxiety grew more and more. Finally we were met at the airport by April and Pat who were also picking up to guys flying in from Chicago. We arrived at the hotel, received our hotel keys, dropped off our bags, and immediately went down to the hotel lobby to meet our new friends for the next week and hopefully longer. The week was very long and somewhat uncomfortable for me, but i was assured that this was a normal feeling. At the beginning of the week, i remember thinking "what did i get myself into!" but as the week went on that feeling subsided. The people were great, we were all there for different things and we were all searching for something different from the next, but there were two common themes, the want for community of like minded individuals and the desire to go out and help. During the week we learned about the power of community and the challenges and many positives about living with people during this year. We talked about our faith and our different paths and i was surprised to find out that many people are still questioning and a little fuzzy about there faith...just like me. At the end of the week we had a commissioning mass where we had to wear our bright red shirts and stand up on the alter in front of the whole church and say why we wanted to be an Augustinian Volunteer. It sounds weird, but at the moment, when i was saying those words, i knew i was where i was supposed to be.

As much as i loved the whole group of us Auggies...i knew that i wanted to be in the bronx and i was excited for the following Tuesday.

On Tuesday August 25, 2009 at 9:30 in the morning the Bronx Ballassss as i am now referring to us as...hoped in our little green car and headed straight for on destination, Da Bronx, New York. We arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed. The best part of move in was all of us trying to drag our luggage that were stuffed with clothes for the next year up the three flights of stairs. I can tell you there was a lot screaming and huff and puffs. Our apartment is huge for an apartment in new york. We are on the top floor of St. Rita's Immigration center, which coincidentally is where i work so it will not be a long commute by any means. I am working primarily on the second floor of St. Rita's in the Child Care...I am excited because the room is entirely pink....how can you not smile while being there. Everyday after school i will be tutoring children from the school next door and on Thursdays i will be teaching an ESL class. I am excited to be able to watch the little kids, because i think we can learn a lot for children. i am however nervous that might not have the energy to keep up with them. This is where reality has hit me hard...i guess i am going to have to go to bed at a decent hour.

The girls that were here last year had told us that we should sit on our stoop and make friends with our neighbors, so the first night we ventured out to the famous stoop. With in seconds we had Dara, Mops, and Sandman come up to us. They were some of the most friendly people i have met in my life. They wanted to know about us and intern we wanted to know about their lives. They are so full of energy and love for life...they are simply amazing. D has told us that he will keep us under his wing and let us know about the shady people of the street. In fact we even have a code word for when a sketchy person approaches us. We might even be going to a traditional Chinese breakfast with sandman in china town this Sunday...i am not sure if that's a go, but we will see. Last night was D's 24th birthday so we had birthday cake out on the stoop for him. He was really excited because of the party or maybe because of the fact that he got to keep the extra cake....who knows...all i know is i am excited to get to know them better.

As of right now...i just finished my first week of work. I am not working in my regular job because school hasn't started yet, so i am working at Universal Pre Kindergarten in the office helping with registration for school. It is pretty difficult for me because i cannot speak Spanish and the majority of parents that come in do not speak Spanish. I have had to rely on my co workers and ask a lot of questions. This makes me somewhat uncomfortable because i do not like to rely on people usually, but i am happy because this is all a learning experience...RIGHT?

I did, however, get to help out in a youth center this past week with children ranging from 7-21. The children there are very cute and they all call me miss...which is soooo funny to meeeee.

i am excited for the future and getting to know my roommates better, but i am also excited and waiting to fall in love with the bronx!!!!

catch ya on the flip side

peace, love, and the stoop!!