Happy Canada Day-In New York

The first Canada Day celebration was held in Central Park and my roommate Julie (who is Canadian) was very excited about being around fellow Canadians. I joined her and it was a fun event. A little on the small side, which is not what we expected from the information given online. There was a cooking demonstration that was only one table and a "Taste of Canada" that was only two tables of food for purchase. No Canadian beer was provided (which was what I was hoping for). During the day a ball hockey tournament took place and there was a kids table set up to make crafts. In the evening there was a concert with Canadian artists performing. It was a pretty warm day but nice in the shade. We were there for like 8 hours, but a fun time celebrating Canada!

Today for Canada Day Julie made a jello dessert with strawberries on top. Pretty yummy!

Next up, 4th of July. We're having a pretty bad storm and it is expected to rain for the next few days. :(

First Mets Game

When my friend Christy came to visit, I thought it would be great to go to a Mets game. I found discounted tickets, so she and I and my friends Abby and Julie went. Unfortunately, a storm also came in that weekend. The game was delayed due to weather, and then I believed called at the end. I don't really know, because the girl weren't prepared for the weather and were so cold and miserable they couldn't pay attention to the game. We left before the 6th inning. Can't wait to go back when the Giants come!

See the dark clouds?

Julie, Abby, Lexie, and Christy

Cats ride the subway too

Yes, yes they do. In strollers.

Spring in NYC

Spring was actually a really pleasant time in NYC, when it wasn't raining. But I'd take that over the heat, humidity, and thunder storms we have now. Oh well!

Working on a group project at the Columbia University quad.

The lawn at Bryant Park. For a while it was roped off. But now it's open and because of all the summer activities that go on there, the grass doesn't look as nice.

Madison Square Park with a view of the Flatiron building.

Earth Hour in NYC

Julie and I went down to Times Square for Earth Hour. For one hour starting at 8:30 local time, major landmarks and cities turn out the lights to conserve energy and inspire people to take action against climate change. Julie and I met two people who were there to see the event, a man visiting from Holland and a woman visiting from Germany. I think we were the only four people that came to see the event. Since only a few lights went out, it wasn't really that dramatic. But still a cool event.

Julie and I on the Times Square steps that are lit up red.

A normal night in Times Square.

Our new friends who came out to TS for the event.

A dark Coca Cola tower.

More dark screens!

ABC Good Morning America building also took part.

Another dark tower of screens.

The Empire State Building dark!

Volunteering at Hurricane Shelter

My roommate and I had the opportunity to volunteer at a shelter that had be set up for families evacuated from Hurricane Sandy. We were the only students in the group that came to volunteer that day. The rest of the 15 or so volunteers were certified Child Life Specialists, Art Therapists, and a Dance/Movement Therapist. One of our professors at Bank Street had been contacted by someone at the shelter to come provide activities for the children. Everyone came with supplies and a ready attitude.

The shelter was set up at Queens College. In the large gym, people from an elderly care facility were set up on cots. There was an area set up for animals, however I could only hear barking coming from somewhere. The families we were there to see where set up in the cafeteria.  In one space, there was a food area, cots, personal belongings, donated items, and a tv area. There was so much stuff crammed into one area, it was amazing.

Once briefed, we broke into groups with our items in hand. I was outside in the courtyard with chalk helping the kids draw pictures or create a hop scotch game. There was a group of school age/middle school kids that became really engaged in playing hop scotch. A few minutes later I noticed one school aged boy really engaged with drawing lines on the pattern of the concrete. I went over to him and asked what he was doing. He said he was drawing a road so the other kids could bring their cars out and play on the roads he created. I asked if I could help him and he agreed to the help. The rest of the afternoon I spent helping him draw the roads, from one end of the courtyard to the other. When we had gotten a good portion drawn, he began to draw buildings. Later he brought out some cars to see how it all looked. In an atmosphere of chaos and kids stealing things from each other because they had nothing, this act by the boy was so generous and thoughtful.

Throughout our time there, we heard about different survival stories. I also talked to some parents who were so consumed by getting what they needed for their kids (socks, underwear, clothes) that they couldn't even fathom the psychosocial needs of their child. After that Sunday, the coordination of volunteers became so crazy, it was unfortunately not worth the time to continue to volunteer. The trip alone out to Queens from the Upper West Side also was a trek due to limited public transportation. But it was an eye opening experience and I am thankful to have had the experience.

The intersection of the "roads" the young boy drew with chalk.

The team.

Hurricane Sandy

It seems like so long ago the hurricane came through. Below are some pictures of what I experienced during the storm. Where I live in the Upper West Side, we did not loose power and buildings remained in tact. As most people saw on the news, there were many places hit hard that are still recovering.

The National Guard with crate of water. Loading up outside the Armory on Lexington.

More supply prep by the National Guard. Where they were delivering it to is probably another story.

For about a week we had free fare on the subway.

Subway ads for the NYC Marathon (that didn't happen).

Central Park was closed for at least a week because so many trees were down.

In preparation for the storm, Julie and Abby filled freezer bags with water and placed in the freezer. They also filled the bathtub with water, all in case we lost water.

Abby, Julie, and Kristen doing homework in our apartment. Abby (top) came to stay with us the week because her apartment is all windows and she lives on the 21st floor. Kristen (lower right) had just moved to her Upper West Side apartment and didn't have internet yet. Another classmate who lost power and water would come to our place to shower.

Some of the scene in Morningside Park. Lots of large trees had fallen.

When Central Park finally opened, bands were stationed throughout the park playing music.