Hiatus

It's been awhile since I last wrote in here. I've been writing in my journal and using http://750words.com/ a bit, but both are obviously very different than a blog. I would like to write again, even if it is only for myself but on a public platform. I have a few ideas for what I would like to do moving forward. Stay tuned!

Missing Ecuador

It's been more than a week since I returned from my Alternative Breaks trip to Mondana, Ecuador and Yachana Technical High School but I haven't written about it here or in my personal journal. I keep wanting to but I keep getting caught on somehow trying to pretend we are still there despite the fact that it snowed so much in NYC that NYU gave us a snow day yesterday. In case you were wondering, we had no snow in Ecuador. 

We did have lots of awesome food though, including the Tilapia and yucca I found on my phone a minute ago. It was my first time eating fish with scales and bones and was pretty difficult but completely satisfying. 

I was telling a friend about the trip today and she told me that every time I come back from a service trip it sounds like the newest one was better than the previous ones without me saying that in any sort of words. That made me really happy because even though each trip has been different, they could become routine in that I always know they are temporary, that I probably won't return, and that I probably won't keep in touch with the people at the site. I want to say that this trip was different, and I think it really could be, but the hard reality is that I probably won't return to Yachana just like I won't go back to Oak Ridge, TN or Bay Crest Elementary School. But that's okay, because the service and the cultural exchange still happened. I learned. The people we met there learned. And now we can share that learning and our experiences.

I have to go through my photos so I can include them in whatever writing comes up, but in the meantime, check out the blog from our trip to get a general idea of what we did: http://nyuabproecuador.blogspot.com/

Hillsong NYC

This video's not mine and it's not from the night I went, but it helps show the praise and worship part of the service :)

Rock instruments and rhythms and waving arms greeted us as we walked into Irving Plaza last night. I was with my friend V and her parents, we were going to church. But, I grew up Catholic, got confirmed as a Catholic, and continue to attend Catholic mass every Sunday. We walked into a concert hall instead of a church with a rock band instead of a choir and a woman preaching. Hillsong NYC was not my typical church experience, but it was an amazing spiritual and faithful experience.

Ghost Bikes

Spread throughout the city are bikes painted white and left chained to street signs. Some have placards, some have flowers in a handlebar basket. Every single one of them is placed at the site of a biker's death. Every single one is a ghost bike serving as a reminder and memorial to a biker's life and the pursuit of safe streets for all.

Ghost bikes are an international phenomenon that began in New York City in 2005. 67 bikes are placed around the city. Between 1996 and 2005, 225 bicyclists were killed in NYC. Between 1996 and 2003, 3,462 bicyclists were seriously injured.

Washington Square Park Construction Update

Washington Square Park has been under renovation for a couple of years now. As an NYU student, it's central to my experience in New York and my sense of space and place also. I lived on the park as a first-year student and, as a senior, I'm living on the park again. In between, I spent most of my time in the buildings (and bars) within walking distance of the square. When I think of New York, I think of WSP. And now, the park is nearing the end of it's renovations, check out these picture I took, one from near the fountain looking in at the construction zone and one from my window showing how nice the new lawns look!