Over a week...

Wow. It has been over a week since I've updated my blog. A lot has happened since last Tuesday and I'll try to fit it all in day by day.

Tuesday:

I had another good teaching day at Streb Trapeze Academy. I really love being in that environment. It gets me away from school work and the craziness of New York City. I have really enjoyed being able to venture to Brooklyn and have another life there separate from NYU. After trapeze, I had to rush to get back to Union Square because I was seeing Inglourious Basterds with my friend from class. It was part of a homework assignment due Wednesday. The movie was amazing...I absolutely loved it (even though I had to rush to get back to my apartment to finish work).

Wednesday:

The next morning I had my art history class. It is always tough to sit through that class because we are sitting in a dark room looking at slides for over an hour, and it's my earliest class. Anyway, after class I came back to my apartment to finish writing an essay due for my 3pm Drama in Performance class. Class was interesting as always. We have the best discussions about the plays we've seen. I find myself raising my hand and talking in class more than I have in any classes I've been in at Smith or even NYU, so far. After class (which ends at 6:10) I walked back to my apartment and did some work for my Sex and Gender class. Every week we have to write an autobiographical piece, relating to the readings we have done in class for that week. I never knew how hard it would be to write about myself.

Thursday:

On Thursdays, I only have one class from 11-12:15 and then my performances to go to at night with my Drama in Performance class. I'm pretty sure Thursday was just a normal day of classes, but then Thursday night was a little more interesting. I met my friend at 9th Street and 2nd Ave. and we took the subway to the dance performance we were seeing with our class. It was at the Dance Theater Workshop on the West Side. To say the least, the performance was interesting. It was a contemporary dance piece by Raimund Hoghe. I can't even call it dancing because there wasn't a lot of movement in the piece. After every performance, we post very casual responses on a class blog (on this same site) so that we can respond to each other's posts. I included my response below to help you better understand what the performance was about. The choreographer and main performer has a hunchback, which made the piece even more moving, realizing that you don't have to have a perfect body to be onstage doing what you love.

"After a couple of days being able to think about the performance, I realize that I appreciate it more and more each day. As a hip-hop dancer, I like to see a dance performance that includes a lot of movement and music. And as Sara asked about her own experience, I guess I figured seeing a dance performance would have more movement. I went in expecting something completely different than what I walked out with. What I think a dance performance is “supposed” to be has changed drastically after seeing Hoghe’s Bolero Variations.

During the first part of the dance when Hogh was lunging around the stage in silence I was very uncomfortable. I get very anxious when I am in a silent room and this part made me sit on the edge of my chair praying that some music would come on in the next piece. Although I was uncomfortable, I tried to think of a meaning for this walk around the stage. He was showcasing and introducing his body to the audience, giving us time to realize that all dancers and performers do not have to have perfect bodies. After the performance, Hoghe said that every time he does that walk he thinks about something different than the time before.

I spent a lot of the performance trying to find the meaning behind each movement and it did not work out so well. I became very confused and almost had a headache by the second act because I had no idea what I was “supposed” to get out of the performance. But, I think that might be exactly what Hoghe wanted. (Well, maybe he didn’t want to give the audience a headache, but he wanted us to try to reflect and come up with our own meaning.) During the reception, someone asked Hoghe what he had told the dancers to think of while they were performing and he responded by saying he didn’t tell them anything. He wanted the dancers to have their own narrative behind the movements as they performed. He didn’t want them performing his life, he wanted the movements to mean something to the dancers.

Even though I was confused during most of the dance, the performance was beautiful. It is so difficult to move your body slowly and have such little movement. As a dancer, movement is very important to me. If I am in one position for a long time, I need to get up and walk around. I can’t imagine how hard it was for those dancers to move the way they did, focusing on every single step. It made me appreciate the moments where they were finally able to move faster, dance, and run. Bolero Variations was a unique dance performance and I am grateful that I was able to experience it. Hoghe was telling a story of his life while letting the audience try to reflect and relate it to their own lives."

After the performance, they had a reception where we could talk to Raimund Hoghe, drink wine and talk with others about our feelings about the performance. When we left the theater, after having a couple glasses of wine, a lot of the students in my class, including me, didn't want to go back to their apartments. I ended up going back to the East Village with my friend, Alexis, to have a drink. We continued with the wine theme and enjoyed more white wine at a bar near our apartments. It ended up being a great night full of conversation, bumping into people I knew through my roommates, and even my roommate stopped by the bar to say hello. I know, I know...I'm not 21. But, really, the only way to survive in New York City is by being able to go out with friends to local bars.

Friday:

I had class at 12:30, so I headed to NYU around then and enjoyed another great architecture class. We walked around Wall Street and then headed back home from the end of our tour. I'm still so happy and grateful to be in this amazing class and have it count for my major. After getting back to the apartment, I got all dressed up and ready to go to NYU's Free Chabad House Shabbat Dinner. Every Friday, there is a free Shabbat dinner and the rabbi's wife home cooks everything. My friend, Barrett, from my architecture class told me to come, so I decided to venture there alone. Little did I know wearing nice pants and a shirt would be underdressed. Every girl in there was dressed up in fancy dresses and skirts. And, of course, everybody knew at least one person there so I had to find a group to sit with and invite myself into their conversation. I'm glad I took the initiative to go to the Shabbat dinner and try to meet new people, but it really did not work out that night. And I was not in the mood to try even harder than I was. After I ate, I saw my friend who had finally shown up, said hello to him, and rushed out of there. I had to hurry up back to my apartment because my roommates and I were going to a party and had to dress up. Our friend, Noah, was having a James Bond themed party at his apartment a block away from us. All three of us dressed up in sexy, black dresses and heels/boots and walked to his place. It was so much fun, girls dressed up, guys dressed in suits. Everyone looked very classy. Since the party started late in the night, by the time we left Noah's apartment it was around 3:30am. My roommate, Liz, and I and a few friends walked to Crif Dogs for some food because we were all hungry. Crif Dogs has the BEST hot dogs. I know a lot of you make fun of me for always saying things are "the best" but I am 100% sure that these are the best hot dogs you could eat. I had a "Good Morning" which is a bacon-wrapped hot dog with melted cheese and a fried egg. YUMMMMMMM! The next time I go there I am getting the "Chihuahua" which is bacon wrapped and has guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. haha. I don't eat this poorly all the time...don't worry. Anyway, after we got Crif Dogs, Liz, her friend Erica and I came back to the apartment and went to sleep.

A picture of the New York Stock Exchange from our architecture tour.

Me and my roommates at the Bond party. (Liz, on the left, Emma, on the right.)

Documenting myself eating my Crif Dog's hot dog. (with the melted cheese all over my hands)

Saturday:

I woke up at 1:30pm. We all really needed our sleep and were happy to get it. Once we were up and ready to start the day, Liz, Emma and I walked around the corner to meet Noah for a late lunch at B&H. This place has amazing tuna melts and I was told I had to order one. It was made on their freshly baked bread (like Challah toast) and the tuna salad had a bunch of different vegetables in it besides the normal celery and onions. After a wonderful lunch, it was time to clean up our apartment. We had let dishes fill the sink, things were laying around the living room, and our bathroom was looking a little dirty. So, we spent the rest of the day doing a MAJOR clean up. I washed all the dishes and scrubbed the bathroom, while Emma and Liz cleaned the living room, swept the floors, and cleaned their rooms. The apartment looked AMAZING afterwards. We even decided to buy a new shower curtain and bath mat to make it look even better. (The apartment is slowly getting more dirty, but hopefully we'll be more aware of our messes before it gets out of control again. haha) After cleaning, I think I stayed in for the night and tried to start some work.

Sunday:

WORK DAY! I spent the entire day reading, finishing my study abroad application, and finishing writing assignments for classes. It was a productive day, but not very eventful, so I'll move on.

Monday:

I had my art history class at 9:30am, but it was my only class of the day. After leaving NYU, I walked to the post office to mail in my study abroad application. Since it was early in the day, I figured it would be a great time to go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. (Like I said in an earlier post, TJ's has the longest lines that snake through the store.) I was wrong in thinking that it would be a short line. When I walked into the store, the line was almost out the door. I did my shopping very quickly and jumped in line. I didn't need to get half of the food on my list because I knew on my way through the store, while waiting in line, I would be walking by all of those items. I should've brought my reading for class, though, because I was there for about an hour. When I got back to my apartment, I had to put away all of my groceries and get to work doing my Sex and Gender readings for our weekly Tuesday quizzes.

Tuesday:

Yesterday I had both of my Sex and Gender classes. We spent the first class taking our quiz and then discussing the answers. (AKA figuring out why everyone got the wrong answers because he tries to confuse us!... Clearly, I'm a little bitter about his quizzing style.) Aside from that, I went to my Sex and Gender recitation after and those were my only classes of the day. When I got back to the apartment, I got all dressed and ready to go to work at Streb Trapeze Academy. We only had a couple kids in our 5-7 year olds class and in our 8 and up class there were about 6 kids. It's always fun to goof around with the kids and be away from school. It makes me miss being a camp counselor at the JCC. I was also able to get up on the trapeze myself after each class and do a couple of swings without safety lines. I'll hopefully be learning more tricks in the near future. I decided to stick around for an hour or so after our kids classes ended because I wanted to do some homework in that environment. I watched a trapeze group practice while I finished some homework. But, then they started talking about ordering food and I got so hungry that I decided to head home and make myself some dinner. When I got home I made Trader Joe's Sweet and Sour Chicken with Jasmine rice. After eating, I remembered that my friends, Pete and Will, were performing at a bar on the Lower East Side at Arlene's Grocery. I figured that I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to see my friends perform in New York City and decided to write my essay later. They performed from around 11 to midnight. We got free t-shirts and kazoos and had a great time laughing, listening to music, and just enjoying ourselves. By the time I got home, it was around 1 or 1:30am and I still hadn't written my response essay. So, I sat down and started writing for about an hour. (I knew I would have hours today to add more and edit the essay.) I got everything down that I needed to and hopped in bed.

Today (Wednesday):

I had to wake up at 8:15am because I had my 9:30am art history class this morning. It was so hard to get out of bed and stay awake in class because I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night. But, I made it through and walked back home after. I took an hour long nap and then finished writing my essay before my 3pm Drama in Performance class. Class was great, of course, and I was able to contribute a good amount to the discussion. When I got back to the apartment after class, I started writing this entry for all of you. I haven't done any homework yet, but that will happen in about 30 minutes. In the middle of writing this blog post I was invited by Emma and our friend Emily to go out to dinner. I got chicken, mashed potatoes, and a salad. I really needed some good comfort food. Now I am back in the apartment, sitting in the living room, looking at our christmas lights and goose lamp, and trying to convince myself to start my work.

Well, that was a LONG entry and sort of difficult to remember everything that happened in the past week, but I'm glad I can keep you all updated on my life here in New York City. As much as I love it in NY, I'm excited to go off on a new adventure next semester. New York can get a little crazy, wild, and stressful for me...but for now, I'm having some fun times, meeting people, and creating good memories. (I will try to post more often from now on.)

Love you and miss you.

Love Always,

Jess

Stressing Out

Of course I am stressing out, now that it is the third week of classes. I have so much reading and other assignments and yesterday made me even more crazy. I had my art history class which was great and my only class of the day. However, I woke up with very red, itchy, irritated eyes. It scared me because I didn't know what was wrong, but I had to suck it up and go to class anyway. After class, I went to the Starbucks at Washington Square (my new favorite study location) and read for a while, while doing a lot of people watching. It's so much fun to sit in that Starbucks and just watch the world go by outside. Everyone is rushing to and from classes and seeing friends. After my people watching and reading, I left the Starbucks and went to Walgreens to get some eye drops for my eyes.

When I got back to my apartment, I finished up some reading and tried to figure out what I was going to do that night. There were so many things I had to choose from. My friend, Emily, was performing at 8pm, there were Step Team auditions at 8pm, my drama class was going to see Inglourious Basterds at 7:40pm for a homework assignment, and I had a bunch of work to do. In the end, I decided to go to the Step Team auditions because I want to find a dance group/class to be a part of while I'm here. After an hour and a half, we had learned a combination and it was SO hard. I could barely remember all of the steps and it was not the alternative to hip hop that I thought it was going to be. After auditions I went to "my" Starbucks to do some more reading. (I'm telling you, the amount of reading I have to do for my Sex and Gender class is INSANE!) Anyway, the Starbucks closed at midnight so I made my way back to my apartment and finished up my work there. My roommate, Emma, helped me talk out my hesitations about the Step Team and after a while of talking about it, I realized I really didn't want to do that this semester. I might as well just find a hip hop class that I love in NYC and do that. With the Step Team, I would have only been able to make half the practices and it takes me longer to catch on. Therefore, I'm not going to be returning to auditions on Wednesday night.

Today I woke up around 9am for my Sex and Gender class. We had a quiz (which is always full of questions that are meant to confuse you) and spent the rest of the class discussing why the answers we all thought were incorrect, were in fact correct. Ugh! My second class of the day was cancelled so now I am back in my room and about to start some other work due tonight and tomorrow. At 3pm, I'm going to Brooklyn to teach/help out at the trapeze academy and then I'm going to see Inglourious Basterds with a girl from my drama class at the Union Square movie theater.

Happy Tuesday!

Love you and miss you...

Love Always,

Jess

Hmm...

Nothing much has happened since I last posted on here. On Saturday I kept telling myself I was going to do homework and ended up getting nothing done. So today I woke up around 10, made myself some breakfast and headed to the NYU library at Washington Square. After a couple hours of attempting to do work there (and failing miserably) I changed locations to the Starbucks across the street. There was a live band playing and there were a lot of people around. Surprisingly, I was able to focus a lot better with so much stuff going on around me and I didn't fall asleep in my book once. SUCCESS! haha. After staying there all day, I walked back to my apartment around 9:30pm and ate a very late dinner. I made myself grilled cheese with tomato soup. It was delicious. Now I am all showered and ready to go to sleep. I have a 9:30 art history class tomorrow morning and then I have the rest of the day free (to do more reading).

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Love you and miss you!

Love Always,

Jess

Hello Again.

It's been a while since I've filled you all in on my New York life and a lot has happened. Let's start with last weekend. On Saturday, I woke up and got myself ready to go to Brooklyn for a flying trapeze class. My friend, Jay, who I met at Club Med when I was in 6th grade works at Espana/Streb Trapeze Academy in Brooklyn. We have kept in touch all of these years and I'm so happy I am able to fly with him again. I got to the trapeze place and Jay said the class was on him. I'm glad I get to fly on a trapeze again, I couldn't believe I hadn't done it in over a year. At the end of the class, Jay told me about a program they have where instructors work with the kids classes in order to get free classes at Espana/Streb. I immediately jumped at the offer. I am now working a few hours a week (maybe I'll end up working more) for trapeze classes. I know I'm not being handed a check, but I would have been paying for these trapeze classes anyway. After trapeze, I headed back to Manhattan on the Subway and when I got to 14th Street and 3rd Ave., there was a street fair going on. I walked around for a little while looking at all of the food stands and then walk towards Trader Joe's. My plan was to go grocery shopping but when I got to the store, the line was OUT THE DOOR. I couldn't believe it, so I headed back to my apartment.

Saturday night my roommate, Emma, was performing at Sidewalk Cafe with her friend's band. So, we all went and supported her and the show was amazing. I uploaded a video on YouTube of the performance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD5wq3v3sTI). After Sidewalk Cafe, we continued to have a fun night in New York City, meeting up with friends, going to clubs, and just enjoying a beautiful night in the city.

On Sunday I really needed to get some work done, so I went to a cafe and spent the day reading and preparing for classes. My Sunday wasn't that eventful.

Monday I had 2 art history classes because I was still trying to figure out what art history class I was going to be in. I am now in Art and Architecture in the Age of Giotto. Although I didn't get my first choice class, I think it will be a good semester. The professor is a PhD student, and he seems like he knows his stuff and is very passionate about everything that he is teaching.

Tuesday I had my Sex and Gender classes. Nothing very special there. I had a lot of reading due for that class because every Tuesday we have a quiz on it. After class, I went back to my apartment to get ready for work. I left my place around 3pm and was in Brooklyn at Espana/Streb at 3:30pm. A very easy commute. I had a great day at work. We had some cute kids in class and they were all amazing on the trapeze. The first class had kids ages 5-7 and the next class there were 8-12 year olds. I helped put on belts/harnesses, guided the kids to the ladder, and I even helped on the platform, serving the trapeze bar to the kids. It is a good learning experience and I'm so excited to spend more time there. It's a great atmosphere and Jay told me he was going to start teaching me some more trapeze skills so I can possibly be a trapeze class sub if an instructor can't come in. After work, I headed home to do some more homework.

On Wednesday, I had my Art and Architecture course as well as my Drama in Performance class. It was a very hard day for me because it was the third anniversary of Boris' death. (For those of you who don't know, I lost a very close friend of mine, an ex-boyfriend, 3 years ago.) It was a tough day, but I really tried to keep my head up and not let it bring me down too much. However, in my Drama in Performance class we ended up talking about death a lot because of the play "Our Town" that we had seen the week before. Other than that, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I worked on a paper for my Sex and Gender class and then got some sleep.

On Thursday, I was feeling better and my only class of the day was 11-12:15. After class, I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and was glad to see there wasn't a line out the door. There was still a big line snaking through the store, but definitely better than the last time I shopped there. After grocery shopping, I did some cleaning in the apartment and washed all the dishes. Then I relaxed in bed for a little bit before heading out to see The Retributionists at Playwrights Horizons with my drama class. If you want to know what it was about, check out the website, http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/mainstage.asp. I was sitting in the front row of the theater while the rest of my class was either sitting in the back or on the opposite end of the front row as me. haha. Anyway, the play was HORRIBLE. Everyone in our class walked out of the theater laughing or with disgusted looks. We all couldn't believe we had just spent 2 hours sitting and watching that play. The acting was bad and everything seemed so forced. We were glad to be out of the theater, to say the least.

On my walk to the theater.

I can't believe I live here!

On Friday, I had my Architecture Field Study class. We spent an hour talking about South Street Seaport and then spent the rest of the day walking around South Street Seaport. It's so interesting being able to learn the background information in class and then see it first-hand with the professors. We split up into 3 groups after getting off the subway, and took pictures and learned more about the architecture. (One of the assistant professors is my professor for the art history class I'm taking,)

After class, I headed back to St. Mark's to drop off my books and then walked to Union Square and 18th St. and 5th Ave. to go shopping for a dress. I know, I know, Mom, I don't need anymore clothes...BUT my roommates and I were going out for a Rosh Hashana dinner that night and I wanted to look good. However, after all of the walking I did and going into stores, I didn't find anything! So, I went back to my apartment and tried on some of my roommates dresses. I ended up wearing Liz's dress and all three of us got ready to go out. We were invited by our friend, Emily, to a Rosh Hashana dinner at Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse. We got all dressed up and met up with everyone on our way there. There were 11 people at dinner and our friend Emily seemed to know everyone there. When we arrived, there was already food sitting on our table...challah, pickled peppers, gefilte fish, egg salad, pickles, and so much more. Then they continued to bring out more food, including stuffed cabbage, chicken liver that they prepared at the table, and some sausage. We all thought that that was the main course, so we were stuffing our faces full of food. However, when the waiter came back he asked what we wanted for our meal. eek! Everyone at our table ordered their House Special Steak and two people ordered Brisket. I had 3 bites of my steak and couldn't even eat a bite more, I was so full. Aside from the food, we spent the night dancing the Hora around the restaurant with everyone else dining there, the walls were covered in photographs, there was a guy playing the keyboard and singing many Jewish and New York songs, AND Clive Davis was sitting at the table next to us. We had many talented musicians with us so everyone was excited to see him. After dinner and dancing, we got the check and it said $1145.00!!!!!!!!! We had NO idea that dinner was going to be so much and our host told us it wasn't going to be more than 50 dollars per person. If it was $1145, everyone would be paying close to $120 each! However, after freaking out, our host went to the waiter and must have said something right because he came back with a check of only $500. We payed 60 dollars each, but it was worth it (and better than $120).

When we left Sammy's we walked back to our friend Pete's house to drop off leftovers and then jumped in a cab to go to Brooklyn. We hung out at Brian's house in Brooklyn for a while with a bunch of other people and ended the night singing along to Disney songs, including my favorite: Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid. By the time we got back to St. Mark's it was around 4:30am. Liz, Emma and I jumped into our beds and passed out. We were all exhausted and excited to take off our heels and go to sleep.

All of the food we had last night.

This is just a little idea of how crowded and full of dancing the place was last night.

Greg, Pete, Liz, Sima, Noah, and Emma.

Me dancing in the middle of the restaurant.

Greg meeting Clive Davis.

Now, I'm sitting in my room trying to decide what to do with myself. I'm thinking of doing some work so I'm not swamped with all of it tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great week and a Happy Rosh Hashana (if you celebrate it).

Shanah Tovah...Miss you and love you!

Love Always,

Jess

I'm sorry!

I can't write an entire post right now, but I wanted to tell you all that I'm alive and well and enjoying life in NYC although I'm very busy with work right now. I will be sure to give you details in the next day or so.

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

Love Always,

Jess

Happy Friday!

It is finally the weekend for me and I have officially paid NYU Tuition. Time to really start the semester now. Yesterday (Thursday), I only had my Sex and Gender class from 11-12:15. The rest of the day I was running around Washington Square, paying bills, finalizing classes, talking to professors, and figuring out my tuition. NYU also had their Club Fair where all of the school's clubs come out and get you to sign up and learn about their clubs. (I picked up a bunch of flyers for a capella groups, choirs, and sports...who knows if I'll actually have time for all of their meetings/practices.) This is a picture of the club fair...there were SO many people! (If you click on the picture, I think you can see it better.)

I also spent over an hour searching for a book I need for my Drama in Performance class. As part of the class, we see a play every Wednesday, but before we see the performance we have to read the book/script. Yesterday I went to the main NYU library to find the book, but they didn't have it, so I looked it up online and saw that they had the book in another library near Washington Square. I was at Washington Square South and walked to 5th Avenue and 13th to go to the New School Fogelman Library. When I got to 65 Fifth Avenue, the building was empty so I asked the guard where the library was and he said it moved to W. 13th and 6th Avenue. I walked over there and finally found my book that I had been searching for for quite some time at this point. I brought it down to the front desk to check it out and they said I wasn't registered at the NYU library. Well, yes, I wasn't registered because I WAS NEVER TOLD TO REGISTER! I was very upset at this point because I had the book that I needed in my hands, and I couldn't leave with it. But, I just gave up and walked back towards my apartment at 2nd Ave. and St. Mark's Place.

On my way to my apartment, I remembered that I had stuff shipped to the UPS store and it was probably waiting for me there. I went to the store and there were two boxes waiting for me. I got a hand truck to walk them to my apartment and then I brought it back to the store right away. (Not to mention, I was wearing flip flops all day yesterday and I had to do the most walking...ugh.) After I got to my apartment, I unpacked the boxes, did some reading/homework, and then I looked at the clock and realized I had to go to the play with my Drama class soon. I got ready, didn't have time to eat dinner, and went to the library to meet up with my class. We then all walked over to the theater and saw an amazing performance in a box theater, called "Our Town." It was such a small theater that the audience was actually part of the play. Everyone loved it but when we left the theater it was raining so everyone just went their own way and we didn't have time to talk or hang out. I walked back to the East Village with a girl, Sarah, who lives near me. When we got to St. Mark's I was so hungry that I said goodbye to her and got a slice of pizza for $1. It was just what I needed, something quick and cheap because I didn't want to make anything myself.

Today, I paid my tuition to NYU and then I had my Architecture in NY Field Study class. The professor is AMAZING. Never a dull moment...I'm so excited for this class. I really lucked out with my drama class and this architecture class. We didn't go out to any buildings in NY today because it was the first class and it was pouring rain outside. She said, every other Friday weather won't matter. We will be going out to look at architecture even if it is snowing or if there is a hurricane. haha. After class, I went to the library to register and then walked back to New School's library to get the book I needed. I also had to buy a new umbrella because it was pouring and windy outside and my other umbrella is too weak. Tonight I'll try to get some work done so I can enjoy the rest of the weekend and maybe take a trapeze or hip-hop class.

I'll keep you all updated...and maybe I'll even start writing a guide for transfer students at NYU. It's getting a little ridiculous paying so much more to go to NYU and getting a lot less support than I had at Smith. (I'll add to my guide throughout the semester.)

Love you and miss you!!

Love Always,

Jess

Second Day of Classes

What is probably going to happen as the semester goes on, is that I will have chunks of posts where I am only writing a small paragraph and others where I can ramble on for 5 or 6 paragraphs. This is due to the fact that I didn't realize how much work I was going to have this semester and I am going to try to update you all when I have some free time, which might not be that often. Today I realized that I came to NYU thinking it was going to be an easier semester. I probably thought that because when I think of a "year abroad/away" all I have heard is how much free time you have to go out and party and meet new people. Well, that's probably for when you are not studying at another university in the US. At NYU, however, it is just as hard and just as much work (if not MORE work) than at Smith. Here is my schedule so far, and I'm hoping it all works out:

Monday

Modern Architecture: 1914 to the Present (12:30-1:45)

Tuesday

Sex & Gender (11-12:15)

Sex & Gender Recitation (12:30-1:45)

Wednesday

Modern Architecture: 1914 to the Present (12:30-1:45)

Drama in Performance in NY (3:30-6:10)

Thursday

Sex & Gender (11-12:15)

Friday

Expressive Culture: Architecture in NY Field Study (12:30-4:30)

If I can't get into the Modern Architecture course, I will be taking another art history course from 9:30-10:45 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Hopefully I will know soon, and I will keep you updated.

This morning I went to the Art and Architecture in the Age of Giotto class just incase I don't get into my modern architecture course. The professor is a PhD student and it is his first time teaching. He seems like a great guy and could be a great professor, but I don't want to risk having a first time teacher for my first semester at NYU. At 12:30 I went to the Modern Architecture class and it was very full. Carol Krinsky is the professor and she happens to be a Smithie as well. I hear she is a very hard grader, but I'm willing to deal with that. I hope she will be a professor I can talk to about papers or material if I am having trouble throughout the semester. (And I'm praaaaaaying that I won't get a horrible grade, since it's part of my major requirements at Smith.) I'm going to keep going to both art history classes until I know for sure that I am in Professor Krinsky's class. After class I went to the bookstore and bought the materials for the classes I am definite about, then I walked back to my apartment to drop them off.

At 3:00 I headed back towards Washington Square to go to my Drama in Performance in NY class. The limit for the class was 25 people, but since I emailed my professor before and the other students really wanted to be in it, she let us all stay. There are now 29 people in the class. We spent the whole 3 hours telling the professor about ourselves and going over the course requirements. I'm SO excited! We see a performance every Wednesday night and then we post a blog entry with our response to the show. We also hand in a more formal written response to her in class every Wednesday. Instead of a final exam or final paper, we have to do a final performance. Normally, I would run and never look back if I heard I had to perform in front of a class, but for some reason I already feel so comfortable in this group of people. We'll see how it turns out. Tomorrow night we are seeing a play called "Our Town" at the Barrow Street Theater. I just read a great article about it because I had no idea what to expect. CLICK HERE to read it.

I have a very short writing piece due for my Sex and Gender class tomorrow, but that's it. Maybe I can start on all of the reading for my other classes. (There is A LOT of reading, but I guess that's college. haha) Now, I am back in my apartment about to start my homework and then eat some dinner.

And for those of you who want me to prove to you that I'm actually using my kitchen, check out my amazing dinner that I cooked for myself last night. (Penne Pasta with some ground Turkey in Marinara sauce, and some string beans to go along with that.)

yummmmmmm...

Love you and miss you all!

Love Always,

Jess

First Day of Classes

I'm done with my first day of classes and I've just started to get a little less stressed about everything. The difference between Smith and NYU is that there is no real shopping period for classes, so I can't sign up for a bunch of classes and drop the ones later in the week that I don't like. However, somehow I have ended up doing something similar to shopping for classes and I'm hoping it doesn't do something weird with my schedule.

Last night was a very relaxing night. I went to Staples to get some supplies for school and my room, and then I returned my movie at Blockbuster. After that, I headed back to the apartment and spent the rest of the late afternoon/night preparing for classes and making dinner for myself.

This morning I kept waking up way before my alarm was supposed to go off and finally when I woke up a half hour before my alarm, I decided I should just get up and start getting ready for classes. (I guess I was freaking out a little bit about my first day.) Anyway, I made myself breakfast, put everything in my bag, and headed towards my first class that started at 11am. The class is called Sex and Gender and so far it seems like an amazing class. All of the essays are autobiographical and will really allow me to think more in depth about my own life experiences. The final paper is a 10 page "gender social biography" that will "try to show how your identity and experiences have been shaped in conformity with gender expectations..." blah blah blah. You get the point. I wasn't planning on sticking with that class, but after going to my Holocaust class later in the day, I realized I wanted the Sex and Gender class a lot more.

My Holocaust class was at 2pm, so between 12:15 and 2, I went to the English department and talked to them about the Drama in Performance in NY class that I want to take. The woman at the front desk told me to email the professor and tell her my visiting student situation. As soon as I left the office, I walked to the library and emailed the professor. She understands everything and said I could be a part of the class. I'm so excited! The class is Wednesdays from 3:30-6:10pm and every Thursday we go see a performance/show in NYC. This is going to be a very demanding, but fun, class.

At 2pm, I went to my Holocaust class. I thought it would be really interesting to learn more about the Holocaust but as soon as I learned about the class and the professor started lecturing, I decided it probably wasn't the best class for me. There are only 3 exams that determine your entire grade for the semester. (Even though the Sex and Gender class has more work throughout the semester, it will give me more opportunities to get a better grade in the end.) Also, when the professor started lecturing, it was as if she was reading off a script. Not good when you are sitting there for an hour and fifteen minutes. In the first class, I was already falling asleep in the lecture...bad sign!

After all of my classes, I walked to the NYU Bookstore to buy some notebooks and folders for my classes. I headed back to my apartment when I left the bookstore and I was still stressing out about my classes. So, of course, I talked to my mom to help me make a decision. I just needed to talk out my situation about classes, and I decided it was best for me to take the Sex and Gender class. (Thanks, Mom.) Tomorrow I am going to 2 art history classes to decide which one I am dropping, and then I have my Drama in Performance class later in the day. I will fill you all in on my decision tomorrow. Right now, I'm sitting in my room trying to decide what to do next. I think I might walk to the grocery store, or I might just make dinner from what I have in the fridge. Then, I'll research more dance classes or trapeze classes to take in NY.

Miss you and love you!

Love Always,

Jess

My Apartment

I know you have all been waiting for pictures of my apartment, so here they are!

The street that I live on.

My apartment building above the Ramen restaurant!

My room is to the right of the window with the duck lamp in it.

My living room with the duck lamp :-D

My room with all of my pictures and posters, and my "closet" at the foot of the bed.

The view from my window onto St. Mark's

....and our bathroom.

The kitchen area...yes, there is a dishwasher!

So, there you go. That is my apartment, now if you really want to get the full experience of being inside, all you have to do is fly to New York and come visit me. =D

Now I'm going to finish getting everything ready for my first day of classes tomorrow...I miss you all so much, but now I have pictures on my wall to look at whenever I want to see you.

Love Always,

Jess

Back from Smith

I'm back from Smith and it was really a great trip. I took the bus from Port Authority on Saturday morning and got into Northampton, MA around 2:45. Alex, my best friend from Smith, picked me up from the bus station in a Zipcar and we drove to Walmart to try to return her fridge that wans't working. We made it to Walmart and they wouldn't take it back because they don't sell it at that Walmart. So, we put the fridge back in the car and walked around the mall a little bit before heading back to Smith. When we got to Smith I put my stuff down in Alex's room, and headed to Cushing (the house I live in when I'm there) and started looking through the trunk room for all of my sheets and towels that I left at the end of last year. What I didn't think about was how none of my classmates are here this year because they're all abroad. That meant I needed to move everyone's boxes that were blocking my boxes so I could get into my area. Finally I was able to squeeze into the back and find all of my boxes. I started packing up the empty suitcase that I brought to take my things back in to NY, but then realized it was time for dinner (and for Smith, that's 5:30pm). Alex and I went to dinner on Davis Lawn along with the rest of campus because it was Dine Around, which is when all of the different dining halls serve their food so you can try what each house has. It was pretty good. After dinner, Alex went downtown with girls from her house while I went back to Cushing to pack some more of my things. Around 7:30pm, I headed back to Alex's room to change out of my sweaty clothes because there was a free Matisyahu concert on Smith's campus. Matisyahu is an American Hasidic Jewish Reggae musician. He was pretty good but Alex and I were getting tired by the end so we headed back to her room early. Here are pictures from the concert:

Matisyahu and his band

Me and Alex at the concert.

This morning we woke up at 10am and got ready to go to brunch in Cushing. It was so crazy being back on campus knowing that I wasn't going to be part of Smith this whole year. Every time I bumped into someone I knew I had to explain why I was there and why I wasn't going to be at Smith the rest of the year. It was great seeing and talking to everyone, but I feel like I had already distanced myself from Smith for the year so it was really weird to be on campus. After brunch, I finished packing up the rest of my stuff from the trunk room and I headed back to Alex's house. When I got there, Alex saw how much stuff I had and said she was thinking of renting a Zipcar for the day and driving me back to NYC. I told her over and over again that she didn't need to, but she insisted (and I'm soooo glad she did)! We rented the Zipcar from 4pm-11am. At 4pm, Alex and I got in the car and started our road trip to NYC, with a couple stops on the way.

The ride was 3 hours but we always have fun singing, dancing, and talking in the car with each other. (And pigging out, of course, on unhealthy food!) When we got into the city we drove around the corner from my apartment so we could park the car in a parking garage. It only costs 12 dollars, but Alex has to be out of there by 7am (which is actually perfect because she needs to get on the road early to head back to Smith). Now, it's after midnight and I have finished hanging up posters on my walls that I brought back from Smith. I also have all of my own sheets, pillows, and comforter on my bed. I feel like I'm finally in my own room. I'm still finishing up hanging my pictures of friends and family up on my walls, but I have more time to do that tomorrow. I will take a picture of my room when it's light out in the morning and I will post all of them here! Now it's time to get some sleep before sending Alex on her way at 6:30am.

Miss you and love you!

Love Always,

Jess

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow. I have been so busy the last few days I haven't even been able to write a new post to update you all on my life here in NYC. On Wednesday, I spent the day doing more errands and setting up my room. I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's on E. 14th Street and it was ridiculous. In New York, there really needs to be a certain way to set up grocery stores because there are so many people here. The Whole Foods was designed just for NYC and it runs very smoothly. Trader Joe's, on the other hand, is like every other Trader Joe's I've been to. So, when you walk into the store, it's small for NY, all the food in the refrigerated section is completely gone, and the line goes through the entire store. You might as well just get in line right when you get in the store because you snake through all the aisles while waiting. That's what I'll do from now on...shop while in line. Anyway, after I went grocery shopping and came back to the apartment, I cooked myself some broccoli and was about to make pasta but was invited to go out with my roommates. We went to meet up with their friends Pete, Brian, and Nick. Their friends are amazing and so talented. Pete does animation and is a musician and Brian and Nick do some great sketches and comedy routines that you can see on their website, http://www.briTANick.com. Pete's YouTube channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/petescalzitti.

I'm really lucky to be surrounded by so many talented people in New York. My roommate, Emma, is an amazing singer and I get to hear her singing around the apartment during the day.I'm going to try to find some dance classes or singing groups around here so I can be a part of these great communities of talented actors/singers/dancers/etc.!

After we hung out with their friends, Emma, Liz and I headed back to the apartment. Since I hadn't eaten any dinner (besides the broccoli) Liz and I went to Mamoun's for a late-night falafel. It's fun to live in a city where everything is open so late and many places are even open 24/7.

On Thursday, I slept in a little bit, and then walked to NYU to get my NYU Student ID card. After I filled out some forms and sat in the waiting room for a little while I was able to get my picture taken and walk out as an official student with my ID card. After that, I got on the subway and went to the Upper West Side. I got off the stop at Columbia University at 116th and everything was so familiar. It was weird not having my sister there because the only time I've spent there is when I've been with my family visiting my sister at school! Speaking of Rebecca, she gave me a letter to drop off to Nussbaum & Wu for her favorite person who works there, Sharon. I walked into the bagel shop and got in line and Sharon kept giving me weird looks. I knew she couldn't figure out who I was, so when I got up to the front of the line I handed her the letter and told her I travelled from the East Village all the way to the Upper West Side to say hi to her for my sister, Rebecca Pollack. And, of course, she was soooo excited and happy to see me and misses Rebecca a lot. I ordered a lemonade and she said it was on her. It was worth the trip to make her day with a letter from Bec and get a free lemonade! After I left Nussbaum, I walked down to 96th Street and hopped on the subway to go back home. I transferred trains at 42nd Street and was very tempted to leave the station and explore Times Square, but I decided to save that for another day. By the time I got home and did a few more errands it was time to meet up with my friend, Mark. He met me at St. Mark's Place and we walked E. 8th Street to a restaurant called Cafetasia. I had Pad Thai, which was really good for the price. After dinner, we walked back towards St. Mark's, stopped at the Blockbuster so I could rent a movie, and then Mark headed back to Brooklyn where he lives. Liz and I ended up watching the movie last night (He's Just Not That Into You) but we didn't really enjoy it.

Today, I woke up earlier to get ready to register for classes. I walked to NYU and sat with a bunch of other special/visiting students while we waited to register with an advisor. I have spent the ENTIRE day trying to figure out my class schedule and I still haven't figured everything out. I ended up not going to Smith tonight because I was working on my classes and it got too late. I'll be taking the bus early tomorrow morning to Smith so I can get things from the trunk room and bring them back to NY.

I PROMISE that when I get back from Smith and have fixed up my room a little bit, I will take pictures and post them here for all of you to see where I'm living.

Miss you all...*HUGS AND KISSES*

Love Always,

Jess

First Blog Post!

Hey everyone! This is my new blog so that all of you can stay updated on my life away from Smith College this year (without me having to send out a bunch of emails). I am a junior and will be spending my Fall semester at New York University as a visiting student, and then my Spring semester in Scotland at the University of Glasgow!

This summer was amazing. I worked as a camp counselor at the Jewish Community Center with Kindergarten through 5th graders, met a bunch of great people, saw family and friends and enjoyed San Francisco before moving to New York. I also spent 2 weeks with my parents in Italy, and it was a blast! We arrived back home in San Francisco on Wednesday, August 26th which gave me 5 days to see friends and pack before moving to New York City...oh yeah, and find an apartment! haha. Luckily, I emailed SO many people on craigslist and someone responded to my email on Saturday. We got everything worked out, I talked to my new roommates on the phone, asked them questions, and they got to know me, and then we settled everything and I signed the Lease Agreement. I am living with two girls, one is a senior at Parsons (New School) and the other is a senior at NYU at Tisch School of the Arts.

This morning, I flew to New York with 2 big suitcases and when I arrived at JFK, I took a cab to my new apartment. I live on St. Mark's Place! It is an amazing location and I'm excited to explore the area more tomorrow. If you want to send me any snail mail (*cough cough*) please let me know so I can give you the address...I don't want to post it on here for everyone to know. But please ask for it and I'll email it to you ASAP!

I have pretty much settled into my room and will post pictures of the apartment soon. I still need to make a trip to Smith to pick up some of my things from the trunk room, but after that everything will be great. Tonight my roommate, Emma, took me out with 4 of her friends and we went to UCB (Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre) to see an Improv Comedy Show. After the 4th improv group, everyone was getting antsy so we left the theater. I hadn't eaten anything all day and at that point it was around 10pm, so I decided to head back to the apartment. We all took a cab to Union Square and then Emma and her friends went to see a movie, and I walked back to the apartment. (Did you notice I said WALK!?! Yes, I am in walking distance of Union Square and many other amaaazing places in the city!) When I got back to St. Mark's Place, I went to St. Mark's Market, got some food and drinks to keep in the fridge, and then walked across the street to a falafel place. I just finished eating my falafel in the apartment with my other roommate, Liz. While I was walking to the fridge, however, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye across the kitchen counter...IT WAS A MOUSE!!! Supposedly there are mice that come out behind the fridge and stove, but I guess they're harmless. Liz and I spent 5 or 10 minutes just watching for more mice and we could hear noises behind the fridge. Whatever...just another adventure for me in New York City. I love this apartment and location too much to let a mouse scare me away! =)

I'm so happy to be here, but I miss home already. I'll keep posting blog entries to keep you all updated. Please email me to keep me updated on YOUR lives (or call me @ 415.328.6632)! I will post pictures soon.

Tomorrow my plan is to do some more grocery shopping and go to Walgreens or Duane Reade. Then I'll do some more exploring around my new neighborhood and maybe even take the subway to the Upper West Side. I'll write soon!

Love Always,

Jess