longest week ever

The first week of school seemed like the longest week ever. Classes are going along just fine and I am starting to get into lots of work and reading. I have started doing some research for my huge presentation that I am scared of so that is good. This weekend was a typical weekend for me. I got some work done, but also watched a lot of tv and got plenty of sleep. We had our "sisterhood retreat" which is basically the reason I am in a sorority. (Please catch the sarcasim in that sentence.) It wasn't too bad and I got to leave early because I am a rho chi. Friday night I saw The Nanny Diaries. It was so cute and I have decided that if I need to earn money while I live in New York, I will be a nanny. Saturday night I went to the Margarita and Salsa festival. It is this concert and festival, obviously, where local places enter a contest for margaritas and salsa and people come by and test them and place their vote for the favorite. Dierks Bentley was playing, so we thought it would be fun to go. I volunteered to be the DD and enjoyed some salsa and Dierks. That was really all I was interested in. The margarita and salsa room was shutting down around when we got there, and Dierks was starting to play, so we went out to watch him. He was good, even though we missed about half of him. After he was done, I would have been happy to leave. I didn't want to hear Kevin Fowler or Cross Canadian Ragweed. I wasn't in the mood for trashy, way too country, Texas music. We ended up staying for awhile so that was disappointing. Actually, the whole night was disappointing. It was expensive in the first place, and then once you got there, everything else was expensive also. I didn't buy anything, but still. We missed half of the show I wanted to see and the place was full of dirty guys and trashy girls. Note to self: have own margarita and salsa festival at home.

Sunday I went to church at Highland which was so nice. I actually got to go to both church services! I don't know when the last time was that I did that. I always had nursery or work so I could usually only go to nursery and then straight to work. Sunday afternoon I had my first rho chi meeting and I found out that I am a "door monitor." This means that I don't have a group of girls to take care of during rush. I am so excited that my responsibilities are even fewer. This was the greatest decision I have ever made.

1st day #2

Today was the 2nd half of my last first day of school. It went alright. I had volleyball at 9:30. It should be a lot of fun. At 11 I have this class called Individual and Family Financial Management. It is a class I have to have for my major but I have been putting it off because I am scared of it. I have heard awful things about it and how hard it is. So anyway, I decided to get it over with so my last semester wouldn't be completely miserable. We have this huge presentation that is 15 minutes long and has to have tons and tons of work that goes into it. My professor has a list of a few topics that will be presented before the first exam that are coming up in a few weeks and then others that are later on in the semester. She reads all the topics and the only one that I think would be interesting is one of the ones before the first exam. So I go to sign up for my presentation on buying a new car vs. leasing a new car. I get there and see that this topic is one of 3 that are the very first presentations. I wanted to turn around and run, but instead I signed my life away. The good news is that it will be done with early in the semester before everything gets crazy busy. Bad news, I will be first which scares the life out of me, and I don't have as much time to work on it. I am so intimidated by this 15 minute presentation. It doesn't seem that long, but I know it will be a lifetime when I get up there.

So I think being a senior is weird. I always thought seniors looked so much older. I don't feel any older and I don't think I look any older. I'm sure people are thinking the same things about me that I thought about seniors, but it doesn't seem real at all. I feel like I look the same as I did in high school.

Today I got a little fill of Graffiti 2. I called Alicia and talked to her for a bit and then she put Indirah on the phone. Indirah screamed my name into the phone like she always did every time she saw me. I screamed INDIRAH back to her and then I almost started to cry. I miss that little girl. I tried calling another family but left a message. Tomorrow I hope I can talk to more.

Tonight I met with the family I will be nannying for. I loved them. They are so fun and cute. They all told me so many stories. I am so thankful I have this new job! It is exactly what I was looking for.

So recently there has been a little issue in our apartment at the "Ghettoaks." Deidre told me before I got back that she had been killing cockroaches. I told her the situation needed to be taken care of before I got back and she bought some bait and we have little hotels all over our apartment. Apparently they are not 100% effective because she has still seen them. She had one incident yesterday that she wouldn't even tell me about because it would scare me too bad. I didn't see one until last night and it was far away and Deidre killed it, so it wasn't too scary. She talked to the apartment people and told them about our situation and apparently we also have waterbugs. I think I wrote about these before because I heard the term in New York this summer and it threw me off. Anyway, so last night Deidre tells me right before I go to bed that the incident she had yesterday morning, well, she didn't really kill the giant waterbug, but she was pretty sure it was dead and that it wasn't going anywhere. That was all I knew so it completely freaked me out. I check the living room and kitchen before I go in and it seriously takes me about 2 minutes before I will walk freely around the kitchen. I told her I think I need exposure therapy, but I don't even want to think about doing that because it scares me so bad. Hopefully I can sleep peacefully tonight without thinking of a roach and/or waterbug jumping out at me.

ohh back to school...

Today was the first day of school...for the last time! I had 3 classes and they were alright. Nothing too exciting. I can tell that I will have a lot of reading this semester. That's not good news at all. I saw Brittany, Deidre, Beth, and Will today in the SUB during my lunch break so that was nice to eat with them. I also saw a bunch of people which was fun too. This morning I decided I would go enjoy the new parking garage on campus. I figured I would just drive right up and have a parking spot waiting for me. Who was I kidding?!? I should have known better. I drive all the way up to the top level and just happened to see a girl pulling out of a spot. You would think 500 spots would solve a parking problem, but apparently not. My first two professors took up the entire class time because they liked to talk. It was frustrating that we didn't even get through the entire syllabus in one of my classes. In my last class the professor talked really fast and was straight to the point. We were out of there in 20 minutes I think. Afterwards I got a couple of things done and I tried to return some books, but guess what, I couldn't find any parking, so I went home. I had a back to school bash to go to and we watched the Sing DVD. I love love love our act. I wanted to watch it over and over again. It is just so good. After that I came back home for some dinner and watched Friends. Later on, Jessica came over and she, Deidre, and I went to Common Grounds that just reopened today. It was sooo good. I missed frozen cappucinos. After that we came back and watched more Friends, and then The Hills.

Tonight I got a call from a lady who sent an email out who needed a babysitter to pick her kids up after school and watch them until 5:30 or so. I called her on Saturday and left a message and she called back today and I am going over there to meet them tomorrow. I am so excited that I will have a job! It isn't a lot of hours each week, but I will find out tomorrow how much money I will be making. Hopefully it will be enough so that is all I have to do. That would be perfect.

So I am very frustrated with intramurals right now. For the past 2 years they have had volleyball in the Spring, which doesn't make sense, but oh well. So now they decide to change it to the fall again, which makes me so mad because I can't play with my sorority. We were really good in the spring and now I can't play with them because I am a rho chi and can't be affiliated with any sorority. They also added ultimate frisbee, which I love, but cannot play either. WHY NOW?!? grrrr...

Tomorrow I have volleyball at 9:30 and then an FCS class at 11. I am only taking 13 hours this semester and it is wonderful! I'm sure it will feel like 18 with all the reading though.

last first day of school

Tomorrow will be my last first day of school. I am not one bit sad about it. If I were to really think about it, it would be really weird, but I'm not thinking about it too much. I am not looking forward to going back to school, but then again, I am so ready to finish, so bring it on!

This weekend has been pretty uneventful and kinda boring. Friday I slept late and got everything ready for school. I got my parking sticker and bought some books. After that I came back home and watched tv. Saturday I spent the entire day inside watching tv and movies. It was nice, but I got bored. I fell asleep early and got up this morning to go to work. Work was very busy. After work I came back home and watched more tv. I got sucked into the America's Next Top Model marathon and watched that all day/night.

These blogs are not exciting anymore. I miss New York so much. I wish I had exciting stories to tell.

still adjusting

There were a couple of times today when I caught myself thinking like I was in New York. The one I remember was when Deidre said she needed mustard from the store and I thought to myself, just go down to the corner store. I caught myself before I said it, but I thought it was funny how that was the first thing that popped into my head.

Today I got back to Waco. I went straight to the Olive Branch. It was soo good and I missed the food so much. I wanted to eat some of everything, especially the desserts. After lunch I went to my apartment to unpack. I felt like it was never ending, no matter how much was put up. I finally finished and enjoyed watching cable tv! Even though I have mixed feelings towards being back, I have to say there are quite a few things that I really enjoy about being back. I love being in MY apartment. I love that everything is mine and I have everything I need right here. I love my shower and my couch in my room. I went to HEB tonight and bought food. It was so amazing to have everything in one store, and I especially enjoyed the stuff that only HEB has. I love the smell of my room and the candles I have here.

Now I am going to enjoy my bed with my amazing sheets. Tomorrow I have to take care of all my school stuff like parking sticker and books. I am not looking forward to it.

culture shock

Today was my first day back in Texas. I got in last night around midnight. Today I woke up to a text message at 8:30 from a friend asking if I was in town. I slept for a little afterwards, but then ended up getting up. I had lunch at Dos Salsas finally. It was incredible. I don't know what else to say about it except that it was amazing and I treasured every bite. After lunch I ran a couple of errands and then met up with my mom to kill some time before my hair appointment. I go get my hair done and then go home to get ready for the party! I felt like it was my birthday or something.

I felt so weird driving today. I felt like I was going to get in a wreck because I wasn't paying enough attention or something. I also felt like I was going to lose my keys because I am not used to carrying them. At one point I almost walked out of the house without them. I think having a car will make me spend more money on things I don't need. Now it is so easy to go get something like ice cream or Sonic, or even just going shopping. I don't have to plan around the rest of my day first of all, and I can get anywhere I want in a matter of minutes. I don't have to figure out a train route or bus route. I will enjoy this.

A few other things I have enjoyed were a hot water shower that actually felt good instead of sweaty, sleeping with sheets and a comforter, going to HEB (which now feels like the Mecca of grocery stores), and of course, seeing the people I care about. Everyone was so encouraging and supporting. They all told me how proud they were and that they were happy I had such a good experience. Tonight made me a little more glad to be back. I have had some good conversations and I am so thankful for all the amazing people who are blessing my life!

God Bless

God Bless. People say it around here all the time. I have never used those words. I don't have any reason in particular, it is just not something I say.

Today has been a rough day. There have been good times, but I have also had some really hard times. I have done a lot of reminiscing. I have thought about a lot of things, but mostly the past 3 months and my summer here in New York. I have looked through old pictures from school also. I remembered the other day my first encounter with one of the girls at Graffiti 2. I wish I could remember all of them, but this one stuck out to me. The first thing I remember about Indirah was her hand shooting up with a question for Andrew. I learned later on that this was a frequent occurence. Andrew let her ask her question and she asked, "Who is that pretty girl over there?" I knew we would be good friends from the beginning.

I don't think I would have changed anything about my summer. I also want to point out a thought I had earlier this summer. I wouldn't have even been with Graffiti 2 if Mary, the former children's minister at Graffiti hadn't left to go to Kosovo. Originally when I thought of doing my practicum in New York, it was with Graffiti in Manhattan. Mary left and last summer her position hadn't been filled, so that is when my mom talked to Andrew and then I started talking to him about working with Graffiti 2. I know that my summer would have been completely different if I had been in Manhattan instead of the Bronx.

Today at church there was not a single staff member there. It was so strange and very very sad. I sat down and as soon as we started to sing I began to get emotional. I don't know what it was really, but it hit all at once. I thought about leaving and just going somewhere where I could be alone to cry. I tried to wipe the tears so no one would know, but I still cried basically the entire worship time. Once Vaughn got up to do the message I was fine. After church I went upstairs to the office to turn my keys in, along with Brian's. After that, I said bye to Glaucia and Lisa and went to get lunch. I got upset again as I was walking away from Graffiti. I walked through the park and went to Chipotle for lunch. I decided to eat there by myself and listen to music. I wasn't really self conscious like I normally would be. After lunch I went and got a pedicure. That made me feel a lot better! I felt like Elle on Legally Blonde except I didn't spill my guts to the little Asian lady. After that I walked around and I was going to use my American Eagle gift card, but I didn't find anything I wanted. After that I stopped at an ATM and headed back to Queens. I was still kinda sad and shed a couple tears on the subway (not because it was my last time on the J). I got home and eventually completely lost it. I was so incredibly upset and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to talk to someone but I didn't know who. I opened the envelope Deidre gave me when I left. It said on the front that it was for a time when I was really down and needed a pick me up. It was just an encouragement letter and it really did make me feel a little better. I cried for awhile and then finally stopped. I didn't want to think about packing or especially cleaning. Eventually I started feeling much better and did my reminiscing in a happy way. I read through all my blogs for the summer and I made a top ten list of the most memorable things this summer. I wrote down what I am looking forward to when I get back. I am constantly thinking about what I will miss, but I have to remind myself that this is only temporary and I have to be patient.

I have packed most of my clothes and I have taken my last shower in this apartment! I am so excited I don't have to go back to that nasty small shower ever again. I just finished cleaning it which was another project. On my list of things I am looking forward to I have my own bathroom and big shower, cable, my bed and amazing sheets, catching up with friends, driving, Dos Salsas, The Olive Branch, and of course, AIR CONDITIONING!!!!

I guess I will go ahead and share my Top 10 Most Memorable Moments:
10: The lingo of the Bronx. Some of my favorites are "yo", "mad", and "hops". My favorite combination of those was a quote I think I already shared, but one kid yelled, "Yo, Proof got mad hops" after he saw her jump for a ball. I really want to start saying mad. I don't use it here, but I am going to miss hearing it, so I might start saying it myself.
9: My first experience in NY with the guy in the airport who wanted to be friends.
8: Steam Pipe Explosion
7: Flooding in the subway that caused a 4 hour commute.
6: My phone getting stolen at football camp.
5: Being asked to be the godmother of Ashley's baby.
4: The shooting in the Bronx we saw the aftermath of.
3: Dragging a ton of luggage 9 blocks to Taylor and Susan's to find out the keys didn't work.
2: The Chinatown incident with Deidre
And of course.....


1: Passing out on the subway.

These are my most memorable, not my favorites. I think half of those wouldn't make my favorites list if I had one. Especially anything having to do with the subway and its delays.

I wish I would have written down how I felt about my summer going into it. I can't really remember what I expected, but I know it wasn't anything close to what I experienced. I have had such an amazing summer and I am so blessed to have this opportunity. Thank you to all who made it possible. Thank you to all who gave me money so I could live here for 3 months and eat. Thank you to all of you who prayed for me. Please continue to pray as I start to figure out how I am going to move back here. Thank you to all the people in New York who have blessed me with new relationships. Thank you other missionaries who I have loved getting to know and spend time with. I am missing everything already.

New York,
God Bless.

sad day

Today was my last day at Graffiti. I went in at 2 and we organized and cleaned out the basement. It was a mess and it took about 3 and a half hours. After that, Brian and I went over to Andrew's and he made dinner for us. We talked about our summer and hung out for awhile. I was so sad to leave. I told Brian that if I saw Mella or Indirah on the way to the subway, I would probably break down. I haven't broken down yet, but I am just waiting for it to happen. Honestly, I want to cry and let it all out, but I can't. I know some of you are so surprised...Trust me, I have a heart, with emotions.

Tomorrow is church. I thought that there were going to be at least a couple people there, but it turns out that those people will also be gone. I am so disappointed. Tomorrow and Monday are going to be depressing days. I think I am going to go get a manicure and pedicure for only $18. I saw a place down in the East Village on my way to Taylor and Susan's earlier this week, so I plan on doing that. I may also spend my American Eagle gift card I got from Ema. If I could find my New York to do list, I would go do some of the things I left off. Oh well, I will be back...

last day of summer program

Today I woke up to rain. It wasn't as much as Wednesday, but it was still raining. We were praying for good weather so we didn't have to cancel baseball again this week and so that we could have our block party later on. When I came out of the subway in the Bronx, it was still raining. We had to cancel baseball camp this morning. We got ready for the block party and hung out until the fine arts camp. We did fine arts camp, which was kinda chaotic because we were trying to get everything set up for the block party. The rain stopped and was looking like it was going to stay away, but it ended up raining again. We moved everything back inside and ended up doing the block party at Graffiti 2. I was in charge of the food, so I got people started with cotton candy and then I tackled the popcorn machine. The block party started at 4:30 and we had a magician do a show for the kids. He was really good.

I just realized I didn't blog about Wednesday. Wednesday is rained a whole lot. When I was walking to the subway I was walking though water that was flooding the sidewalk and came up to my mid calf in some places. I got to Manhattan to transfer to another train and I ran into problems. Trains weren't running, so I walk up to the street and go over a few blocks to try and catch another line. I get there and wait for awhile and nothing was coming. Then I decide to get out and just find a cab. I stop at the bank and then try to get a cab. I coudn't get one to save my life, so I start walking uptown, and continue to try and get a cab. I walk up through Chinatown and get over to 1st and 2nd Ave, north of Houston. I find a station that had trains running and take the E to 51st and Lexington. Trains weren't running from there, so I had to get out and walk up to 59th, still trying to catch a cab. I get to 59th and the trains are running!!! Whoo hooo!!! I finally get to Graffiti 2 at 10:15. I left that morning at 6:15. I completely shattered my former record of a 2 hour commute. Baseball camp was cancelled because the mission team wasn't there either. They got stuck in traffic or something. Brian made a good point yesterday. He said that since the subway system has been around for over 100 years, wouldn't you think they would have some sort of system to handle rain and flooding so the entire city doesn't shut down and freak out when the subways aren't running?!?

Today the weather was fabulous...except for the whole rain thing. It was not hot at all today. This afternoon it got really cool and you could see people who had busted out the hoodies again. It was kinda weird to see. It is currently 58 outside. I am going to sleep so well tonight!!! Tomorrow I am going to Graffiti 2 to organize the basement with Brian and Andrew. It is such a wreck right now. I get to sleep in tomorrow, so I am very excited about that.

last first day

Tonight was my last Agape Feast. We had a lot of people show up tonight, which was good. We ran out of chairs and food, but almost everyone got at least something. Those who didn't came late, so it was kinda their own fault. Brian and I shared a short testimony of our summer and how God worked in our lives. Today Alicia gave Brian and I a gift from the M&M store. Two other people mentioned a gift to me today too, which has really surprised me. I was not expecting anything at all, but who doesn't like getting gifts?!? Today was the last first day of camp. We started baseball this week and it went much better than expected. The mission team only brought 9 people, so we were a little nervous. Everything was fine and it was a good day at camp. I am worn out from my last long day at Graffiti. It still is not over either. I am at Taylor and Susans right now, waiting for Brian to get here to take over. He didn't have any of his stuff with him today so he went back to Queens to get it and then was coming back here. I had to come back to pack up all my stuff, so now I am just waiting. I really am hoping that he calls and changes his mind so I can stay here and not have to go all the way back to Queens. I don't think that will happen. This apartment makes me feel like I really live in New York. My apartment doesn't have the same feel at all. I also love it because I can move around in the shower and I get to be in AC! I am really really bummed out about leaving. I don't want to go back to Queens to an empty and lonely house. The Osbornes, Kyle, and Charlotte are all gone, so it is me and some family I don't know.

only one more week!!! :(

I leave a week from tomorrow/Monday. I am so sad and I know it hasn't completely hit me yet. Last week was tennis camp and it went really well. We ended up having to limit the number of kids we could take because we didn't have enough rackets, but we still had 77 kids. I finished up my summer school and by the way, I got a 97 in the class. Wednesday Megan, Brandon, and Cailey got here. Thursday they went into work with me and then we went out in the city. Thursday and Friday were so incredibly hot. Thursday night I couldn't sleep because I was so hot. It was definitely the worst night so far. Friday night I met up with them after work and we went to dinner at the Stardust diner. It was fun and then we decided to see if we could find any tickets to a show while we were down in the area. We walked by a couple of theaters but they were sold out and then we saw an ad for Legally Blonde, so we decided to go there. We got in line and ended up getting tickets for $24. They were the top row in the balcony, but who cares, they were cheap and it was a really fun show to see.
Saturday morning we all slept in. We were so exhausted. I HAD to do laundry and so I sent them to go do stuff while I did my laundry and then I met up with them later. We did some shopping and then went to dinner at Chevy's. a mexican food place in Times Square. It was good food, but it took forever for us to get it. "The kitcen was really backed up" or something like that, but we couldn't get water refilled either, so who knows. After that we decided to go to Serendipity. We got there and there was a 2 hour wait, so we headed back to Queens.
Today we got up for church and packed up all our suitcases. I am housesitting for Taylor and Susan while they are on vacation, so everyone came with me. We got the Osbornes to take our luggage in their car which was a huge help. We went to church and then went out to eat Indian food. Afterwards, I got a little orientation at the Field's and then went and got work done. I met up with Megan, Brandon and Cailey in Chinatown and we spent way too much time there. After Chinatown we went down to the South Street Seaport and walked around a bit and then ate dinner. After dinner we had to go back to the church to get our luggage and then we had to drag it down 9 blocks. It's not a bad walk, but it was killer trying to drag all the bags. We all had 2 bags of some sort and they were heavy! I thought my arm was going to fall off or just go limp. I started laughing a lot too because I kept imagining what it looked like. We finally got to the apartment and I get the keys out. I start messing with them, trying to get them in. Nothing is working. I try a lot longer and still nothing. I call a couple of the numbers on my sheet Susan gave me but I don't get ahold of anyone. We start buzzing other apartments to see if they could buzz us in. We get up to #7 and someone finally answers. We get all the stuff in and then go to the apartment door. The key works for that one, so it was fine. I get in and try to figure out what I am going to do tomorrow. I call a few people and I didn't really get an answer, or solve my problem, but oh well. I guess I will figure it out tomorrow. It makes me nervous because they have pets. Otherwise it wouldn't be a big deal.
I am so glad to be sleeping in AC!

Today at church I had to say my goodbye's to a lot of people. It was the last Sunday for all the other missionaries and then most of the staff were going on vacation by next week. I nearly broke down, but I held it together. I am going to miss everyone so much. I know this is not news to anyone, but I am saying it again. If I nearly lost it when I said bye to people at Graffiti, who knows what I will be like when I have to say bye to Graffiti 2 people. I can't wait to be at work this week. It may be a difficult week with our baseball camp, but I am excited about spending my last week with everyone there. Pray for this week. The mission team this week is only bringing 12 people and we are expecting a few other challenges along the way. Pray all will go well this week and pray for the block party on Friday.