Back in Cali

So I'm back home in sunny San Diego. I had such a wonderful time in New York and already I can't wait to go back. My line sister is trying to get us to go Howard's Homecoming in October and we do, I might have to make a day trip out to Stony Brook. I made such great friendships while I was out there and I worked really hard to produce great work. I think it worked because, as I was saying my good-bye's, everyone was asking me if I was going to apply, and if I did they would do their best to look out for me. I also need to go back because I didn't have a chance to go back to the city before I left so I need to get a fix before I graduate. We will see...

The Greeks of Stony Brook

So they have a great way to show their pride - Spirit Rocks. They're these giant boulders that are indigenous to the area and the campus. They are spread out around the campus, and each organization has to make a proposal or petition to get a rock to decorate. In talking to one of the undergrads here, it takes them about a year from application to approval to get a boulder. After they get it they can decorate it however they want. These are the Rocks for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and MALIK.

MALIK is a very interesting. They don't believe in the Black Greek system,yet they're a fraternal organization that used to have Greek Letters.

Something else that I found to be interesting was what they do when they catch you hazing. They post these giant pictures that inform the campus on which organizations are banned from campus.

The Glitz of New York City

OMG! I love the City! I had so much fun while I was out there a few weeks ago with my girl Tisha. The night I got there I was walking around so bright-eyed taking it all in. So that Friday we walked around 42nd Street & Time Square where I got to have a slice of cheesecake at Junior's and I was able to go shopping at the mega-Forever 21 that opened that day! I got this super cute dress, you'll have to wait for a photo of me in to see it. But I would definitely have to say that the most interesting thing that I noticed was the dudes - they try to get at you with no shame. I liked it, lOl! Even the cops on duty tried to get at us while they clearly in a deep convo with their partners on the corner.

After I got some cheesecake and shopping, we walked the rest of 42nd Street and took pictures at Time Square and then proceeded to walk around Manhattan. We walked all the way down 7th Avenue towards 14th Street. On the way I was able to see the huge Macy's, Madison Square Gardens, and the Empire State Building. We walked and I got to see the Chelsea area, the PRIDE of the city during Gay Pride Weekend. After that, we walked the opposite way to Union Square near NYU, but I was so tired that I didn't see a lick of the campus...all of this was between 12-4am.

The next day, I went shopping with Tisha's mom and let me tell you, this lady has some coupons that saved my life. I ended spending around $50 for $115 worth of clothes at New York & Company. After that, Tisha and I went down to Coney Island where I had one of Nathan's Original Hot Dogs. It was as good as it looked on TV. After I ate, we walked around the boardwalk and the fairgrounds. While on the boardwalk, there was a DJ playing all kinds of music with a crowd of 100 just dancing and sweating out all the liquor pimping through their systems.

The last day that I was out there I was able to finally go to church. Man let me tell you that I was missing me some church. After church Tisha took me to Bedsie where Ashley was staying in her friends Brown Stone. When we were outside waiting for Ashley to come out, Tisha was explaining that the Brown Stones were some of the original homes for African Americans in New York. They were also the place of Spike Lee's Crooklyn. On our way to the train station we passed Marcy Projects. I found it interesting that they were located on Stockton & Marcy Ave. I thought it was so Ironic that one of America's most dangerous housing projects was located on a street after a city that Forbes labeled as America's worst city to live in.

So Sunday evening was time for us, Ashley and I to get something off of our bucket list. Dim Sum in New York's Chinatown. We went to Jing Fong's on Elizabeth Street, right across from the 7th Precinct Police Station. After that we walked New York's famous Canal Street where I bought my first official knock-off handbag. That in itself was an interesting experience. It was so crowded and the Chinese girl was super sketch. Because it was so hot I had my first Italian Ice in lemon. It was so light and refreshing, what you see in the picture is a small one and definitely better than a cool glass of lemonade. We walk a little bit more before leaving for me to make my train back to Stony Brook, and got fresh coconuts to sip on. Can't say that i enjoyed it, but I think it tastes better than Thai Ice Tea.

I had so much fun and I'm hoping that I have a chance to go back at least once more before going back to California.

Getting Around the Island

Within the last week I have been blessed in meeting wonderful people who want to help ensure that I have a great experience while I'm here. Wednesday after my staff meeting was over, a few co-workers and I went out for dinner. We weren't really sure of what to eat, but when we came to the conclusion of having food from the DR (Dominican Republic), I was so excited. However plans got changed and we ended up going to this place called JV Tequila's, which specializes in Central American cuisine. Let me tell you, they have the best black beans that I've ever had! They give you huge portions that look more like a plate for 2 and their prices are just as good as the food. I got beans, rice, roasted pork, plantains and an Arizona Mango Ice Tea for $13.00. I had so many left overs that it looked like I ordered a dinner to go!

On Friday I started my weekend right. The weather was gorgeous and let me tell you, when there's good weather the natives take full advantage. I think that it's because they only have good weather and sunshine for 3-4 months of the year. Any who, I went to the North Shore Beach with my Soror and co-worker. The beach isn't like the one back home in San Diego, but it's uniqueness is what I liked about it. The sand was rocky and wasn't the cleanest, but the distance from the shore line and the boardwalk is about 50 yards! Due to the area of New York that I'm in, there were so many plush trees on the other side of the boardwalk. I think that's what got me the most. After spending some time at the beach, my Soror took me to the other a little quaint town called Port Jefferson, just on the other side of Stony Brook. It's a great little port town with lots of small venues in a town with a lot of history.

On Saturday my roommate, two of her co-workers and I headed out to Huntington, NY for dinner and some drinks. We ended up meeting up with one of her college buddies and grabbing a couple of slices of pizza. It was good, but I think that I'll have better pizza when I go to the city this weekend...I'm hoping. But I will admit that it was really cheap - 2 slices and a medium drink was $5. We then walked to a little restaurant bar & club called Dr. Finley's Publick House around the corner from the pizza place. With a $5 cover, we made sure that we stayed to see the band, Hi Def, play a full set. They were really good cover band. They started out a little shaky, but they really got the crowd moving. They are perfect for playing all of the top 40 songs, and I mean ALL top 40. The got my support when they started belting out a popular Usher song.

Monday I took the city bus to the mall and had some fun shopping with my co-worker. I got some great jewelery, some pink lip glosses/stains and some much needed perfume. I will be uploading photos of these and my outfits shortly!

Despite the Geese!

So as I was walking to work, there was this family of geese that eat on the grass. Well as you can see in the photo there are some baby geese that accompanied them. As I was walking down the little path, I heard this hissing sound. Being from California I automatically think, "snake." I looked around and didn't see anything. I was far from the grass and any bushes on all sides, so I started walking again. Well it turns out that one of the geese was hissing and started gunning it towards me. I start running in the other direction until it stops chasing me. I look back and I see the baby goose on the other side of the sidewalk.

So, despite the geese, I have been able to explore the campus a little and I absolutely love being here. This campus provides some really unique student services that I'm not used to seeing. They have a craft center where anyone can learn how to be a certified bartender in addition to talking photography and ceramic classes. They have a full-service beauty salon - manicure/pedicures, weaves, perms and waxes. That completely through me for a loop. And with this being a campus with so much acreage, they have there own transit system with buses running regularly. In addition to the student services, they have found a way to be inclusive to the diversity of their campus. They have multiple student centers, on of them being the Wang Center (pronounced wong). The dining place serves various types of Asian cuisine including Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. I enjoyed some lamb samosa and the chicken curry at the Indian place!

Hello Big Apple!

So I arrived yesterday evening after some flight delays with Southwest Airlines keeping me trapped in Midway for 2 hours. Nonetheless, I made here safe and was welcomed by my wonderful supervisor, Anthony. Today was my first day of work and the people here are fantastic! I guess it's safe to say that once you enter into the field of Student Affairs that you can expect to meet nice and friendly people where ever you go. I look forward to the meeting with Anthony as I'll finally get the details of what I'll actually be doing as an intern. Until then, I'm settling in which is an adjustment. Stony Brook, the school and the city, is very suburban and isn't as accessible to public transportation as I imagined it would be. But not to fear, I will make it work. My roommates are great and I plan on having a good experience!

New York Wish List

So as I get closer and closer to leaving for New York for the summer, I have put together a wish list or bucket list of what I want to tackle before I come back home. So as I cross things off my list I will post the excitement and details of my accomplishments. And not to fret, I have things that I want to tackle around D.C. and Philly. But here's my New York list:

Lion King on Broadway

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Go to the Wendy Williams Show live taping

Sex in The City Hotspot Tour

Dinner & Jazz in the Cotton Club

Nathan’s Hot Dog

Ray’s Pizzeria

Sylvia’s Soul Food on Lenox

Jing Fong's for Dim Sum

Empire State Building Observatory

American Museum of Natural history

Museum of Modern Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Guggenheim Museum

Statue of Liberty

Ellis Island Ferry Ticket

P.S. I'm open to any other suggestions from the experienced.