First day of the internship

While lots of my Kohawk friends were waking up early to go to class or step foot in the Stewart Memorial Library, I was waking up early to head downtown and begin my first day of my NYC internship.

I was lucky enough to find an internship with the New York Public Library. If you haven't heard, I'm very interested in pursing a degree in library science after graduating from Coe in May 2014. I have lots of library experience back in Mt. Horeb at my amazing public library but was interested in seeing what an urban library experience looked like. Over the next several months, I'll be working with Nick, who is in charge of the library outreach programs, and Chris, who is the director of the teen program. It should be an exciting experience and an opportunity that will help me grow as I continue to make myself an excellent candidate for graduate school.

And boy, was my first day one that was exciting.

I started off with meeting some of the staff I'll be working with and looking through some of the programs the library offers. I had gone over a lot of the material before coming to the city but it was nice to now actually have a picture in my head where some of this programming takes place.

Part of Nick's job is to work with the New York Prison system in a variety of ways. He heads up outreach programs, a traveling library, and is the editor for a book called Connections which is a directory of resources to help incarcerated people readjust to city life. Many prisoners send letters to the outreach program, either in search of the most recent edition of Connections or for information not available to them (they don't have access to the internet). I spent a few hours answering letters and also getting a behind the scenes tour of the library.

The other project Nick is working on, slowly, is recording war memories from Veterans as part of the Library of Congress's attempt to archive their stories. I listened to a previously recorded veteran and then was able to sit in on an interview of another one. He had a fascinating story and although the interview was almost two hours long, it was amazing to hear what he had to say. It reinforced to me that everyone has a story to share and we all deserve the opportunity to share it. And I think that's a major element of the library; a central place to find and locate stories from all walks of life.

I came back to the hotel for pizza and discussion with the group. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring me.

Subway, Library Card, The Piano Lesson, and Jazz

Hello hello. I'm slowly adjusting to big city life. Such as walking quickly, using the crosswalk when the little white man is not flashing, and avoiding any and all contact with anyone on the subway. The pace is quick and in order to look like a "true" New Yorker you just have to go, go, go.

Of course, it's a very different go, go, go than Coe's but I enjoy it.

This post is about Sunday and then I'll write another one for Monday. I'm going to try to be better at posting once a day but we'll see how that goes once the term really starts rocking and rolling.

On Sunday, Ashley, Whitney, and I had our own adventure in the city. Our first stop was to Ashley's internship location, a literary agency called Writers House. Then it was off to the New York Public Library, my internship location.

Yes, I do have an internship at the New York Public Library.
But more on that later.

Anywho, we arrived at the Mid-Manhattan branch where the books inside circulate (the building with the lions that you saw me next to in an earlier post is a research library, so you can't check anything out of it). We went inside and got our very own library cards. So we can check out books and movies for our free and or down time.

Yeah, as you can tell by the picture, I'm just a little excited.


By that point, we were hungry so we tried our first NYC pizza. Our big lesson? If it costs five bucks for two slices of pizza and a drink, you're paying too much. We got this yummy deal for under five.

After milling around Times Square for a bit, we headed to the Signature Theater and saw our first play of the term. It was called The Piano Lesson by August Wilson and was fantastic.

The play centers around a piano, which has a fair amount of family history and sentimental value, and the disagreement about what to do with it. Siblings Boy Willie and Berniece argue, there's a ghost in the house, and some singing occurred that left goosebumps on my arms.

So basically it was beautiful. Along with the actors, they had an amazing set as their backdrop. It was a house, circa 1936 and it was unfinished. The floor trailed off, and it was so detailed that the carpet also trailed off, fraying at the edges. I found so much symbolism and parallels between the set and the plot of the play, but I'll leave that for my paper on the piece to Susan, the professor in charge of the theater aspect of the term.

Post play, we sat in the lobby/cafe area and began to discuss our initial thoughts on the play. All of a sudden, Susan stood up suddenly and brought over one of the actors in the play, who happened to be a good friend of hers. As we talked to him, he beckoned to the director and brought him over. It was pretty incredible that we had a chance to discuss our thoughts and perceptions of the play with the master craftsman himself.

The group swung back to the hotel to drop things off and to grab a quick bite to eat before catching another subway train to Columbus Circle and Dizzy's Club. Aka jazz music. The band that was performing was Chano Dominguez and Flamenco Sketches. Chano was an amazing piano player but I was more impressed with the bass player. Boy, could he play that bass.

That got over a little late so the group quickly made it home and hopped into bed, the idea of starting our "big girl" internships the next day either putting us to sleep or keeping us awake, a feeling of nervousness and excitement preventing us from sleeping.

Luckily, I slept.

First "Official" Day

Well, after a whirlwind couple of days exploring the city, it was time to check into the hotel I'll be staying at for the next 90ish day and officially start New York Term.

At Ayurveda Cafe

I checked into my hotel on Friday and was reunited with the nine other Coe students on the program. Once we were sort of settled in, we went out to eat at a restaurant called Ayurveda Cafe. It's a place that serves incredibly healthy food (and no meat). It's also all you can eat so that was fabulous. The food was delicious and gave us a chance to begin to catch up with each other.

The trip to the restaurant also prompted an experience on the subway. The subway will be my main mode of transportation and so it's a good idea to purchase a 30 day unlimited pass. We all bought our passes and then for girls who had never used a subway, they got a quick lesson. Luckily, there are girls like myself who have used and are comfortable with public transportation so we can help each other out.

More unpacking happened after dinner and then it was bed. I woke up early today to explore the fitness center in our hotel before heading off to a cafe called Le Pain Quotidient (the daily bread in French). It was an AMAZING place (if my dad comes back we are most definitely going there!). Great interior and just a neat place.

Post breakfast, myself and some other girls decided to go on a little subway adventure to Brooklyn. Our destination was Target for some essentials we had either left behind or forgotten. It was a bit of a ride to get there but it was good bonding time and gave us a chance to explore an area we had not been before.

Since everyone had different agendas at Target, we all agreed to just have a buddy to get back to our hotel. I paired up with Ashley and post-shopping, we jumped back on the same subway line we had taken to get to Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the line broke down a few stops in and after waiting for 10 minutes, Ashley and I decided to transfer to a different line.

We ended up in the middle of the city at a line that didn't have a lot of good transfer options. So above ground we went, headed to a station near Bryant Park (and my soon-to-be-stomping grounds). Back underground we went and accidentally ended up on an express line. Which basically means it makes few stops, stopping only at major stations. As Ashley and I sat on the subway, I saw the street numbers tick away, moving towards the one hundreds and away from 77 (the street we are on). Luckily, it's easy to backtrack; Ashley and I hopped off at the next station and doubled back, using a local line this time to get to our hotel.

Of course the day continued with a meeting with Murray and Susan, two of our professors. Murray is in charge of the music portion while Susan heads the theater aspect. We went over expectations and guidelines for the class portion of the term. So basically a syllabus day.

Once we finished that, it was back to the subway to go to Kathy's studio. Kathy is another professor, in charge of art (so she'll be taking us to museums and whatnot). Her medium is printmaking and it was neat to be in her studio and see all of her equipment  Kathy served food and invited alums from the New York Term program. Some of the alums who came I knew, because they were on campus my freshman and sophomore years. It was nice to see those old friends and meet new people who went to Coe and participated in this program.

Back to the hotel I went and I think after this blog post, I'll go to sleep! Another long but fantastic day. More adventures to come!

The NYC Adventure BEGINS

Hello hello!

It's been a while, sorry about that! I've been home in Wisconsin, spending time with my family and taking a much deserved break after probably my toughest semester on campus. While most of my Coe friends are packing their stuff and getting ready for classes to start Monday, I'm over 1,000 miles east of Mt. Horeb and no where near Coe. 

That's because I'm in New York City, about to move into a hotel tomorrow and about to spend three and a half months in the Big Apple. 

Needless to say, I'm jazzed.

I'm also super excited because before the term "officially" starts (which is tomorrow when myself and nine other Coe students, all girls by the way, move into our hotel) my dad, sister, and I drove out to New York to spend time with my aunt and uncle and their family. We have busy since the moment we arrived. 

The first day we ventured into the city and my aunt and uncle treated us to dinner before heading to Broadway to see the play Newsies at Nederlander Theater. Oh my goodness, was that an amazing show. It's based off true events of a paper boy strike in New York City and it's something you should definitely check out. I think my favorite part was the dancing (those boys were superb dancers) and just how excited the actors were to be on stage. The music often gave me chills (hello harmony) and it was just a great story I was drawn into. 

After the play, we checked out where my uncle works on Times Square and saw the infamous New Year Eve's ball. 

Today, we woke up early and took a train to Hoboken. This allowed us to then take a ferry around the tip of the island and then land near Wall Street. We walked around the financial district, grabbed some Starbucks (an absolute must) and then moved onto our next appointment: the New York Stock Exchange. My uncle was able to make this arrangement, allowing us the opportunity to see something you can't see everyday. We were able to go on the floor and see all the trading that happens during the day. 

While we were down in the financial district, my aunt had reserved tickets so we were able to check out the 9/11 Memorial site. Incredibly moving and visually stunning. 

We ate lunch in SoHo (shortened version of south of Houston Street), looked around the area and then tried our luck at the subway system to move our way north to Rockefeller Center. It's sort of like an underground city beneath Rockefeller Plaza and Center, definitely a place to check out on a rainy day! We moved from the basement to the very top for an amazingly crisp and clear view of the city. It's a view I won't forget anytime soon. 

The New York Public Library was only a few blocks away so we ventured there and I got my picture taken with the iconic lions. Let me tell you, I was all smiles. And still am. 

Our final stop was Penn Station and we were there just before rush hour. My uncle met back up with us and showed us some special "only if you're a true New Yorker" things before hopping back on train to take us back home. 

I've now been able to spend a fair amount of time in the city. Tomorrow I move into my hotel and am reunited with the nine other Coe students! I am excited and can't wait to continue to explore the city. 

As a reader of this blog, you'll have an inside look at my adventures. Since I'll be taking a lot of photos, I'll only post a few for each post. The rest you can access here. I hope you keep reading because I'm excited to share my adventures with you! 

A Year in Review: 2012

Highlights from a FANTASTIC year. As chronological as I can be. The links lead to past posts but feel free to look around to see everything I've done the past year!

• Student Senate Promotion. When Anna and Max got elected as student body president and vice president, I moved from a Murray senator to the Student Student Treasurer! 
• Another fantastic Presidential Ball. It was a lot of fun and who doesn't love dressing up?
• Walking in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was a neat way to see the Cedar Rapids community.
• Mother Nature gave us a great March day for Coe's annual Flunk Day. It was far superior to my freshman Flunk Day and I spent the day outside in the sun.
• As treasurer, I got the opportunity to go to Minnesota for the NACA conference, helping SAC find performers for the 2012-2013 school year.
• Made tremendous strides as a clarinetist and performed in my first ever recital hour. 
• Attending the 2012 Leadership Convocation and being selected as the Outstanding Sophomore of the Year.
• Spending 26 days in the Lake District as part of the Writers' Colony May Term. 
• Staying on campus during the summer and working in the Admission Department as well as helping prepare for the incoming class of first-years.
• Seeing the President of the United States when he came to Cedar Rapids in July.
• Giving tours during Iowa's Private College Week.
• Being a part of the Presidential Search Committee to help select Coe's 15th president. 
• Traveling to San Diego for the International Writing Center Association conference. 
• Being accepted into the New York Term and working on securing an internship.
• Taking part in the Coe Monologues.