NY NCSY

I spent Shabbos as an advisor for the NY region of NCSY. Let me tell you, it was quite an experience. Very different than NER. I was a bit apprehensive at first, being my first Shabbaton as an advisor, but once I met a lot of the kids, I really enjoyed myself. On Friday, my friend, Sarah (the redhead) and I, RUSHED to the train to get to Brooklyn. She was supposed to be the bus advisor, but she ran late...and I mean RAN late. We had to switch trains and the second train wasn't going, so we took a cab the rest of the way. B"H we made it. It was a three hour drive up to Ellenville. If you have ever seen Everwood, then you would understand this place. We stayed in a little motel on Main Street. The girls in my room were awesome. I really bonded with two of them. We had girly talks at night. I had really missed those! On Motzei Shabbos, we went bowling. It was awesome! I left early to help set up for Melave Malka. The kids got back from bowling at around 1am-ish. We didn't get back to the motel until around 2:30 and by the time we went to sleep, it was about 3. Not bad. On Sunday morning, we went to the motel for breakfast and a small video presentation. They had put together a collection of clips about people and money. The theme of the shabbaton was "Our Cheit Ha'egel" (sin of the calf) It was pretty much about how money isn't as important as we think. I didn't get to see the whole presentation, but the idea was awesome. They had the last scene from Rat Race, where they give away their prize money, a scene from the Twilight Zone where a man got gold from a dying man, then fell asleep for 100 years, and when he woke up, the gold wasn't worth anything. It was a great message. After that, we loaded up the buses and went to the Palisades Mall. To all the JAPs out there, all I can say is WHOA! There are 5 floors of shopping and we only had 2 hours. I ended up going into H&M (didn't buy anything) then Target (how could I not buy anything?)! That's all I had time for. Then we got back on our designated buses (Queens or Brooklyn) and headed back to civilization. We got back to Brooklyn at around 6, then two other girls and I headed back to the city with a car service. Now I'm back and EXHAUSTED! In a good way, of course. I really hope that I can go back for their spring regional. We'll see... I am supposed to prepare a speech for tomorrow. Oy. I should probably get to work. I am really curious to find out what I get on my crash written paper. If I'm not too embarrassed about it, I might even share it! Ha! Good night, everyone!

I DON'T WANNA GROW UP!

Thursday was a lot of fun. After handing in my crash-written paper which I had started researching at 9pm and finished at 4am, I had the rest of the day off. I went over to Devora's. We were chilling...I mean WORKING in her office, until my roomate called me. At the beginning of the week, we had decided that as a treat for finishing our papers, we would go to Toys R' Us. We had tried to do it a few weeks ago, but it didn't work out. So, when she called me, I was supposed to get on a train and meet her there. Devora knows me well, so she wrote out directions for me on a little purple post-it. Say THAT five times fast! Did I make you talk to yourself? Ha! Ok, so I got to Toys R' Us. It was snowing pretty hard. My roomie came about 3 minutes after me and we went in. I do not remember the last time I had felt like such a child! (FELT like, not ACTED like, ok?) There were toys EVERYWHERE! I don't think I closed my mouth the whole time I was there. (Oh, stop! I know what you're thinking.) I was so enthralled! Even though my roomate was on the phone almost the whole time we were there, I still blabbered like a little child! OH, I don't want to grow up!
After about an hour and a half, we went back (it was still snowing) We got dinner from the CAF, then we got onto the 7:15 shuttle to YU. We went to get some "books", ok? (insert evil laughter here) I got three books (thanks, Abba!). I got a collection of Reb Shlomo's favorite stories, Wisdom and Wit (hey, it has the word 'wit' in it, and it's supposed to be funny) and Rabbi Frand in Print. I'll write book reviews another time. Yup, that was Thursday...

Wednesday...FINALLY!

Okay, so I have finally caught up! This morning, I had set my alarm clock on my phone for 7:30 so I could actually have enough time to daven. When it went off, I had thought that I pushed snooze, but as always, I had turned it off. Thank G-d, my phone rang and woke me again. It was my little brother calling me from my father's cell phone. I answered groggily and my brother asked, "Don't you have class in a half hour?" I looked at my watch and saw that it was 8:20. Oops. I thanked my brother for calling, I think he thought that I was being sarcastic! Ha! So I got up and went to class. Yes, I am proud of myself, too! After my third class, I met Sarah (my redhead friend) for lunch in the Caf. Yes, that is Stern slang for the cafeteria. I think the term was created when an extremely ditzy Stern girl decided that the word CAFETERIA was too long and difficult so she started the fad of saying CAF instead. Great. After lunch, I came back to my dorm to check my e-mail. I thought that maybe the writing center had written back about my problematic assignment. I didn't see the writing center address in my mailbox. However, as I was going through my inbox, there was a letter from someone in the writing center writing from a different address. She wrote a whole letter saying that she is writing from home since she was out sick today. She helped me understand the assignment more and she even sent me an article to use! How cool is she? I want to bring her flowers and give her a big hug when she comes back! After I got over Joy's kindness, Sarah and I walked down 34th Street and I got a pair of shoes in Payless for $4.50. They were having a BOGO sale (buy one get one half off...like, duh!), and we each got a pair. SWEET. Then I went to speech class. Two girls presented their informative speeches on communication and I am giving mine on Monday. Right now, I am researching for the paper that is due tomorrow. I feel so much better now that I have something to write about! I'll keep you posted on how I do. Unless I don't do well, of course. Okay, I am going to get back to work now. I had to catch up on this blog before anyone went crazy with suspense! I hope to be done soon! After this paper is out of the way, I have to work on my speech, then I can start breathing again! Can't wait!

Tuesday...

Well, in case you couldn't figure it out from my last entry, I didn't get up in time for class. Well, technically, I did get up on time. I woke up at 10:30. It was all worth it, though. Two girls from seminary, Brittney and Shaynee, who had come in from Chicago for the wedding, had a flight at 6am Tuesday morning, so they left at 4:30am. I got to spend a few extra hours with them. At 1pm, Rachel (the one whose house I slept in) and I walked over to her mother's office to pick her up for lunch. Her mother treated us to Jerusalem Steak House on Avenue M. Oh, it was good. After lunch, I jumped on the train to get back to the city because my aunt needed to pick something up from me. Also because I needed to get back to work on my paper that's due on Thursday. Not to worry, I didn't work on it. Well, I searched for an editorial to work with, but couldn't find one. I went over to my friend Sarah's dorm and tried looking on her computer, but I wasn't having any luck. So, I e-mailed the Stern writing center which has had plenty of experience dealing with this specific teacher's assignments and asked for help... Then I went back to my dorm and went to sleep...

MONDAY!

Monday is the longest day for me. I have to tell you about the session that we had in my Introduction to Elementary Education course. A woman from the Lincoln Cultural Institute (a music institute) came in. Anyway, she brought in different kinds of instruments. Kazoos, recorders, maracas, bongos, a hand-drum, xylophones and wooden sticks. She laid them on the table and told us to write down which three instruments would sound good together. Then she asked us to write a composition with the instruments. We could write it with words, lines or pictures. She taught us about different musical terms. Dynamics (volume), tempo, beats etc. She explained how almost every instrument is capable of having different dynamics and beats. Then she asked us each to take an instrument. Everyone who had similar instruments sat together and we went around hearing the different ways they could be played. Then a few girls put different girls with different instruments together and wrote different compositions. After a few minutes we all presented our compositions and discussed what elements of sound we used. It was great. This whole shebang was done to prepare us for the performance that we were going to see at 7pm. Three musicians from the LCI came to play three pieces of music for us. It was such beautiful music. There was a woman playing piano, a woman playing the viola (like a violin, but deeper) and a man playing the clarinet. The viola player and the clarinet player were married to each other. After they finished playing, they allowed us to ask questions. I never thought that I could enjoy the music so much. I guess I enjoy classical music more when it's live. Before I left for this concert, I was helping my friends get ready for a girl from seminary's wedding. I was not planning to go with them. HOWEVER, when I got back from the concert, I realized that I LOVE weddings! Why should I pass this up? I wasn't SO close with the bride, but everyone would be there having a great time! Besides, we made great shtick! So, at around 9, I took the train to the wedding. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, my friend, Rachel, wanted to know how we were all getting home. Three friends and I were going to take the train. Rachel said that she cannot let us go on the train so late at night. So, 12 girls piled into her 7 seater van and we drove back to her house. There were 5 girls, including me, who needed to get back to Stern. Four of them decided to get a car service. I decided to sleep at Rachel's and leave to school in the morning. I figured that it was already 1:30am, I only had one class on Tuesday that starts at 10:30, so I'll get up no problem. Or so I thought...

Let's talk about Sunday on Tuesday!

SUNDAY! Okay, so in the morning, my friend and I took the train back in the city. After hanging out in my room, three friends and I went over to Daffy's to look for coats. I had my phone on vibrate in my coat pocket and was holding my coat. Suddenly, I felt it vibrating, so I took it out and it was my parents! They were coming in for my classmate's wedding and they were in the neighborhood. So, I ran out of Daffy's back to the dorm. My parents were pulling up in front as I got there. They had my fridge in the backseat! YAY! My mother helped me bring it up, then she left and I had about an hour to get ready for the wedding. I rushed around like a chicken without a head, but I was ready! We drove to Crown Heights (yes, my classmate from Chabad in Sharon). The wedding was beautiful. I was freaking out because I have known this girl since we were babies. I kept telling myself that it was all a game of dress-up. Whoa...

OKAY! I'm back!

Here we go: So, Thursday was great! I went over to Devora's office at around 4:30. After she finished up, we took the bus to the grocery store near her apartment to shop for Shabbos. She filled out the form for delivery, then we went to her apartment. It was fun. I love having her close by, because she gives me a place to chill! I got back to my dorm at around 2am. On Friday, I left for Brooklyn at around noon. My friend, Rachel, who I lived with last year in Israel, was making a reunion Shabbaton for all the Afikei girls who were around. It was such a beautiful Shabbos. I am so happy that so many girls were able to come. Rachel's family is awesome! Her mother and I became instant friends since we both share a love for sarcasm. Her sister and I were able to bond on Shabbos afternoon because all the girls walked a million miles to someone's Shabbos Kalla, and I stayed behind to visit someone who didn't even answer the door. So I went back to Rachel's and her sister and I went through a bunch of old albums. It was fun. On Saturday night, I was helping the girls make shtick for a wedding I didn't think I was going to. After that, my cousin and brother came to pick me and a friend up to hang out. We went to Pathmark, then we got pizza. After my brother played some Playstation, we went back to Rachel's to sleep.

Wednesday...

On with the Hebrew saga... My friend that is still taking the class gave me my placement paper. I was supposed to be in 1204 according to the placement test. That's funny because the class I was taking was 1206 and I was understanding it just fine thank you very much. After my next class I was in the hallway and saw the Hebrew teacher. She didn't know my name so she was like "Eh, uh, err." I looked at her and said, "Yeah I got it and I don't like it." She told me it was just a suggestion. I saw my friend who had given me the paper and she told me to fight it. So what did I do? I marched down to the 4th floor into the Judaic studies secretary's office and asked to make a meeting with the head of the department. I scheduled it for Thursday at noon. I would never have done something like this, but it felt GOOD! My day went even further uphill because Devora came into Manhattan to go shopping! The thing that I and many others have about shopping is that I am much more successful when I shop for other people. We spent about 3 hours in Macy's and Devora walked out with an outfit, boots and makeup! You go girl! It was fun! I am going to wait until later to talk about today. OOh, that reminds me of a quote..."Today is the tomorrow we were worried about yesterday." Time for lunch with Dena...

Whoa! It's been way too long...

Okay, so I haven't written for three days! Not to worry, that doesn't mean that I have a life all of a sudden. Let's start with Tuesday. After English class, I came back to chill in my room. Then my friend called me and told me that she was in Union Square and she found a place that can make our shana bet video into a CD! I was so happy! The second my roomate (who was with me in seminary) walked into my room, I told her the great news! So, of course, we jumped on a train and went to Union Square. We tried to find the place that she described, but we couldn't. Instead, we went into every electronics store that we saw (and there were a LOT!) and asked someone in each one if they knew if a place that could convert the video tapes. After a while, I began feeling like a broken record! Finally, I decided to call my friend to find out where exactly the store that she had found was located. She gave us the general address. That's how it works here. It's not numbers and streets. It's between this and this street. We walked in that direction and saw a big store that said "electornics'' in the front, so we went in. This store sold everything. From phones to cameras to TVs. We were sure that this was the place she had told us about. The guy at the cell phone counter asked if he could help us. We told him about our mission. He said, "We don't do that." We were going to walk out until the guy behind him said, "Yes, we do." The he told us to talk to the guy in the yellow shirt who was standing in the middle of the store. We went over to him and repeated our request. He thought about it for a minute then said, "I'm not sure." He asked someone else, who said they could. He said it would be $30 for a video. We told him that we have 2 and he said it would be $60 since they have to charge for the use of the machine. Then he said, "I'll give it to you for $50, I'll hook you guys up." Oh, thanks. My roomate and I stood there for a good 5 minutes considering this. We decided to do it. We really need something to watch in our room to cheer us up. We paid the $50 (plus the million dollars tax that applies in this *wonderful* state) He told us to pick it up on Wednesday. We left the store and took DEEP, CLEANSING breaths. We figured that it made sense since a lot of the girls who were in shana bet with us would want a copy, so we would end up getting paid back anyway. It ends up that this store was not the one my friend told me about. Oh, well... Now onto Wednesday...

AsgGDHretHGFytkfhgfhGFD!!!!

The title of this blog pretty much describes my day. ARGH! I feel so BLAH! Descriptive enough? Today has been a really long day. So, the Hebrew dilemma. I didn't go to Hebrew class today and my friend who is in it told me that the teacher had a placement card to tell me where I was supposed to be. I figure that that means that I was in the wrong class to begin with. Nice. I decided that I am not going to take Hebrew at all this semester and I would find a different Judaic class to replace it with. My friend took me to her Halacha class with her. I wasn't too happy with it. You can contact me for more information. I'm still thinking about it. After that I had another class and was so happy that it was my last one before a break, until I realized that on Mondays I have my Introduction to Elementary Education course, which is the whole reason I am here. I was in that class until about 2:50, then I had to go to the other school building for Speech class which began at 3:10. I had a quick bite to eat (don't worry, it was salad) then I went into class. We are learning about informative speeches because, you guessed it, we have to GIVE one! She gave us the umbrella topic of COMMUNICATION and we have to build a speech on it. She told us to think of a topic that has to do, perhaps, with our major. I want to speak about the importance of communicating with children in the classroom. I went over to her after class to see if she could help me narrow my topic down, but she told me that it is up to me. I told her that I want to add some humor to it from the book that I bought (see yesterday's entry). She told me to be careful not to add too much humor, it's a prety serious topic, etc. I KNOW THAT! Are all students automatically considered stupid? If I didn't think the topic wasn't serious, WHY WOULD I BE HERE? Okay, so I have a slight problem. When I want to ask an authoritative figure a specific question or express anything, I always seem to be unable to get the issue across in the right way. Oy! I guess it's one of the things that I have to work on. I am scheduled to speak on February 28. If anyone has any suggestions on specific topics, or places I can look for reference materials, I would love to hear them. Meanwhile, I am tired, bored and hungry. I hope to feel better later...IY"H!

Books, anyone?

So, my friend and I were really bored tonight, so I said, "Hey, I need a Navi for tomorrow's first class. Let's go to the YU book sale!" Okay, so I didn't say it quite like that, but we went. It was pretty crowded, and a really nice guy who was working there went down to the basement to get the Navi I needed. Yay! Oh, and thank you to my father for buying it for me and for plastic which makes it all possible. =P Now, I have a decision to make. I have Hebrew homework for tomorrow, but I won't know if I am in the right class until tomorrow morning, hopefully. If I drop this class, I will have to go to the head of the Judaic department to request permission to enter a different class. This means actually going to the head of the department and talking to him. I can't just drop the class, because I need to take 3 Judaic courses this semester to take care of my CORE requirements. So, if I don't take a different Hebrew class (which will be difficult since I will be coming in late and have missed a lot of the material) I will need to take a different Judaic class. HELP! Can someone please do my work for me? ARGH! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? Well, on that note, have a good night everyone!

Change of plans...

I am so tired... Today went by a bit differently than planned. My friend, roomate and I walked down 34th Street and made a few stops on the way to Macy's. I spent some money there, then my roomate went off with another friend and my friend and I walked towards Build-a-Bear. Confused, yet? We walked through Rockafellar Center, then went outside to the entrance of Build-a-Bear. We walked in and it was pretty crowded. I tried picking out one of the cheaper bears, but they looked kind of scary. We stood on line for about 30 seconds, then we decided to choose a different day to go other than Sunday afternoon. Then we walked back towards school while making some stops on the way. We went into Barnes and Noble and went to the humor section. That cheered me up a lot. I bought a book called "Teachers: Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes" It's really cute. Now I'm back and really hungry. I started the South Beach Diet today. No fruit, sugar, flour... Well, let's put it this way. I can have salad, tuna, meats and water. If anyone has any advice for me, please pass it along...THANKS!

Shavua Tov!

Shabbos was very nice. I spent it in Crown Heights. Yup, I went to Crown Heights. I went to my friend from high school's house. Hey, you do what you have to do to see your friends! I went to Chabad high school, okay? It was a very nice Shabbos. On Friday night, my friend showed me the teddy bears that she and her mother made at Build-a-Bear. I WANT TO GO! The friend that I brought with me for Shabbos said that she would take me tomorrow! YAY! I am so excited! We are having a day on the town tomorrow. I can't wait! I had an epiphany on Friday night. On one of my nightly walks, my friend and I passed by theaters and stuff on a street called Broadway. I NEVER REALIZED THAT IT IS THE REAL BROADWAY! Okay, maybe YOU did, but I guess I'm a bit slower than you. I have to go to sleep now, but don't worry, you will be filled in about my fun-filled day in the city tomorrow night! Shavua tov, everyone!

TGIF

The weekend is here! YAY! Today was a good day, B"H. Well, it was Thursday, so how couldn't it be? I went to my English class, then my friend asked me to go uptown with her to pick something up. Of course, I went. After stopping for shwarma, we went to 14th Street and shopped around. We went to Barnes and Noble and my friend made me get all the books I need for English class. Now I have no excuse for not reading any of them. Great...
Anyhoo, at around 8:30, my roomie and I decided to go for a walk. It was crazy windy and cold, but we braved it out! We started out looking for an electronics store where we can possibly get our Shana Bet videos made into a CD. (We made really funny videos during our semester. We started out wanting to make a spoof of a video for "Lecha" that a guy from Bais made a while ago, but it turned into us being...well...us) Then we got really cold, and everything was closed, so we decided to go to K-Mart! Yup, there's a K-mart down the street from us! I was looking through the posters and I found one with Shrek and Donkey on it, but do you think they had it in stock? Of course not! Then I found one with Puss in Boots making his cute pathetic face. I was going to get it, but my roomate said that it's kind of freaky since it is so close-up, so I didn't get it. Another friend and I are going to try to find cheaper posters tomorrow. It should be an adventure!

How was the Concert, Hinda?

Ooh! I had SO much fun last night at the Chaim Dovid concert! Devora called me and asked me to come early. Of course, I DID! When I got to the Upper East Side, I called her and she told me to meet her in a small grocery store a few blocks down. On my way there, I had my first celebrity encounter! AL ROKER walked right passed me! He was on the phone, so he couldn't ask me for my autograph. Oh, you thought that I thought that HE was the celebrity? Please! Anyway, Devora and I picked up a few snacks for the refreshment table at the concert. Then we went back to the office, where Chaim Dovid had already arrived! He is so nice. Before the concert, Devora and I were sitting together right outside the concert room, and he asked our names. Then he said, "There should me smachot by you." Whoa! It was really nice. About 100 people came for the concert. I was the designated stamper! Someone brought really cool star stamps, and I stamped people as they went in. I had a lot of fun with it. Ask Devora, she got two stamps! I also did, but Devora also stamped my neck, so I got three! HA! B"H, it washed off... The concert was great. Everyone really enjoyed it. Well, I think everyone enjoyed it. Well, I did, and that's all that really matters! Yes, the world revolves around ME! I really enjoy helping out in Devora's office. It's great experience! Thanks, Devora!

Why is it still Wednesday?

I went to the Hebrew class. I WAS on the attendace list! Whaddaya know? She got to my name and asked if I had been in the class before. I told her I was there two weeks ago, but I think this is the level that I was supposed to sign up for. She started telling me that I have to KNOW what level I am on. It makes a big difference, I missed a lot of work etc. Wow, thank you so much for telling me that. I thought that the work wouldn't start until I joined the class. How enlightening. She told me to go to the Hebrew Department secretary on the fourth floor. I got there at 1:15 and she was out to lunch. Wonderful. Okay, so that was only the beginning of my day. Now I can chill until around 3:30. Then I have speech class. People who have been here for longer than I have tell me that I should either take speech in a summer course, or wait until my senior year and have a chance to have a different teacher. Honestly, I like this teacher. Last week, everyone had to give speeches about an experience they have had in their lives. She gave very constructive criticism and I am learning a lot from the class. I think I am going to be brave and go through with it! Ha! This just in...I WILL SURVIVE!

Wednesday...oh, how I love thee

I am sitting in room 416 waiting for the Rabbi to arrive. He comes 20 minutes late, and the classroom is a computer lab, so there is always time to check mail, check onlysimchas, and write in the blog. Aren't you lucky. I do not look forward to Mondays and Wednesdays. Why not? Well, because on Monday I have five classes and on Wednesday I have four. Oh, not so bad right? Well, it's tough to sit through since I only have ONE class on Tuesday and Thursday! So there! I guess I will just have to deal with it. I am supposed to have Hebrew class next. I took a placement test when I got here, and tried finding out which level I should sign up for. Do you think they got back to me? Well, allow me to tell you that they DID NOT! Fantastic. So, two weeks ago, I sat in a Hebrew class that my friend told me I should sign up for. The tiny classroom was packed, and I was coming in the middle of a piece of literature, so, of course, I was lost. I didn't go last week because I thought I would switch, but I didn't end up switching. My friend who wants to sign up for the class but can't since it's overpacked, told me that I am not on her attendance list. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO CONFUSING! I just keep thinking "Tomorrow is Thurday, tomorrow is Thursday..." That's one thought that can keep me going through the day. I am counting down the hours until 7:00 when I can go see DJ again...

Ooooh, another one!

Let's get it started (stop singing it)...
So, Tuesdays and Thursdays are days that I am learning to love. I only have one class. English Comp, how fun. It's supposed to be a writing class. I have already learned a lot about great writing, but can someone explain to me why we have to read a really boring book in a WRITING class? The teacher told us to read Conrad's "Almayer's Folly" for next week. My roomate said that it took her two hours to read the first 25 pages. Oh, how I am looking forward to reading such a masterpiece! If anyone has read it, I would appreciate if you can write up some cliff notes and send them this way.
Today, after the class, I took my first subway since getting here. I took the 6 train to 86th Street where I spent time with DEVORA! AAAH! Oh, Devora, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Um, maybe not. I can't count that high. We were supposed to meet for lunch, but she couldn't leave the office, so we ordered in Piece of Cake's merchandise. I had a really interesting tuna sandwich. It was tuna with granny smith apples, celery and craisins in it. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. After lunch, I got to see Devora in action. She was answering the phone, making millions of copies, pretty much running the show. She is AWESOME! She even let me work with the FOLDING MACHINE! She was copying brochures and there is a machine that actually DOES THE FOLDING! I know! It was lots of fun. I left at around 5:30. Yes, I got to spend 4 and a half hours with my beautiful Devora. Plus, she hooked me up to volunteer at the Chaim Dovid concert tomorrow night at 8 at the shul she works at. (KJ at 125 E. 85th Street betweet Park and Lexington) It's going to be awesome! Spread the word!
I think I am starting to get the hang of this blog thing. My roomate thinks I am crazy because I spend a lot of time at the computer (which is hers) anyway, but I think it's fun. Besides, being in the city isn't as interesting as I thought it would be. I guess I just have to learn my way around. My roomate and I have already planned our trip to Toys R' Us! Woohoo! I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP!

OK! OK!

Okay, so I have finally caught the BLOGGING fever! After thinking about it (well, after Devora told me that it would be fun), I decided to finally do it! I think I might even enjoy it!
So, for those of you who have been out of the loop of knowing what is going on in my life, allow me to fill you in so you will be able to sleep at night again. I got back from my fall semester in Israel (which was UNBELIEVABLE!) on December 28, my brother's bar mitzvah was New Year's weekend. If anyone can tell me how it's possible that my brother, who is still seven, could have a bar mitzvah, I'd appreciate if you can enlighten me. After the bar mitzvah, I worked in a preschool/elementary school for a few weeks. Then on January 24, I arrived in NYC to attend STERN! I was supposed to get here on the 23rd, but G-d had other plans for me when He blessed us with 2 or more feet of snow! School is going well. Everyone asks me if I like it and I tell them, "Yeah, other than the fact that there are so many GIRLS!" Yes, I know I should have known that, but you have to understand that there are so many GIRLY girls! You know, the ones who play the nasty girls in all the chick flicks and you want to put them over your knee and snap them like a twig. Thank G-d, I am finding my group. I have great roomates. One of them is my friend from seminary and the other one went to the seminary across the street, so I knew her by face and I was in one class with her. We were supposed to have a fourth one, but she didn't move in because she didn't know us. Don't worry, we're okay with it. No complaints here. I already made really good friends with a redhead! YES, two redheads can get along! Whenever we are out together, people ask if we are sisters and we tell them that we aren't even related. I told her that from now on, we should tell them that we are twins. We really don't look alike other than having the same color hair. People have to learn that. Anyway, I think I should end this now. I hope you're all left in suspense. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to know! I will, G-d willing, be writing plenty in this blog, because I LOVE writing! Well, okay, typing. Okay, STOP BABBLING. Please give me feedback people! =)