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Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Whoa...

I just got back from speech class and I have to tell you what one girl spoke about: The genocide (the killing of an entire racial or religious group) in Darfur, Sudan. Most of you may have heard about it, but do we really know the severity of it? This girl was the last speaker of the class, and rightfully so. She spoke with such conviction. She is an incredible speaker. She told us that there is a militant action group that is killing thousands of men and raping thousands of women every month. She told us that even in the DP camps which are considered their "safe haven", 10,000 people die every month. When they are in the camps, they need to go out and get food. They have a choice: either they send out the men who have the risk of being killed, or they send out the women who have the chance of being raped. They have to choose the lesser or two evils and send out the women. What kind of life it that?

She brought it close to home by comparing it to the Holocaust. She said that after the Holocaust, everyone was saying, "never again." Well, what is happening now in Sudan? Over two million people have fled their homes to find safety. Some made it to the neighboring country of Chad. Some went to DP camps, which, as mentioned above, is not the best safety net. She then said to us, "I know what you're thinking. You don't know these people, you don't see the situation, so it must not be happening." She told us that we need to stop the apathy and DO something. She told us what other colleges are doing about the situation. Georgetown University had a day when no one drank any alcohol and they took the money they would have spent on liquor and put it towards the people of Darfur. Students of Duke University wear purple hearts to say that they are always thinking of what is going on. She told us that on a website, it lists 100 colleges that are doing something. "Where is Stern College?" she asks.

She told us that on Monday night, there will be a meeting about the situation and what we can do about it. We can learn how to make protests, write letters etc. She is selling green awareness bracelets for $2. She gave out letters to president Bush for us to sign. She had an incredible impact on me. After the class, when the teacher asked us what worked, I said things about the two speakers that went before her, then I came to her and was speechless. There are no words to describe the feeling I had when I left the room.

I think it is important for people to be aware about what is going on. I was appalled at the fact that I was so unaware of what was going on. I am not going to tell you all to be all political and arrange sit-ins, protests or anything. I just wanted to share my experience. But I must tell you, reading it is not the same as hearing it. I, personally, am not sure what I am going to do about the situation, but awareness is the first step.

I will end this with the way she ended the speech (something like this): "After the Holocaust, we said never again, this time, when we say it, we can really mean it."

May we merit to see the coming of Moshiach very soon, so all this insanity can end!

(Editor's note: I apologize if this doesn't make sense, but I am sure you get the idea)

Fieldwork day!

Today, I skipped English class. My roomate didn't go to her first class because she couldn't find her ID. Then she decided to skip her second class because she never missed it, and I didn't want her to have to do it herself. Hey, I never skip English comp class, okay? Besides, I used the time to do laundry, so there. I got to fieldwork right on time. I had so much fun today. The teaching assistant wasn't there, so the teacher was really happy that I came. At the end of the day, she had to leave the room for a minute. The kids were pretty loud because it was the end of the day, so I quieted them down. How, you ask? I played the "Do What I Do" game. I did motions and they had to copy me. I banged on the table, clapped, touched my nose, then did some fast moves to try to confuse them. They really liked it. It was a lot of fun. I'll admit that I think I had more fun than they did!

After fieldwork, I went down to DJ. She couldn't really talk to me because she was really busy, but I hung around (out of the way) until she was ready to leave. Then Hinda and DJ night began. We went to Key Foods to get stuff for dinner. DJ made the most AMAZING stir fry. The Starlet was disappointing tonight. KATIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN KICKED OFF! True, you can barely understand Cecile when she spoke and she might not have been reaching her ful potential, but come on! Katie is so annoying and VILE! (I learned that one from DJ!) We made predictions about who the winner will be. Season finale is next week. We will have to find a new dumb reality competition show to replace it.

I left at around 12. Of course, I was almost at the shuttle stop when I realized I forgot my phone in her apartment. I walked past the end-of-shidduch-date couple that was standing in the lobby 4 times. Oops, sorry. I got back to Stern in one piece, B"H. I might have TWO dates with DJ next week! I am so excited!

I need to go to sleep now because I am planning to actually go to my morning classes tomorrow. So exciting!

Monday, March 28, 2005

Editor's note

I apologize for the lack of paragraph breaks in the entry below. I tried a million times, but I couldn't publish it with breaks! If anyone has any idea why this blogspot thing doesn't like me, I would appreciate it. This apology is especially directed to SB...SORRY!

I DID IT!

I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!
That's right...I pulled it off. I was up until 3am writing my Arthur paper for education class. Then I got up at about 8:30 and worked on my speech. I practiced and I was pretty confident for a last minute speech-maker.
I went to education class and we were still discussing the portrayal of teachers in the media. We watched some of Dangerous Minds and Music of the Heart. I was reading over my speech outline during the movies. Over and over and over. Then it was 3:00. Ten minutes until speech class. I did not get a coffee beforehand like I usually do. The teacher was not feeling well, so she didn't speak too much. Only two girls were speaking. Yes, one of them was me! The other girl wanted me to speak first. I was ready. I got up there and started. There were points where I got nervous and forgot what came next. There was a point where I was quiet for what seemed like hours. Yes, I WAS QUIET. I finished the speech and sat down. My heart was beating so fast and I felt my face burning, but, in a way, I felt much better.
Then the teacher motioned for me to get back up there to answer questions. I surprised myself by answering the girls as if I knew what I was talking about. I think I did. That scared me. Ha! It feels good to know what you're talking about. I don't get that feeling too often. Then I sat down. One girl asked me a question that had to do with my experience tutoring the boy that I spoke about in my speech. Part of my answer was, "Seeing the way the Hebrew studies teacher treated him, was a motivation for me to be a teacher and not be like that." The teacher loved that. She said she would have loved to hear that in the speech since it shows that I am passionate about the topic. I told her that it was supposed to be in the speech but it flew away very fast. Yes, that's how I said it, and I added in hand motions, too! I had to hand in an outline before the speech and the line about motivation was in there, so she KNEW it was supposed to be in the speech.
After the next speaker who spoke about the importance of wearing sunscreen, the teacher asked everyone what worked with her speech. This is what she does after every speech. Then girls raise their hands and praise the speaker and how she spoke. Then she asks what the speaker can work on etc. When she asked about me, I said I could work on a lot. The teacher asked me why I looked so uncomfortable when I sat down. I told her that I felt embarrassed about forgetting parts of the speech and the discomfort made me nervous etc. I told her (like I did many times) that once I get up there, I get nervous. I told her that I have no problem speaking, but getting up in front of everyone makes me nervous.
When everyone was done commenting, she asked if anyone who had spoken already would like a second chance. I raised my hand and she motioned me to the front of the room. I said, "Oh, you're serious?" So, I got up there and started again. I started well, then got stuck again. So I said, "this is where I get stuck." I tried again, then decided that it wasn't helping, so I sat back down. The teacher liked how I started off a lot more confidently and enthusiastically. I am so glad that it's over. I think I have a pretty good chance of getting above a C this time. Even though I didn't WORK on it as much as I would have liked, I did know what I was talking about. Whoever wants to know what I spoke about can let me know and I'll send you a copy of the outline. It was a pretty good speech if I do say so myself.
After class, one of the girls in the class came over to me and told me that it was a great speech. She said that she thinks I am too hard on myself. That made me feel really good about the speech. She is such a sweet girl. No, not just because she complimented me. Yes, I consider it a compliment because it meant that I did well.
Now, I have no imminent deadlines. It's a great feeling. I am going to celebrate by decorating my room even more! HA! Stay tuned for more updates...

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Still Home...

The rest of Thursday was a lot of fun. Debra picked me up a bit before 2 and we went to IParty. We each bought a 2-pack of pom poms. She got 2 red ones and I got 2 white ones. Then we gave each other one so we each had one of each. You follow? Then we went to Target and got red t-shirts and fabric paint (and other necessities of course). Don't worry, SB, I had you in mind. Then we went into Gap Outlet and we got long sleeved white t-shirts to wear under the red ones.The rest of Thursday was a lot of fun. Debra picked me up a bit before 2 and we went to IParty. We each bought a 2-pack of pom poms. She got 2 red ones and I got 2 white ones. Then we gave each other one so we each had one of each. You follow? Then we went to Target and got red t-shirts and fabric paint (and other necessities of course). Don't worry, SB, I had you in mind. Then we went into Gap Outlet and we got long sleeved white t-shirts to wear under the red .

Debra dropped me off at home at about 3:45, then she went to the dentist. While she was gone, I decorated her red t-shirt. On the back, I wrote BRODY 31 (it's her birthday) and on the front, I put red socks (the logo) and a B. Then I did the same for myself except the back said KASHNOW 14. The she came back and picked it up. I wore it to shul that night. I have a blue and red tennis skirt that I had bought in Eilat last year. It looks like a cheerleader skirt. I put my hair in a high ponytail with a red ribbon (ok, a red strip cut off of an old t-shirt). I wore my slip on Payless white sneaker and put a B on them with red marker. That was my costume. I am past the age when one is too cool to dress up. SO past that!

Friday was rushed. My father, brother and I went out delivering Mishloach Manot for about 40 minutes. Then we went back home and my father read megilla for us. Then we had our seuda (chinese take-out!) and packed up to go to Pawtucket to my aunt's house. We left at about 3:30, made a quick mishloach manot stop then went to RI. Shabbos was really nice. Of course, my speech was on my mind the whole time, but that's life. I AM SO NERVOUS! I really have to prepare. Debra will hopefully help me on the five hour ride back tomorrow. I also have to write a paper on a kid's book with a teacher in it. I chose Arthur's Teacher Trouble. I have to write about the student/teacher relationship, if it's realistic et cetera. Hey, reading Arthur is better that reading Bacchae which is about Greek gods being immoral and killing each other. That's one of the books we had to read for our English Comp class. WHICH IS A WRITING CLASS! Oh, don't worry, we are writing a research paper on it. Great.

I should probably get to work on my speech. Mmmmhmmm. Wish me luck...

After this speech, the next one is the FINAL one, thank G-d. It is on any topic we want to speak about. DJ, I was thinking about writing about the Starlet and crack monkeys. Thoughts? ;)

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Home Again...

I went to sleep on Thursday morning at about 3:15 am. I was working on my speech and decided that it's better to sleep for a bit, then to get up early and work on it. So I got up at 9 and tried working on it. I realized that I can NOT speak about it. The subject is too broad. I am going to try to find another topic over the weekend. I think I want to speak about a controversy in Judaism. Any ideas?

At about 1pm, I went to Duane Reade to get some stuff for my mishloach manot (gifts of food that people give to each other on the holiday of Purim). Are you ready to hear what it was? Ok, so when I was in Target a few weeks ago, I got little purses. I put a box of apple juice, a box of raisins, and some Hershey kisses inside. Then I taped a little sign on it that said, (ready?) "Purim Sameach (happy Purim) to a wonderful PURSE-on!" Get it? Well, I did! Ha! Want to know where I get my punniness from? Here's what my family is doing this year:
They took a small foil pan with a cover, and inside they put: a bag of lettuce, grapes, a roll and an egg. READY?

LETTUCE wish you a GRAPE Purim which ROLLS into an EGGcelent Shabbos!

Yes, that's really what they are doing. I had nothing to do with it. Why are you so surprised?

Oh, the rest of the day! After I distributed some mishloach manot, I finished packing. At around 5:20, Debra asked me if I wanted to go to the pizza shop next door with her. I said yes. I was on the phone when I walked out of the room and I closed the door. Do you think I had my wallet and ID with me? Of course not. You have to understand that without your Stern ID, you don't exist. So I called Debra if I could come to her and get a card so I could try to break in. She told me that she was already in the pizza place, and my room was her room last semester, and it was impossible to break in. She told me to go to security. I called her roomate and she said the same thing. So, I went down to security. One of the women came up and unlocked my door. I grabbed my wallet and ID and went to the pizza place. We came back to the dorm and brought our suitcases down. We got a cab to Port Authority at around 6, got into the line at 6:30, then boarded at around 6:55. We didn't get into Boston until about 12:30am. Our bus driver was really funny. He had some kind of British-tinted accent. He made funny comments. Debra wanted to ask him which routes he drives back! Ha!

Debra's mom dropped me off at around 1:15am. Keep in mind that my parents have no idea that I'm coming home. My mother had called me on the bus. I picked up as if I was sleeping. So, when I got home, I saw all the lights were off. Thank G-d, the door wasn't double-locked, so I was able to get in with my key. Otherwise, I would have knocked on my brother's door. I got in and put my bags in the living room, then I went down to say hello to my brother, who thinks he has strep. He told me that he thought I would come home. Then I took my bags upstairs and went to sleep. At 6:30, my parents and little brother came into my room. It would have been more fun if they were awake when I came home. My mother said she heard me coming up the stairs, but she thought it was my brother.

ANYWAY, now I am waiting for Debra to call me so we could go SHOPPING! I can't wait to hit Target, Payless, Stop and Shop (to drop off an old roll of film), IParty (for all our Purim needs) Gap Outlet...sigh. I love being home!

I hope everyone is having an easy fast!

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

The Elephant Parade

Yes, elephants. There are signs all over the dorm, "The elephants are coming 11-2am." I had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but boy, did I find out! At around 11:30, Debra told me to meet her in Dunkin Donuts. When I finished what I was doing, I went outside and EVERYONE was out there. It was a real partay. So, I found out that every year, when the circus comes to town, the elephants parade down 34th Street. No, I am not joking. So, at around 12:30, we heard yelling and then came the elephants. The dude with the spiky blond hair from all the circus ads was riding the first elephant. There were about 12-15. After them came horses and ponies. There were people running next to them in the street and on the sidewalk. It was really funny to watch. I didn't take any pictures, so close your eyes and imagine it.

After the "parade", my friend and I hung out in the lounge until the mob of girls waiting for the elevator disappeared. We were talking about how we have so much work to do and she said, "I couldn't do it because I was busy watching elephants parade down 34th Street." So I said back to her, "How often are you going to be able to use that excuse?" This is definitely one of the highlights of living in the city!

I got back up to my room at about 2. I decided to call my sister. She's in Israel, it's okay! I spoke to my brother-in-law for a few minutes, then I got to speak to my nephew. He babbles! He's so cute! When he was a smaller baby, my sister and brother-in-law read him The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar. No matter what he was doing, he would always stop and follow their voice when they read it. Actually, they didn't have to read it since they learned it by heart. Now, when they say, "The warm sun came up and...", Daniel would say "POP"! He also says "hooray" (in his own way) when you say "If you're happy and you know it, shout hooray." How cute is that? Oh, I miss them so much! AAAAH! Ok, just wanted to share my nachas with you.

Happy Purim, everyone! :)

Two Midterms in a row and I'm still intact...I think

Yup, that's right. On Monday I had two midterms in a row. Mussar and Elementary Education. Mussar was very detailed, but Rabbi Metzger is very understanding. Education, on the other hand, was another story. There were four essay questions and we had to answer two of them. Then there were two short answers and we only had to do one. I used up an entire examination book on one of the essays discussing how teachers are portrayed in the media including the two movies we saw in class. This left me a half an hour to complete the midterm. I cannot say that I was able to answer the questions fully. Oh, well. As my mother said to me during my midterm crisis, "It's only a test. You take it and it's over with." Ah, words of wisdom!

Today was a good day. I went to fieldwork and had a lot of fun, as always. DJ wasn't in her office because she had to fold a million kajillion fliers with the folding machine upstairs since the office one was broken, so I didn't get to see her. I didn't go to her apartment afterwards either because I had to go back to the dorm and take care of housing for next year. I am planning to live in the Schottenstein dorms which gives me my own room. It'll be better for me. My roomie, Erica, is going to be one girl in the "cluster", the group of rooms surrounding mine. Another reason I didn't go back to DJ's is because I have to prepare my speech for tomorrow. Mind you, I am still way behind...

I should probably get back to working now. Wish me luck!

OOOH! I am going home tomorrow night! I am surprising my parents. I found out from one of my aunts that my family is going to another aunt in RI for Shabbos. So I called that aunt and asked if I could come, but she shouldn't tell my parents. I just found out that there is supposed to be bad weather in Boston tomorrow night. BUT I NEED TO GO HOME! If it means a few more hours on the bus, I'll deal.

Ok, BYE!

Monday, March 21, 2005

The Wonderful Weekend in Washington Heights

Shabbos was so nice. I spent it with DJ and I had such a great time. On Friday night, she made a meal at her apartment. On Shabbos day, we went to Esther and Shlomo's for lunch. Then we went back to DJ's apartment and took naps then made Havdallah. We went to Revaya for melave malka then walked through Ghetto Heights to go to the Blockbuster that was closed. At least we got to walk off the pizza. We watched Matilda until 2:30 am. I love that movie.

This morning, DJ and I went to Key Foods and did some grocery shopping. It was fun. I got strawberry CREAM CHEESE! Yummm.... I went back on the 4pm shuttle. When I got back into the dorm, my roomate was coming out of the elevator. She told me she was going to Barnes and Noble. I asked her to wait for me. We took the train to E. 86th Street. They didn't have the book she needed. Then we went to another Barnes and Noble in the area and they didn't have it either. Then we went to the Piece of Cake bakery so I could get dinner. (DJ, they had the tuna sandwich this time! ;)

Now, I am supposed to go to Debra's room and work. I should probably do that. I was just on the phone with my mother for 40 minutes. I need to go home. Okay, I am going to try to get some work done. ARGH...

Thursday, March 17, 2005

I'm not upset about it...

I got my crash written paper back. C+. To be completely honest, I really don't care. I didn't read the book and even if I had, the way he explained the assignment on the day he assigned it was NOTHING like the way he explained it today. I made sure to keep low expectations in head, mostly because I realized that my paper was nothing like what he was describing. In truth, a C+ is only one grade point lower than my last paper. It's a passing grade and I am fine with it. Don't be all smart and say "well, she must be semi-upset since she keeps writing it." Well, allow me to tell you that I do not keep writing that I am not upset about it in order to convince myself that I shouldn't be upset about it. I am not upset about it. I am really not upset. As my mother said to me on the phone yesterday when I was stressing about midterms, "They're just tests. You take them and they're over with." It's the same here. You write it and it's over with. IT'S OVER...

A More Positive Entry

Thank G-d, I made it through the day. In speech class, we got our final speech assignment. It can be on any topic I want. I don't even want to think about it. Speaking of things I don't want to do, Debra came up with a great topic for my persuasive speech. I told her that I wanted to do something about education and she said that I should talk about whether it is beneficial (or not) for a special education student to stay in the classroom with the other children or to be pulled out for seperate learning. I really want to do well with this speech. I want to show her that I can do it. If I got a C in a speech that I was not confident with at all, imagine what I can get if I AM confident. Maybe a B-. Hey, it's not good to have such high expectations.

I had a lot of fun tonight. First we went to Lazer Park, but the lazer tag was pretty expensive and the guy there told us that it isn't much fun with only 2 people. We were going to stick around to see if more people would come. We figured that we could play video games while we waited. But, oh, wait...not one of the games cost less that $1 to play. Come on... So, we decided to go to ESPN Zone. I had way too much fun. We played basketball, air hockey and car racing. Yeah, I won the basketball tournament. ALL THREE of them! Okay, so one of them was with the baskets made for little kids, but it moved back and forth which made it really hard. You know what? Who asked you?

After that, I went back to the dorm and hung out with Tiff at Milner's. (It's in the student lounge. You can buy stuff like Snapple, chips and some weird Entemann's stuff with your meal card) I watched some Friends, then went back upstairs to my room. Two of my roomates were getting ready for bed and Erica was nowhere to be found. Then I opened the door to the staircase to go down to Debra, Tiff and Rivka's room, and I saw a pair of feet (thank G-d it was a complete pair). It was Erica on the phone with her mommy. I told her to come to Deb, Tiff and Riv's room. She actually did! I was so happy! I feel bad since I haven't slept in the room for the last 2 nights, but my bed in my actual room is a mess and it's hard for me to clean it off in the dark! WHICH IS WHAT IT ALWAYS IS WHEN I AM READY FOR BED! Tonight, one of my roomates told me that I have been coming in pretty late. I told her that in my book, 1am isn't late. Oy, issues.

Okay, I am going to sleep now. Tiff is waking me at 4:30am because I am accompanying her across the street so she could get coffee. We'll see if I actually get up... I didn't get up last time! Ha! As you can tell, I feel a LOT better that I did last night. I spoke to both of my parents today and I really miss them. I told my mother what was going on with me and she told me that maybe I should come home sometime before Pesach. She thinks that I'm not coming home before then. Why does she think that? Because that's what I told her. For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE surprising people. Get what I'm trying to say? If not, it's because it's 2am and I no longer make sense. Come to think of it...do I ever make sense? That is a rhetorical question! ;) G'night.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

I really can't explain it...

Okay, I don't know why I am about to put this on my blog, but I think it's because I would like people to be aware of it and maybe even help me out of it.

I cried the whole ride back from YU. I can't say exactly why I cried, but I did. I think everything just came down on me. I was stressing about school, I hated going to class, I wish I was anywhere but here, I didn't want to leave DJ's apartment and other reasons that I can't come up with right now. I came back to the dorm and went to my room. Of course, the lights were off because the majority of my roomates go to sleep early. I don't mind that too much. What bothers me is that when they go to sleep, I have to go to sleep too, since the lights are off. I could go into the kitchen which happens to have my desk in it, but there's something about sitting in my bed that comforts me. Coming to a pitch black room did not help my little breakdown. I took off my coat, took some tissues and went down to Debra's room. Tiffany wasn't there since she had a family thing. I opened the door and Debra was laying in bed on the phone. She saw my face and told whoever was on the phone that she "can't talk now." She sat up and asked me what was wrong.

I started my blubbering about how I am unhappy here. I hate girls, I hate going to classes...you know, the classic reasons. She tried telling me that a lot of people have the same problems. My issue is that I feel like specific things are bothering me, but I can't explain them to anyone. I think that being in the middle of midterms and not sleeping so much could be reasons why I feel so extra emotional, but I'm not sure. I just want to be home right now. I want to cry to my mother and tell her why I am unhappy. But before I do that I NEED TO KNOW WHY I AM UNHAPPY! I was on the phone for about an hour with a good friend who was on HMS and told me all about it and how much they had gained from it. This friend told me that they are having the same problems. They don't want to be where they are and they're not happy about it. We spoke about taking summer classes so we can get out of college early. We also spoke about how amazing DJ is. (Ooh, I just realized that she could be reading this...DJ, you should know that there are a LOT of people that are in love with you. Just remember that you are MINE!) It was a good conversation. It didn't magically make me feel better, but it was good. After that, I went to sleep in Debra's "guest bed".

I got up at 7:45 and went up to my room. I went over to my roomate and told her what had happened. She told me that she had a breakdown too, but hers happened in the early afternoon. I really hope we can get out of college really really really soon. This can't be good for our health.

That's my story. If anyone wants to help me out...it will be very much appreciated.

Now I am sitting in my first class waiting for the teacher to come in. A few minutes ago, while I was trying to type, there were 5 girls shouting over each other across the room. I really need out of here...I have to make it through the day though. I am going to an arcade near Times Square after school. I can't wait.

(PS JV, thank you so much for the idea for my speech topic. I really appreciated that you cared.)

Mmmm...Breakfast!

We didn't end up going to the grand opening. I fell asleep at about 4 and Tiffany was still studying. I woke up at 9. Tiffany told me that she saw lights on in Dunkin Donuts at around 4:45, but she didn't want to wake me. No, she didn't go without me. She's too cool for that. At about 10, Debra and I went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. We had a disturbing realization. The Dunkin Donuts sells meat. There are 2 microwaves, and I'm pretty sure that one of them is for meat. Am I allowed to get an egg and cheese and rely on the fact that there are 2 microwaves and meat has never touched the one that my sandwich was in? Nothing can be simple anymore!

ANYWAY, yesterday was GREAT. At the end of English class, I handed in my paper. It felt good. (Insert sigh of relief here) After that, I went back to the dorm and got ready for fieldwork. I got there 10 minutes early, so I went to my DJ's office. Then I went up for fieldwork. I am in love with teaching. I am so excited to get out of here and start. After fieldwork, I went back down to DJ and hung with her until about 6. We went to the Pizza Cave for dinner. Then we went back to her place and chilled. She is my savior. She told me how amazing HMS was this past weekend and how she had wished I was there. We had some good serious conversations. Oy, I love her so much!

At about 11:45, we called a local shuttle to take me to YU so I could catch a shuttle back. I took the 12:30 back and that's when it all began...

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

GRAND OPENING!

Tonight, at around 7:30, Tiffany (Debra's roomate and a really cool chicka) and I set out to Macy's to find an outfit for her cousin's engagement party. On the way out, Tiffany wanted to get a coffee at the new Dunkin Donuts that opened across the street. We walked in and there was a woman and man standing with the owner. The woman asked us if we were from Stern and told us that she was the aunt of one of the students. Neither of us knew who her niece was. Anyway, she told us that she was the real estate agent for the establishment and the man next to her was the rabbi. She told us that this Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins is Kosher and will be open 24 hours a day. I could not stop gawking. We made friends with the owner and workers. They asked us to help them publicize. I told them that I could take care of it since I have a big mouth. Tiffany agreed. I got a free cup of coffee (they only had regular coffee since they weren't officially open at the time), but I gave it to Tiffany since I had meat for dinner. I was in total shock. We told them that we would be living in the store for the next few months.

The real estate agent and the owner told us that they would be having the grand opening at 4am! There would be cake and stuff. Tiffany and I are going over at 4:30, not at 4 since she thinks that studying is more important. We can see the store from the dorm window and we don't see lights on yet. I can't wait!

After the opening...I AM GOING TO SLEEP! Night night everyone!

Why am I up so late?

You may or may not have been wondering about why I am up so late (early?). Allow me to satisfy your curiosity. Remember the last time I wrote a paper for English Comp class? Remember how I had worked on it from 9pm-4am the night before it was due? Well, DEJA VU! I had to write a paper that is an analysis of a certain character in a book that I hadn't read. Do you think I pulled it off? Of course I did! This time I worked on it from 12-3:15am. I am pretty darn proud of myself!

Whoa, Mama!

I was ready to leave for class at 8:55am. Class is supposed to start at 9, but the teacher comes 20 minutes late on average. I usually have no problem being late, but I realized that I was extremely unprepared for the midterm that I would be having at 10:30. So, I called Debra, who I had studied with until really late last night. She was going to study in the caf (yes, I wrote CAF), so I told her that I was coming with her. We went over the material over breakfast and I felf a lot better. The midterm wasn't too bad. The teacher is really smart, so he used fancy English on the questions. I tried to understand it to the best of my ability. Thank G-d, I think I did pretty well. The questions were worth 16 points each and I left one out. Yes, the one with the really hard English. On Wednesday, we are grading our own midterms. He tells us the points that should have been included, and how many points we get added or taken off. Then he takes them back and supposedly is really nice about giving points back. I definitely passed. Let me rephrase that...I HOPE I passed.

The rest of the day went on and on. Education class was nice. The teacher wanted to show us how teachers are portrayed in movies, so she let us watch the beginning of Mr. Holland's Opus. I LOVE that movie. I never even thought about how realisticly teachers are portrayed in it even though it is set in the 60's. Anyone up for a movie night? The second movie she let us see parts of was The Miracle Worker. As most of you probably know, it showed the difficulties with difficult children.

OOH! GREAT news about my fieldwork! In 2 weeks, I was supposed to switch from the 2nd grade class that I am working with at Ramaz to Public School 130 in Chinatown to help with their after school program. However, the dude (sorry...the PROFESSOR) in charge of placements e-mailed us saying that we are keeping our placements. TRANSLATION...I CAN STAY AT RAMAZ! I am so happy about that. I made some friends there. Okay, so they happen to be 7 years old, but as they say, age doesn't matter!

Speech class... I asked the teacher for ideas. She went around the room and a lot of the girls gave some. No offense to them, but most of them were pretty boring. The teacher spoke about persuasive speech and she said that you need to be passionate about what you are speaking about. The class already knows that I am passionate about children and education, so I would LOVE to come up with a topic that has to do with that. Any ideas? I HAVE TO SPEAK A WEEK FROM WEDNESDAY! Whoa... I will hopefully come up with a topic by Thursday...

Sunday, March 13, 2005

The next speech assignment....

On Wednesday, we got our next speech assignment. PERSUASIVE SPEECH. We have to pick a controversial topic and persuade the audience to change somehow. Either change their opinion, belief or actions. We can't choose something that the audience will agree with. She used the example that we can't get up in front of the class and say, "Israel has the right to exist." Everyone already agrees with that.

Anyone have any ideas?

Time Flies...

It's Sunday now and I haven't written since Tuesday! Whoa! So, on Wednesday, I had my first midterm. Minor Prophets. I don't think I did too badly on it. That night I went out to dinner at Estihana with my neighbor and her friend. It was nice. On Thursday night, an NCSYer that I met on the Shabbaton came over to my dorm to chill. It was so nice to see her. She is such a sweetie! Later, my roomate and I were really bored and couldn't think of anything to do. Finally, at around 11, she decided that we should dress up all pretty and go to Walgreen's. Hey, it was the only place near us that would be open! So, we did. Our excuse for dressing up was that it was Rosh Chodesh. It was a lot of fun. On Friday, the same roomate and I went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book for her friend. I ended up buying an Arthur book since I need to do a report on a kid's book that portrays a teacher. After that, we went back to the dorm and I went to Queens. I spent Shabbos at an advisor's house that I met on the NCSY Shabbaton. It was nice.

OH! So, you want to hear about my childhood flashback that happened today? So, the advisor and I were shopping on Central Avenue in Lawrence, and I FELL DOWN! I. Fell. Down. I tore a big hole in my tights, scraped my knee and my hand. Yes, it was a true flashback. I hadn't fallen like that since like 3rd grade! All sympathy checks can be made out to my personal account. Now, I have to go meet up with a friend to study for my second midterm tomorrow. So excited.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

What a day...

Last night, I slept in Brooklyn. Why, you ask? Well, allow me to satisfy your curiosity. My friend Deborah, who is from England but is in Afikei for Shana Bet this year, came in for the wedding in Baltimore last week. She was going to Brooklyn for the night and I went with her so she wouldn't have to take the train by herself. I know, I'm so nice...don't let my halo blind you. It was nice to spend some extra time with her. She is such a sweet person. I went to sleep at 2, got up at 7, left for the train at 7:30, got back to the dorm at 8:30, then went to my 9am class. Yup, I'm talented. Yes, I stayed awake in all my classes...

So, Mondays aren't my favorite days. Especially today. My speech totally bombed, which is okay. I am pretty much over it. My friend put it really well. I was getting ready to go to a mandatory speaker and she came into my room. I told her about it, then she said, "It's okay. When you go up to shamayim, Hashem won't care." My mother liked that. I went to Walgreen's with my roomie Erica at 11:30. I got Whitestrips (premium, thank you very much) and 2 big Hershey's bars. Hey, they were both on sale, okay? Now I'm bombed (like my speech...just kidding, I AM OVER IT) so GOOD NIGHT!

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Home Sweet Home...

The wedding was beautiful. I did my share of dancing...trust me. The wedding started at 6:15. We (the carpool of 7 girls) arrived in Baltimore at 5:45. We went to our driver's aunt's house to get ready, then we headed down to the hall. The Kallah looked so happy and beautiful. We left the wedding at about 11:45. We got back to Brooklyn at 3:30am. We crashed at Rachel's house, then got up at 7 to take a train back. We got back to the dorm at about 8:30. My roomate went to class at 9, while I slept for an hour and went to class at 10:30. Such fun...

After class, I went back to my dorm room and packed for Shabbos. I was going HOME! I went down to the CAF to meet my neighbor. I got lunch to go then we went over to her apartment so she could get her stuff. Then we took a taxi to Chinatown and got onto the 3:00 bus. We didn't get into Boston until 8. Well, they just HAD to stop at Roy Rogers in North Haven! It was so nice to go home. I helped my mother cook until about 12, which is when I decided to crash. I was exhausted!

On Friday, I went to work with my mother. She has 2 assistants that help her on different days of the week, and one of them decided that she didn't want to work in the class anymore. So, I got to be my mother's assistant for a day. Let me tell you, I have so much more respect for my mother! And I thought her patience was tested at home...

Shabbos was very nice. My friend Malka (aka Rexy ;) came over on Shabbos afternoon and we talked for hours. She's awesome! Now it's 10:30 on Saturday night and I came on the computer to print out some stories for my speech. I am hoping to put it together tonight, then to practice it tomorrow. I love speaking, but there's something about giving speeches in that class that makes me nervous. Yes, nervous. I'll get over it...

Shavua Tov!

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Oh! One More Thing!

Yes, three blogs in one day...get over it.

I am giving my speech on Monday, IY"H. I am going to be speaking about teachers being one of the most important role models in a child's life and how the child remembers specific things long after being in their class etc... I have two great stories that I hope to use. If anyone has any other stories, either personal or one you read in a book (I'll need the source), I would love to hear them! Thanks!

The rest of the day...

After fieldwork, I went down to Devora's office to say hi. I ended up staying there until about 6:30. There was a huge labeling job to be done, so I sat myself down at my desk on the floor, and labeled. It was fun. Then I went back to Devora's apartment with her to see if she had anything that I could wear to my friend's wedding tonight in Baltimore. She lent me a BEAUTIFUL ballgown skirt and I am really excited! We sat and watched Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill. I have never had so much fun. It wasn't the actual watching TV part that was fun. It was the way we were trying to predict what was going to happen. Gilmore Girls was definitely more fun!

At around 11, I got a shuttle to YU to get a shuttle back to Stern. I wanted to make shtick for the wedding tonight, but I couldn't. By the time I got back to the dorm, I couldn't function. I wanted to get up this morning at 7:15, but got up at 7:45. My roomate requested that next time, I only hit snooze twice. WHATEVER. It's not like I meant to. Now I am sitting in class waiting for the teacher. I am only going to my first 2 classes because I have to go back and get ready for the wedding! My and my roomate's ride is leaving Brooklyn at 1. I AM SO EXCITED! This girl (the bride) is amazing. Last year, (in seminary) she really proved what it meant to be there for someone. Plus, she gets hyper too! AAAAAAAH! Have a good day, everyone!

PS How are the paragraph breaks? ;)

My First Day of Fieldwork

Yesterday, at around 12:45, I took a train down to the Ramaz School (same building as Devora's office) for my first day of fieldwork. I sat in the school office for about 10 minutes and then a very nice woman came in and showed me around the school building. Then she took me to the classroom that I would be working in for the next 4 Tuesdays. There are 3 classes per grade. Each of them have names of cities in Israel. First grade classes all start with the letter aleph, second grade with bet, etc. I was put in the second grade classroom of Beer Sheva. There were 18 kids there. When I got there, they were finishing up with their reading time. After that, they moved onto math. The teacher put out different coupons, and the kids got a math sheet that had to do with adding different coupons together. To help with their counting, the teacher put out baskets of fake coins. There were so many kids that shocked me with how smart they were (Bli Ayin Hara).

After math, we went downstairs to the science lab. There was a woman there who was teaching them about motion. The week before, they had made tops and this week they made zoomers. They put a piece of string through the outside holes of a small disc, tied a knot at the end and spun the string around and around. When they pulled it tight, the disc spun and made a whooshing noise. I might have enjoyed it more that the kids did. After that, we went upstairs. The teacher asked if I wanted to sit in on a teacher's meeting or stay with the kids if I wanted to. I told her that it's probably better if I stay with the kids, so I did. Besides, I already had friends in the class. They were in the middle of making Purim puppets. The art teachers had all the materials out on the table and the kids continued decorating their puppets. The teachers had hung up a list of choices of what Purim characters the kids could make. These kids are so talented and creative. I could not believe some of the masterpieces that were unfolding. After art it was 3:00 and time for me to go.

I had such a great time with my fieldwork. I am now so much more confident in my career path. I can't wait to start!

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

My Long Short School Day

Due to my lack of sleep on Saturday night/Sunday morning, I woke up this morning and couldn't get out of bed. I felt so light-headed, so I figured that Hashem was telling me to sleep for a few more hours. So, naturally, I HAD to. I got up a few hours later and tried to prepare my speech that I was scheduled to give today, but I couldn't put my thoughts together, so I decided not to do it. I went to my education class, then it was time for speech class. I told her that I wasn't feeling up to speaking which was fine because other girls went and there wouldn't have been time for me. B"H I have another week to work on it. I can't give it on Wednesday because I am going to Baltimore for my good friend from seminary's wedding! I am SO excited! AAH! I can't wait to make shtick! She is one of the only ones who understand and goes along with my hyper-activity. I was talking to her online one day and told her that I am going to go crazy at her wedding. She told me that she would go crazy with me! I can't wait! Now I should really go to sleep, so I think I will. Good night everyone! :)