Category: 2010

(1-17) Last night, before we settled down, Tracy, our reflections leader, took us through an exercise to identify our expectations and goals for the week. After our discussion, this was my synopsis of the themes and goals for our service:
We tend to live our lives looking ahead to the next step, rather than enjoying the step that we are on now. Starting on this trip and carrying on, we hope to apply a different mindset in our lives. IMMERSE: soak up the sights, stories and experiences. UNDERSTAND: have the conversation and make the connections. REMEMBER: keep the memories with you, and relive them frequently. CHANGE: apply the morals that you learn to your everyday life. BE WHOLE: take your whole self with you on every journey.

(1-18) Bright and early, we donned our jackets and boots to head out for Day 1 of our service project. After a short trip to the Lower East Side, ASB New York got to practice our Gumby-esk flexibility when we arrived at our first day of service only to find our hands were not needed. Due to miscommunication and the eagerness of citizens to get out and serve on MLK Day we were met by a bustling kitchen far too full of gloved and hair netted volunteers.
Feeling a bit out of place and stranded, we retreated to a near by coffee shop for some research and quick thinking. We discussed the possibility of calling around to see if we could lend our hands elsewhere, but came to the conclusion that this was not a good practice of service considering the size of our group and the incredibly short notice.
Instead we made our way towards Union Square Park where we thought we could surely find something interesting and productive to do with our time. After scoping out a few local newsletters and books, we decided to tour a few more parks. As we came up on Washington Square Park, the weather cleared up quite nicely and we were able to soak up the sun in the fountain that usually spurts water when the season permits.
With the knowledge of a tour around Central Park, we took the subway back up town and met up with a group touring what once was Seneca Village. In light of MLK Day, we learned of the origins of the Village and the importance it had on the rights of blacks in the community.
Luckily, we were graced with yet another beautiful day to be out of work and we now regroup before moving on.

Peace Be.
ASB New York

Today we arrived bright and early at Trinity Soup Kitchen, only to learn that they had an excess amount of volunteers due to MLK Day. The woman in charge “gave us a day off!”

We just ate lunch at Lenny’s, and we’re enjoying the sunshine in Washington Square Park. We’ll head to Central Park for an MLK Day walking tour this afternoon.

Now before you get too enthralled with this entry..I must warn you that I have very little knowledge of the geography of New York City, and I will do my best with my last 1 and half days of city experience. =]

(1-16) We settled into a surprisingly comfortable and well situated hostel upon arrival in the city yesterday afternoon. We were lucky to catch some good weather for our first half day, and our navigation expert, Jess, got us here easily. All being hungry from our travels, we made it one of our first efforts to find a filling and cheap meal in the city. With the wonderful resource of Amber’s iphone, we found a fabulous little local chain called “The Hummus Place.” Although a few of us could not pronounce the names of our meals, we were all pleasantly surprised at how delicious and satisfying it was!
We topped off the night was a tour around the electrifying Times Square. People, lights, and sights galore, it was hard to feel tired or bored. We tried our hand at schmoozing ticket prices, got to fill our noses with the aroma of chocolate at the M&Ms and Hershey’s stores, and even got a few pictures with David Blaine.
Needless to say, after all of this we were exhausted and enjoyed curling up into bed with books and music for the night.

(1-17) This morning, our “cultural” day off, we tried to get off to a quick start and beat the oncoming rain. After a few of the group took a nice run through Central Park, we enjoyed a quick breakfast and boarded the subway going downtown; destination Bryant Park.
We got off the train and stared from afar at the city public library, subconsciously steering clear :). We watched the ice skaters shimmy around the crowded rink in the park and stared at the overwhelmingly tall buildings surrounding us. We were disappointed to find that the infamous Wich’craft cafe in the park that we had heard so much about, only had peanut butter hot chocolate left..but then scurried towards Rockefeller Center. We were drawn in by the copious number of flags surrounding yet another ice rink, and spent some more time people watching.
We had heard stories of the huge Anthropology store, and had to give it a try while we were there. For those of us who were not frequent visitors, the art and energy of the place was a cool break from the cold. By the time we left, the skies had opened up so we dodged in and out a few stores before we decided it was time to move on to the next adventure.
The Met sounded all too inviting while we were navigating the wet and cold streets of downtown, so we once again, boarded the subway and made our way up Central Park. With a lucky addition of a seasoned New York City veteran, we got there and were able to enjoy the exhibited before closing. We broke up to hit all of the rooms, some of us to Van Gogh, others to Modern Art, and even others to Oceanic and African Art. Our time there pasted all too quickly, and we came back to the hostel to plan out dinner and the rest of the night. We had a delicious home-cooked pasta and garlic bread meal and retired for games and relaxation.

Tomorrow we head to our first sight of service bright and early! Pray for some sunshine!

Peace Be..
-ASB New York

We’ve had a busy day so far in the big apple. Some of us started off with a jog around central park. Then we enjoyed a team breakfast at the hostel. Now we’re trying to stay dry by window shopping on 5th Avenue before we head to the Met for the afternoon.