I have always wanted to go to New York! It was so fun yesterday beside the fact that we almost missed our train back. We got to see Columbia a little bit, and to tell you the truth, I liked the environment. I liked the whole city thing, and it was a new experience going there. When we got to Ellis Island I had a wave of emotions. I saw pictures of immigrants, brutal camps, the Ku Klux Klan, and other various racial and violent things.
I learned that more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis island between 1892 and 1954. Not all immigrants were treated fairly, and others were put into sweatshops, and had a hard time finding jobs. The most amazing thing I saw there was this machine that could tell you exactly how many of each type of race was in each state. It was pretty cool finding out that California has the most Filipino population.
The other thing in New York City that we saw and what got me was Ground Zero. When I got there I just felt a wave of sadness coming over me. I remember that exact day and how it was on every single channel and my mom yelled at me because I couldn't see what the weather was like because of this tragic event. Back then I didn't know what I could do or say to fix anything that happened that day. I still don't know till this day, but I have an idea. Right next to Ground Zero there is going to be a memorial building for all those who died and or helped that day. I want to learn more about it and I want my community to know about it too. I know if I didn't go, I wouldn't have known it existed. Well on a light note, it was an interesting Friday , and July 4th was pretty fun too. Happy 4th of July everybody.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
A Great 3-Day Weekend!
FRIDAY
Oh what a day! After a 3-hour train ride, I couldn't believe I was back in the Big Apple. Although I was able to go last year, I still felt there was so much more left to see! It was great to see Ms. Kronenberg and Ms. Lilhanand again and Jackie and Gabe. I also had fun meeting the other ILC students in Columbia and Yohanna (who was visiting colleges on the east coast). Our first stop was Columbia.
Honestly, I didn't think I'd like Columbia as much as I did just because of the hustle and bustle of New York City. But I loved it! Dennis was able to give us a little tour of the campus. We saw the library, the dorms, and the graduation site. We even saw the Schermerhorn building--where Thomas Hunt Morgan performed the first genetics experiments on fruit flies. I thought the campus was beautiful and really enjoyed the environment. But I wished we could've stayed longer to explore a bit more!
The group stopped by Barnard College (another one of the seven sisters) for a while. Unfortunately, we could not stay very long, but I found out that if one is a student at Barnard, she can attend classes at Columbia. Another back door (like with MIT, Harvard, and Wellesley)! I couldn't picture myself attending this college since it didn't seem to be the right fit. But who knows, with a little more research, this could be another possibility for me!
We then took a ferry to view the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Once we got on the island, we took an audio tour of the museum. It was amazing to actually visit particularly because it was part of the first topic taught in my US History class. I never imagined being able to be on the island where so many immigrants landed. I thought it was especially interesting to hear the personal stories of people who arrived there as immigrants.
Our last stop was Ground Zero. This was a special moment for everyone since we got to see this site that symbolizes a day that will never be forgotten. We could all remember exactly what was going on in our lives on September 11, 2001. I never imagined I would be at this site.
SATURDAY
Today, we went to Newport! I had such a great time seeing a different side of Rhode Island. I spent most of the day walking around the plaza and Thames St. looking at the little souvenir shops with Meuy and Cynthia while Gina, Joseph, and Karen visited the beach.
After coming back to the dorms from Newport, we had dinner at VW. Then we headed down to watch the Waterfire show, a great Providence tradition. I thought the show was amazing (even though Gina said it was a lot better last year).
My day ended with a fantastic fireworks show.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!
New York to Newport
HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!
I am proud to say that I have been to New York. It took waking up at 5 a.m. to a long three hour train ride for me to reach my first experience at New York. I was anxious for the well known rush of the city that never stops and I was expecting just that but when I stepped out, I noticed that it was not as fast pace as I thought. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning, approximately 10 o' clock, so people probably slept in or were busy.
Then from there, we headed to 34th street where we met up with Ms.Kronenberg and boarded the subway to Columbia. My previous assumption was that Columbia was going to be a bustle and hustle place but I guessed wrong. It was quite calm; I was not expecting that. However, I have to keep in mind that it was July 3rd and people were probably off to celebrate July 4th with their family or anything of that sort. Columbia has a really nice and serene campus in general but I wish there was more UMPH into it. The campus is also small compared to what I intially thought. This just shows me that visiting the campus really do make a difference! From the tour and walking around Columbia, I realize that Columbia is not the place for me. I love the that it is in New York (I am a city girl), but it does not give me that vibe and warmth that I want in a campus. The atmosphere is not right. It doesn't impress me like how M.I.T. impressed me.
Then we went to Barnard, an all women's college, which is literally right across from Columbia. I know that it is not good to judge a school before actually visiting it but after visit Wellesley, I came to the conclusion that I do not want to attend an all women's college. Last year, I took the Women and Leadership class at Brown. This class challenged me mentally and physically to go above and beyond the expectations for women. We talked about how we want equal rights as men and we want to be integrated into their society. Therefore, I do not want to attend an all women's college because it will seems to juxtapose the idea expressed through many females of equality. However, the good thing about both of these schools is that the students at Wellesley are able to take classes at M.I.T. or Harvard and the students at Barnard at Columbia.
After the little tour, we went on the ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty and got a audio tour at Ellis Island. Walking through the audio tour was like walking through a glimpse of each culture that have passed through the very buildings I was walking in. It is shocking that so many people had to register in that building to have access to citizenship in the United States. A good amount of my time at Ellis Island was looking at the pictures of the immigrants who came to United States.
A good amount of us students met up in the line to board the ferry early (thus we were on time for the departure of the ferry), but some were late. Therefore, we missed the ferry and we had to wait a good 15 to 30 minutes for the next one. It was near 4 p.m. and us Brown students were starving since our last snack was at 7 a.m. so we grabbed a snack at Picnicks. Afterwards, we shopped a little at the stalls and then headed off to Ground Zero. It is shocking to believe that two great big buildings use to stand just feets away from me and now it is gone. It is depressing to know the tragedy that occured there. I could not even imagine the numerous lives lost and the families and friends that have to suffer and mourn the lost of a love one.
That was basically all for New York. Now, about Newport.
If you think waking up for New York was horrid, try waking up early two days in a row! We went to Starbucks to grab a snack and then boarded the bus. It was a good 45 to 60 minutes bus ride. When we got out, we walked around for a bit then split into two groups. One group went to the beach and the other went to explore the shops around Newport. I bought various little gifts for my family and friends. I noticed that while walking around, there were a lot of tourists of all race. It felt relieving to know that I was not the only outsider there. For a little city, Newport is quite a busy city.
After a long day at Newport, we finally came back to Providence. Now here I am blogging about my experience in the last two days.
While in New York, I notice a lot of people with accents who were trying to sell T-Shirts and souvenirs to tourists. Then I come back to Providence and see all these students around me who are, money wise, pretty well off. They come from wealthy high class families and all of that. Then I see these students at Newport spending large amounts of money on high price and high name brand clothing. I see them walk around all the time with expensive looking items. Now that I take a better view of it, I sympathize for those people who were trying to sell souvenirs for a living. They are hard-working and maybe works harder than most people but yet they do not get very far while some people have money handed down to them. Even I admit that I was once intimidated by the wealth and background but now, I see that I can handle being in their presence. Afterall, we are all humans and although the gap in family income may be possibly distant, it is not so difficult to get along with them. In fact, some of them admire me for coming from such a "murky" background and I am proud. I am proud to represent my school district. I am proud to represent my community. I am proud to represent me.
I am proud to say that I have been to New York. It took waking up at 5 a.m. to a long three hour train ride for me to reach my first experience at New York. I was anxious for the well known rush of the city that never stops and I was expecting just that but when I stepped out, I noticed that it was not as fast pace as I thought. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning, approximately 10 o' clock, so people probably slept in or were busy.
Then from there, we headed to 34th street where we met up with Ms.Kronenberg and boarded the subway to Columbia. My previous assumption was that Columbia was going to be a bustle and hustle place but I guessed wrong. It was quite calm; I was not expecting that. However, I have to keep in mind that it was July 3rd and people were probably off to celebrate July 4th with their family or anything of that sort. Columbia has a really nice and serene campus in general but I wish there was more UMPH into it. The campus is also small compared to what I intially thought. This just shows me that visiting the campus really do make a difference! From the tour and walking around Columbia, I realize that Columbia is not the place for me. I love the that it is in New York (I am a city girl), but it does not give me that vibe and warmth that I want in a campus. The atmosphere is not right. It doesn't impress me like how M.I.T. impressed me.
Then we went to Barnard, an all women's college, which is literally right across from Columbia. I know that it is not good to judge a school before actually visiting it but after visit Wellesley, I came to the conclusion that I do not want to attend an all women's college. Last year, I took the Women and Leadership class at Brown. This class challenged me mentally and physically to go above and beyond the expectations for women. We talked about how we want equal rights as men and we want to be integrated into their society. Therefore, I do not want to attend an all women's college because it will seems to juxtapose the idea expressed through many females of equality. However, the good thing about both of these schools is that the students at Wellesley are able to take classes at M.I.T. or Harvard and the students at Barnard at Columbia.
After the little tour, we went on the ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty and got a audio tour at Ellis Island. Walking through the audio tour was like walking through a glimpse of each culture that have passed through the very buildings I was walking in. It is shocking that so many people had to register in that building to have access to citizenship in the United States. A good amount of my time at Ellis Island was looking at the pictures of the immigrants who came to United States.
A good amount of us students met up in the line to board the ferry early (thus we were on time for the departure of the ferry), but some were late. Therefore, we missed the ferry and we had to wait a good 15 to 30 minutes for the next one. It was near 4 p.m. and us Brown students were starving since our last snack was at 7 a.m. so we grabbed a snack at Picnicks. Afterwards, we shopped a little at the stalls and then headed off to Ground Zero. It is shocking to believe that two great big buildings use to stand just feets away from me and now it is gone. It is depressing to know the tragedy that occured there. I could not even imagine the numerous lives lost and the families and friends that have to suffer and mourn the lost of a love one.
That was basically all for New York. Now, about Newport.
If you think waking up for New York was horrid, try waking up early two days in a row! We went to Starbucks to grab a snack and then boarded the bus. It was a good 45 to 60 minutes bus ride. When we got out, we walked around for a bit then split into two groups. One group went to the beach and the other went to explore the shops around Newport. I bought various little gifts for my family and friends. I noticed that while walking around, there were a lot of tourists of all race. It felt relieving to know that I was not the only outsider there. For a little city, Newport is quite a busy city.
After a long day at Newport, we finally came back to Providence. Now here I am blogging about my experience in the last two days.
While in New York, I notice a lot of people with accents who were trying to sell T-Shirts and souvenirs to tourists. Then I come back to Providence and see all these students around me who are, money wise, pretty well off. They come from wealthy high class families and all of that. Then I see these students at Newport spending large amounts of money on high price and high name brand clothing. I see them walk around all the time with expensive looking items. Now that I take a better view of it, I sympathize for those people who were trying to sell souvenirs for a living. They are hard-working and maybe works harder than most people but yet they do not get very far while some people have money handed down to them. Even I admit that I was once intimidated by the wealth and background but now, I see that I can handle being in their presence. Afterall, we are all humans and although the gap in family income may be possibly distant, it is not so difficult to get along with them. In fact, some of them admire me for coming from such a "murky" background and I am proud. I am proud to represent my school district. I am proud to represent my community. I am proud to represent me.
What a Long Weekend!
Wow! Yesterday was crazy! We were in New York, just walking around, not knowing where we were headed next. There was so much to do, so much to see. It was a day to remember. We started our day off at 6am grabbed a quick breakfast and got on our train. When we got the New York finally, we headed off to Columbia to have a quick tour before we went to the Statue of Liberty. It is truly a beautiful campus and a very busy one too. Even though I like Columbia, I can't see myself there, but I guess it's just a feeling I have. Right now I am totally stuck among which colleges to apply to, and I'm glad that we've been exploring many colleges so I get the feel of what I want. When I get back I'll make sure to let everyone know of all the other possibilities out there. They should grab every chance they get to explore colleges; they don't want to end up in my dilemma. I know I will eventually find the right college for me, but it's a working process.
After Columbia, we were off to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, I must as the ferry ride was not pleasant. The sight was incredible, I couldn't believe that I was actually in front of the Statue of Liberty. At Ellis Island we took audio tours of the building, and learned of the struggles the immigrants had to go through just to enter the U.S. I imagine that my family faced the same struggle when they arrived in America. At 3 o'clock most of us were outside waiting in line for the ferry back, but unfortunately we missed the ferry because some people weren't punctual and were late. So we waited another 15-30 minutes for the next one. When we got on solid land, it felt great! And we finally got to eat lunch at 4 o'clock (that was the longest time that I have ever gone without food). We grabbed lunch, and got to shop a little. When we were at the location of where the twin towers used to be, there was a certain mood to it. Being there made me feel very depressed because of what happened and all the people that died there, it was just devastating. After seeing that it was almost time to catch our train back. It was so nice seeing the Columbia kids and being able to experience everything with them, it was especially nice to see Jessica and Sofia. After getting on the train, we all fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, what a day!
Today we went to New Port! The first we did was, shopping! We went into all the little shops on the main street (I don't know the name of it). There was a lot to look at, and everything was unique. After the group split up, Joseph, Karen and I went to the beach and the others stayed behind to shop some more. It was so beautiful and relaxing at the beach. I took a tiny dip in the water, but didn't want to get too wet. But that was a failure because Joseph dragged me in deeper. But I think that was the high light of my day. After a couple hours at the beach, we walked back to meet everyone else. It was a short trip, but very fun and a lot of walking! I can't to see all the fire works tonight, and the water fire show again! I can't imagine being able to do all this stuff if I wasn't apart of the ILC. I would love for other students, at Richmond High, to experience what I did. It's not only fun, but it helps you get familiarized with colleges and exactly which one is your fit. So in order for them to experience the East Coast, we all have to spread the word! I hope everyone has a great July 4th!
New York!
First off, Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope everyone has a great day with lots of barbeque. Unfortunately, i won't be able to enjoy any ribs or hot dogs, but that's okay.
Yesterday I woke up @ 5 am to get ready for our big day in New York. We took a 6:45 train and arrived in New York at about 10. We then took the subway to the best school ever, Columbia! We looked around Columbia for about 20 minutes and snapped a couple of pictures. We then ventured across the street to Barnard and looked around a little.
We got back on the subway and took a long ride to the South Ferry line, I think. We met up with Mrs. L and other ILC students tp get on the ferry to Ellis Island. Ellis Island was very interesting and all the pictures were intruiging.
After we got back to New York, we visited Ground Zero. Then we took a little rest which almost made us miss our train. Thankfully the train was a few minutes late so we didn't miss it.
Today was a very tiring day, but I'm really glad that we got to see Columbia. Now that I have actuall seen the school, I've gotten a better picture of how I might fit in their. Columbia is still my top choices, even though its tied with UC Davis. Hopefully I'll be able to visit again and get a real tour and learn a lot more.
Yesterday I woke up @ 5 am to get ready for our big day in New York. We took a 6:45 train and arrived in New York at about 10. We then took the subway to the best school ever, Columbia! We looked around Columbia for about 20 minutes and snapped a couple of pictures. We then ventured across the street to Barnard and looked around a little.
We got back on the subway and took a long ride to the South Ferry line, I think. We met up with Mrs. L and other ILC students tp get on the ferry to Ellis Island. Ellis Island was very interesting and all the pictures were intruiging.
After we got back to New York, we visited Ground Zero. Then we took a little rest which almost made us miss our train. Thankfully the train was a few minutes late so we didn't miss it.
Today was a very tiring day, but I'm really glad that we got to see Columbia. Now that I have actuall seen the school, I've gotten a better picture of how I might fit in their. Columbia is still my top choices, even though its tied with UC Davis. Hopefully I'll be able to visit again and get a real tour and learn a lot more.
Nobody Waits
Being in New York Yesterday for the day, was a dream come true because I have always wanted to visit the BIG APPLE. While being there, I realized that the city in fact does not wait for anybody. One has to be their own person and do what they need to do because in the city of new york no one waits for you including the subway doors.
Visiting Columbia University was a very beautiful experience, the campus was very pretty but we were not able to go and see inside the buildings. Even though I enjoyed being there I can not see myself studying on that campus because I feel like it would be too easy to get distracted.
We also got to visit Ellis Island while being the city which was a very interesting and educational experience for me. It was something I had learned in my history class that I now had the chance to see for myself. I got to see how it was for newly immigrants to come to the United States.It was a very difficult to task to go through. They had to go through medical inspections, legal inspections, and questionnaires. It was a very hard thing to go through in a strange new place and would be hard for me to be able to imagine going through it. I thought it was a very informative trip that students taking U.S. history should visit to get a better perspective of the event.
I find these college tours on the weekends to be so helpful for me because slowly and efficiently I have been going down the list on what I want out of a college. I now know that I do not want a big city campus and would much rather prefer a smaller campus with more trees than buildings. That is why I am looking forward to going to visit Wellesly tomorrow because I did not get the chance to go last weekend because of class assignments. I glad that the opportunity came across for me to get the chance to see a school which can be in my future.
When I go back home I will definitely encourage my underclass whom have no idea about where they want to go to college to join the ILC because they will get the opportunity, just like did, to get to see universities up close and figure out what it is they want.
Visiting Columbia University was a very beautiful experience, the campus was very pretty but we were not able to go and see inside the buildings. Even though I enjoyed being there I can not see myself studying on that campus because I feel like it would be too easy to get distracted.
We also got to visit Ellis Island while being the city which was a very interesting and educational experience for me. It was something I had learned in my history class that I now had the chance to see for myself. I got to see how it was for newly immigrants to come to the United States.It was a very difficult to task to go through. They had to go through medical inspections, legal inspections, and questionnaires. It was a very hard thing to go through in a strange new place and would be hard for me to be able to imagine going through it. I thought it was a very informative trip that students taking U.S. history should visit to get a better perspective of the event.
I find these college tours on the weekends to be so helpful for me because slowly and efficiently I have been going down the list on what I want out of a college. I now know that I do not want a big city campus and would much rather prefer a smaller campus with more trees than buildings. That is why I am looking forward to going to visit Wellesly tomorrow because I did not get the chance to go last weekend because of class assignments. I glad that the opportunity came across for me to get the chance to see a school which can be in my future.
When I go back home I will definitely encourage my underclass whom have no idea about where they want to go to college to join the ILC because they will get the opportunity, just like did, to get to see universities up close and figure out what it is they want.
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