Week one in the Big Apple

I wouldn't all myself a "New-Yorker," by any means, but I feel like I've learned to navigate well enough in the last week. I've kept a map on me at all times, just in case, but I've only looked at it once, on day one. I've been forcing myself to do something new and semi-intimidating each day...go to a new gym or a new grocery store, take a different street home, etc., and tomorrow's goal: go to a laundromat. Horrifying, right? I've just never had to do any of these things before, life was so simple in Iowa!

There are a lot of pros and cons about living here -
*I can pretty much find anything I want within a 10-minute walk from my house.
---->But everything here is pretty expensive! (The one thing that I've found to be cheaper here than in Iowa is shipping costs from online purchases.)
*I can walk virtually everywhere I need to go on a daily basis.
---->But it's not that enjoyable on rainy days.
*My street is generally pretty quiet.
---->Except for when street cleaners and garbage men come making all kinds of noise between the hours of 3 and 4am!
*The number of people here is a little overwhelming.
---->But getting off of main roads, like Broadway, helps a lot! It's also nice to know that I have my own room to come home to, or that I could reserve a private study room at the library on campus.
*People here have been surprisingly helpful and polite.
---->But not everyone falls into this category.

Other random sightings in NYC include:
*A man shaving his face in the side-view mirror of a parked truck on Broadway.
*A woman applying lipstick, using a store's display window as her mirror.
*People out walking 1 or 2 LARGE dogs. I mean, if you live in this part of town, your apartment REALLY can't be big enough to house two dogs AND yourself, right?
*SO* much Spanish! I love it.
*Clothing choices: every-other person is either wearing their shorts up to their ears or I can totally see booty hanging out the bottom. Can we please find a happy medium?
*Workers standing out in the streets on strike, yelling, whistling, waving around signs. Police quietly overlook, not stepping in, just ready in case anything gets out of hand.
*The weight room at Palladium (one of the NYU gyms) appears to scare away ALL females. I could use a little company in there.
*Parking lots look like this:

The first few days of class have been great, and I'm excited for Brazil *amanha*! (tomorrow)

NOLITA

I survived my first full day living in NYC. After getting my things organized, I went to go find a nearby Kmart...which was not at all at the address Google claimed it would be (I think I actually do know where it is now), ended up wandering up to Union Square, and picked up some groceries at the place across the street on my way back.

Going out to eat here is expensive, but so are groceries! I couldn't find a single-serving of yogurt for less than $1.15, and the lunch meat I normally get at home for $2.99 was $5.99. One thing that is kind of interesting though, is that all stores identify the price per pound on the shelf label, so that makes for easy comparison.

Then I went to Brooklyn in search of the nearest Target. Some of the subway lines were down for the weekend, so it took a little maneuvering and some map-reading skills (thankfully, I picked up a map in Union Square earlier). My main goals were to find a fan and a curtain. It was comforting to be in a Target where I knew exactly what I was going to find, but it was SO busy that it was a bit difficult to enjoy. Then I had to haul my purchases back onto the subway with me and back up the 5 flights of stairs to my apartment...After going up and down those stairs 4 times yesterday, I think my glutes may have already turned to solid steel.

Then, I went to check out the Whole Foods around the corner, which has a MUCH better selection than the market across the street, but it's also pretty pricey. I think my next grocery attempt will be Trader Joe's, but as of right now, Whole Foods wins.

After dinner, I met up with Vaske and got to see some of the sights in the Financial District. It was nice to have someone who has been here for 8 months to show me around and to discover some places that would be fun to go back to and hang out. I obviously don't have things completely figured out, but I feel like everywhere in Manhattan that I have been is pretty safe! ...Even my neighborhood where I live next to the ex-mafia joint!

This morning, our cheerful exterminator was banging on the door by 7am for his monthly visit ...So now my goals for the day include - getting my student ID card, checking out the rec center, and then catching up on some reading before I have class this evening. We'll see what else I stumble into...

i still love home.

Well, over a month late, I announce my return to the USA!!! The last month has been pretty full - spending a week at the lake in Minnesota, a week hiking (and sledding down mountains sitting on a rain jacket!) in Colorado, back to Minnesota for the Warrior Dash, and trying to pack for New York!

I move this Saturday and will have 6 days till I jet off to Brazil for the rest of the month. I am moving into an apartment in Nolita, where my room will be the size of my mom's closet, and my rent will be outrageous. I AM within a few blocks of campus though, so that will be super convenient and safer than having to deal with a commute out to the outskirts of Brooklyn. It will be a big change, but I'm sure once I get there it will be a fun, fast year.

A couple of fun facts:
NEW YORK
*I'll be living on Mulberry Street, but it's NOT the Mulberry Street from Dr. Seuss.
*I'm 2 doors down to the old Manhattan Mafia hangout, so I'm sure there will be dead bodies buried under my building.
BRAZIL
*There were 4.8 million slaves brought from Africa to Brazil, 10 times more than in the US!
*Earlier this summer, Peru put up a pretty much exact replica of Cristo el Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue in Rio = dramaaaa. ***ate logo***


Updates on life in NY and adventures in Brazil soon!