Tag Archives: new york

New York, New York

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Growing up in New Jersey, I had thought New York City was the greatest place on Earth. It was the only major American city that my parents had ever taken me to, so, besides a brief school trip in eighth grade to Philadelphia, it was the only one I had ever gone to. I had always said I wanted to go to NYU up until the point I actually toured it, when the large school, the lack of a campus, and the semi-snobbish nature of the current students that were giving the tour immediately turned me off. Still, I thought I could at least see myself living in New York at some point- it’s the city at the center of the world, right?

After working there this past summer, I’m not so sure.

First off, living in New York is expensive as hell. Besides the cost of rent, the cost of coffee and any type of pre-made food you may want is insane. The sheer price of everything made me uncomfortable this summer, as I saw that New York was a city of the super-rich and the super-poor; it seemed like the middle class had been phased out. This has been happening in all cities across America, of course, but as I was working in a super-gentrified neighborhood of New York this past summer- the Lower East Side- it was particularly apparent.

Second off, New York smells. It is dirty and polluted and my west coast appropriated self had a difficult time getting accustomed to it. In the summer, the humidity makes everything literally smell like vomit. Or pee, which the puddles on the sidewalk may as well be.

Third off, New Yorkers are mean, in a really unnecessary way. It was again difficult to go back to a place where no one says hi to each other, and where everyone’s ready to attack you.nyc

Yet, living in New York would undeniably have its advantages. For one, it’s close to home. As much as I complain about wanting to get out of my hometown when I’m there, I always find myself missing it when I go away for long periods of time. It would just be nice to be able to return for a weekend, and to feel the sense of stability associated with it. I have been listening to Bruce Springsteen way too often, something I do when I’m missing New Jersey and it’s Italian food.

Aside from it being close to home, it is the center of the literary world. Visiting author and Scripps alum Nora Zelevansky emphasized on her return to campus how one has to be in New York if they want to “make it big” in the writing business; that is, if they want to write for one of the big magazines. I would be honored if anyone, anywhere, paid me like, $5 to write something. Yet, if I want to make a serious career out of doing so, I should really consider living in New York. The extent to which I want to pursue that type of career next summer totally depends on where I want to live. Right now, I just have to wait and see.

A Summer Teaching Experience

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Hello! It’s me again, back in California, back at Scripps, and back, undoubtedly, in my element. Happy as I am to have returned to the chaos that is campus life, I’ve found myself occasionally yearning for the routine I had established for myself over the summer. I always find it a difficult thing to switch between homes. Still, I’m unbelievably happy to be back here, and to come back with a newfound sense of confidence that I got from my summer job.

This summer, I worked for an organization called The GO Project as a Teacher’s Assistant. I had expressed concern last year that I would be woefully unqualified for the job, as I had little to no experience working in a classroom environment. But the training I had on educational inequality, and the progressive teaching techniques that GO uses, prepared me to deal with the variety of circumstances that I would- and eventually did- face. I was still the youngest person working the job, but I believe that gave me an advantage; I felt like I was able to just talk to the kids a lot better than my older counterparts. Also, because I wasn’t a teacher, I wasn’t comparing the kids at GO to kids I would have taught before. This is an important distinction, because many of the kids at GO have behavioral problems or learning disabilities that made them difficult to manage in a classroom environment. But to me, they were just kids; I soon began to refer to them as “my kids.”

Though I had never been in a classroom before, I found that having sixteen eight-year-olds looking towards me as an authority figure immediately forced me to adapt to my environment. Every day was nothing short of a day-long adrenaline rush. The structure of the day worked out so that from 9-2, the kids were in an academic day, but from 2-5, they were in “enrichment periods,” including Art and Poetry, Drama, and Martial Arts. I was the only person that was with them for the whole day, and I gained the trust and support of the kids as a result. My group was incredibly challenging: I had a runner, some fighters, and a lot of dramatics. Though I used a lot of effective teaching methods, I found that the most important thing I could do was to not get frustrated with the kids, and to be empathetic. A lot of kids in my class at GO came from unimaginable circumstances, but the effort and love that they put into our time everyday showed me a lot about the resilience of the human heart.

Aside from the kids, I was working with a fantastic teaching team, which supported my kids and me. A lot of what I learned came from other teachers; whether it be the “One two three, eyes on me!” “One two, eyes on you” chant that I would use to get the children’s attention, or the cool-down techniques that helped when dealing with an eight-year olds mental breakdown. I had people that would chase my runner’s for me, and people who would take care of the kids if I had to run to the bathroom. It was amazing to feel like a part of a real, working team.

The logistics of my job at GO made it so I had a two-hour commute every day, so it was literally all I was doing for six weeks. While I don’t think I’ll be returning to GO next summer, I don’t think I would trade the experience for anything.

Dressing the Part

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I recently hosted a Scripps prospie who will be interning for the same organization as me this summer, and what she told me came as a bit of a shock. Not only, she said, is the environment that I’m going to be working in one of the most professional she’s ever been exposed to, but all workers must adhere to a strict dress code. In this case, that means no halter-tops, nothing above the knees, and no leggings. While I had opposed dress codes before in my own public school, they make sense to have as an employee of a school, a position in which I would be expected to dress in a professional way that commanded respect even amongst seven year olds. Still, the fact that I’ll be working in an environment that lacks air conditioning, in summer in New York, poses the dual problem of dealing with the heat in one of the most fashionable cities in the world.

When I interviewed for the job in the dead of winter, I had to shadow a teacher for a brief period of time. I was immediately intimidated by the hip and chic attire the teacher, a young woman, was wearing- I remember she had these really cute black leather boots, and while she wasn’t wearing one of those really big floppy hats, she seemed like the type of person who could pull one off. I, on the other hand, was wearing a dinky old cardigan with a patterned top that my mom had bought me underneath. I call this shirt my interview shirt. I have worn it to every interview because it’s kind of cute and not too revealing, but at the same time, it doesn’t exactly exude power, or the idea that I could be the type of girl to pull off a big floppy hat like that teacher. Looking back on the interview, it was like that episode of Broad City, where Ilana accidentally (or purposefully?) wears a dog hoodie to a meeting with an important buyer at her job. The buyer, played by Vanessa Williams, looks absolutely flawless, and Ilana is immediately impressed and embarrassed.

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This summer, I want to do things differently. The biggest challenge for me is dressing in a way that conveys this sense of power and confidence while working with the New York City heat. What I buy will be very dependent on whether or not jeans are allowed at the job- currently, I have several dark-wash, no rip pairs that in my eye seem appropriate for a teaching job, but then again, what do I know? While I’m too busy with work right now to really do some shopping, I can see myself burning a lot of cash at stores like Zara and H&M. Fashion has always been something that’s important to me in terms of expressing myself, and I’m excited to dress this newfound part of myself- the part that has a career that’s making a difference in the real world- in the best way possible.

A Real World Application of my Major

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This summer I had the opportunity to work with the media and research analysis office for Mayor Bill de Blasio. My internship combined my interests in Politics and International Relations in several ways.

Caldwell1Most days of my internship consisted of typing up mayoral transcripts. Whenever the mayor spoke at a public event, the media and research analysis office recorded and transcribed the audio to allow the public access to all mayoral events. This new initiative, brought on by the de Blasio administration, allows for greater transparency between the public and the mayor. Additionally, every day we tracked social media and news sources for stories about New York City agencies, mayor mentions, and incidents and accidents across the city. This information was sent to all agencies and departments in the administration, including the mayor himself, to keep them aware of occurrences across the boroughs and public perceptions. Lastly, the interns, I along with two other college students, were tasked with tracking the top 10 cities and their mayors. From this project, I learned how similar local government issues are across states. The information was eventually compiled and discussed between mayors at a conference in August.

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This internship showed me how important the role of city government is and that change must sometimes start at a state level rather than through the federal government. For example, this summer Mayor de Blasio passed a Municipal ID Bill which allows undocumented immigrants, the homeless, and others to have a form of ID and to be seen as a part of the community. While the federal government is struggling with immigration, this mayor bypassed Congress and was able to include a segment of the national population that is often marginalized and excluded. Through the Municipal ID Bill, the mayor will be able to increase the security and safety of illegal immigrants or others marginalized by society and allow them rights, such as access to public facilities which they originally might have feared. I was able to attend the bill signing that took place outside of the Brooklyn Public Library, and I heard many testimonials from individuals whose lives will be changed because of this bill. It was an extremely moving experience.

Caldwell 3Finally, I learned how much of a role the media plays in politics. I appreciate how the media portrays varying viewpoints and perspectives. It was really interesting to see a story play out through different venues. For example, it was fascinating to see the way the mayors’ actions could be morphed by others or interpreted differently and how viewpoints change and evolve.

Overall, I valued and enjoyed my experience. I look forward to working and learning more about politics and pursuing my interests of international relations this fall in Costa Rica for study abroad.

Editor’s Note: This guest blogger was a 2014 Scripps College Internship Grant recipient. To learn more about the 2015 Internship Grant process, click here.  Deadline Feb. 5.

New York, New York

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When I was ten years old, my mom and I visited New York City for a summer vacation. Of course, at that time I was going because I wanted to visit the American Girl Store, but little did I know that NYC has so much more to offer. Not only did I enjoy tea with my dolls, but also the beautiful Central Park, the amazing food, and the wonderful shopping. My love then blossomed into a dream- a dream to eventually live in the city. On a later visit, we walked past the NYU campus and I had my hopes set on going there.

While I ended up not applying to NYU and am instead on the other side of the country, I would still love to one day end up in the city. It will always be a dream of mine. Until I live there, it will remain an enchanting and glamorous place that I loved to visit with my American Girl dolls. However, I know that there is a harsher reality to living in NYC than my ten year old self would like to think. The cost of living is outrageously expensive, jobs are hard to come by, and there are a lot of people.

So what makes it more enticing than other places? For me it’s the beautiful city lights at night, the magic of being in a big city, Central Park… And it seems like there are so many things to do there.

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I think it all changes, though, when you are living and working there. You automatically have to earn a certain salary in order to afford your living arrangements and food, and things naturally become a little less glamorous.

So is where you live important to finding a job and being able to survive? Many professionals and career sources say it is. Sometimes, moving to a new place may be the best option to find a job. Certain cities have larger amounts of available jobs, while others are pretty jam packed. Though it may seem hard and unrealistic, it is definitely an option to consider. Especially for those of us in college and searching for jobs in the future, leaving for a new place after graduation can provide a new adventure as well as a good opportunity for work.

Take a look at the most expensive zip codes (for fun as well as to see where living might be easier), and let yourself imagine what your life could be like in the future. Also use it to consider where you might want to end up after college in looking for a job and housing. Don’t let it squish your dreams, however.