Family is Forever

Today was a day that I planned to be very productive well my planning didn’t go very well. I wanted to get my gifts out of the way so I could relax a little on Friday but it didn’t really happen so tomorrow I am waking up at 6 to work out then getting things done but still going to take it easy and enjoy my last day in the city. I did it Cuban food today which happens to be the best thing in the whole entire world and just eating that food could make my day. So I am going back tomorrow J Today I had New York cares and it was at a nursing home and even though I had a good time it really had me thinking a lot about growing old and my family. Seeing the people with Alzheimer’s was extremely hard for me. The thought of someone I love and that’s close to me and them forgetting me breaks my heart.  It made me realize how much I love my family and that I shouldn’t take my life for granted I cant begin to explain how much this trip to New York has opened my eyes. The one thing I cant wait to do now is spend time with my family. When I was at the home there was a lady that reminded me so much of my grandma she would raise her eyebrows when she talked and nod her head, just like my grandma does when we talk. Looking at this lady broke my heart. I though about all the times my grandpa wanted me to go to church with him on Sundays and I shot him down because I hated the people at my church. I never actually took the time to realize that he just wanted to spend time with me. I was his little blonde bommer. Then there is my mom who makes me call her twice a day thats was very hard for me at first i got irritated but its just because she loves me so much and she couldn't handle the fact that her little girl was in NYC. Today we were talking and she told me how glad she was that I was coming home and how many times she sat at the table with my grandma and cried that i was gone. I think my mom thinks that i don't appreciate her and that i don't miss her but gosh i really do. And I am going to try a lot harder to show her this. I love my family so much and being in college I sometimes forget about them. Thanks to this day, that will never happen again…mark my words.

 

Yours truly

Blonde bommer J

5 for 5

So today I kind of woke up on the wrong side of the bed…I don’t really no why maybe because I wanted to sleep in but couldn’t. I just kept telling myself I can sleep when I get back home. So I woke up early and headed to Canal street to try and get some gifts for friends and family before heading home unfortunately I just ended up buying perfumes for some of them and am going to have to make another trip back tomorrow. Then after my little shopping I did I went to New York Cares with Eric. We had a nice long chat on the subway since it was on the opposite side of the town. I have found a lot out about Eric from being here and that’s that he has one of the biggest hearts. One time when Eric went to go pass out sandwiches he brought extra so he could give them away to the homeless people that couldn’t get seconds, it was so sweet. He also was very good with the kids at are project today. That’s one thing with me I get a little impatient when the kids start going all crazy but he keeps his cool. The New York cares today was fun I met a nice guy named Ted and we ran the baseball station together where it started off really good and the kids were loving it but then it ended up getting out of hand within a half and hour but it was fun. Then Eric and me headed back but we stopped at a grocery store because I spotted some good deals. Eric learned a thing or two about grocery shopping and probley if he would of went with me earlier would of saved a lot of money. He was amazed when I showed him a deal 5 for 5 when it came to frozen pizza and he bought five of them. So he should be pretty set for the last few days we have here. I just got back now from the gym and am ready to hit the sack I am exhausted.

Sweet and Salty

Today I had kind of a easy going day I woke up and worked out then I headed to my day two at the spa which was good but not to good due to the fact that I now have skin missing from under my eyebrow. L  But besides that it was good. Then after I spent half the day there I headed to my New York cares which was in Inwood. I find bedtime stories to be my least favorite thing. First things the kids have a really hard time opening up due to the fact that there English isn’t very good also I just don’t really like the activates we do and I never feel like I really did something after I am done its more or less a babysitter. I did meet some neat ladies though that were really interesting to talk to one girl named Andrea was so driven and wanted to do so many things she almost reminded me of myself for instance next week her and her best friend are going to Ireland and going to rent a car and travel around for 2 weeks sounds like something I would do. Then on my way home I bought a homeless man McDonalds which was nice because I had been wanting to do that for some time. I bought myself two apple pies but on the way home I saw two homeless people on the same block and gave each of them one. They both loved it almost more then the man I gave a whole meal to. Then I was out of a meal so I had to walk 4 blocks to the next grocery store to by myself a apple and pretzels probley a healthier decision on my part anyhow. But it was a good day sadly this trip is winding down.

 

Peace

Future

Today was a good day we took a tour of the fountain house which I had no idea what that even was until today. But what it is, is a home where they take in people who are mentally challenged and help them work and find jobs and places to live. Because the way they feel about the place is that work will heal the people with the illness. I definitely agree with this motto. I can already tell that it means so much to the people to come to work every day and feel important the fountain house also helps them get a education and feel like people truly care about them but that is because they do care at the fountain house this program is so neat. Being here in NYC has really started making me look at what I will be doing in the future and I think it would be amazing to do some kind of internship or summer job at some of the houses we have been to my favorite being the Rivington house. I feel that this trip has really helped me grasp what I want to do with the rest of my life so I wouldn’t change anything I have done since I have been here. I cant wait to one day make a difference in this world and love my job so I will never have to work a day in my life. Thanks New York City

Mariah (future resident)

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

Today was a day I will never forget. I had new york cares this morning at the Rivington house and I am sure you might not know what that is because heck I didn’t know either but it’s a home for people that have been suffering from HIV and what we did was simply just hang out with them. I cant even explain to you how much this ment to me but when I think about how much it means to the people in the house it blows my mind. When I first got there we helped serve donuts and tea and coffee. They all where so nice and then after that was all done we just played games and talked. Well see I started playing trouble with a group of people showing them how to play and getting things started and then I just let them play and watched. When I heard someone say “Hey baby girl you want to see my grand baby” I turned around to see a little Latino man (quit handsome for his age) sitting in a wheelchair. I say of course I do and we sit down and he pulls out a envelope full of photos. We start going threw them one by one and he slowly starts to tell me about his life which to me sounded crazy and when I say crazy I mean gangs and fights and drugs and women and I wasn’t for sure how to handle this man. But I could tell he loved talking about it in fact I think that’s all he ever wants is to talk and for someone to listen. And that’s exactly what I did I sat there and listened to Louis talk to me about his life for 3 hours. I never wanted to leave him I wanted to learn more I wanted to spend the day heck I wanted to know everyone in that room. But the program came to an end and he had to go to church. He asked so nicely if he could skip because he really wanted to keep talking to me but they told him he had to go now. So he did and before he got onto that elevator he told me that I better come back next week and we can take a picture together. I never got to tell him I wont be back and this broke my heart. As the elevator doors closed I tried my best to hold back my tears. But as soon as I got out of the building I started bawling and I called my mom and I couldn’t say anything I just told her I was sad and she wasn’t going to understand heck I don’t understand but it was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I loved it so much and I want to go back so bad I want Louis to finish his story with me. But that cant happen joining new york cares was amazing but the policy of not being able to talk to people outside of the program is so hard. Because this man truly impacted my life and I wish we could stay in touch. Louis is dying slowly of HIV and I wouldn’t give him to much longer to live but who knows that old man seemed pretty darn tough. After I left the home I spent the rest the day by myself and for some reason could not quit humming the song amazing grace it just popped in my head out of know where. I will never forget this day as long as I live or Louis. 

balling

Saturday gets here a day I have been waiting for because I have Sport explores in the Bronx. I was so excited when I received a e-mail saying that we would be playing volleyball. I love volleyball it was my favorite sport in high school and I was excited to play with the kids. The trip to get to the school was crappy the subway G that we had to take was closed so we had to take a bus. Which was really confusing and kind of scary because we where in the projects and it was something that I had never seen before. It was exactly what it looks like in the movies dirty streets and graffiti everywhere. There was also a lot of Jews at least I think that’s what they were but it was a different kind they wore big fur things on there head and had to long strands of hair in the front like bangs curled in tight curls. Once we got to the school it was cool. We got the kids together and did volleyball drills which I could of did all day long because it was so much fun. Then we scrimmaged and it was pretty fun even though I wish I could of went all out. Later on in the day I went to Westside story with Anne where we sat in the front row right in the middle. The singing and dancing and acting was all so great but I just don’t like the story line of west side story that much it’s a little to cheesy for me. But I really loved going to it and I am glad I went. Then I came back to the apartment and crashed.

 

Love

Maria…I mean Mariah

Poor Anne

Friday again was a morning that came to soon maybe because I didn’t sleep well the night before. When I woke up I got in the shower and started getting ready when Anne came up stairs in a panic due to her face be swollen. She could barley open her eyes and her lips were huge. She had a allergic reaction to the fruit she ate the night before so she didn’t come with the group that day. L We all went to Carnegie hall which to be honest at first I had no idea what that even was but once we got there I soon realized. It was were they host a lot of the big events in NYC. It was absolutely breath taking. We got a tour and got to sing in the main hall as well. Seeing this place was unreal everything dated back to when it was originally built which was stunning. By the way this place was built for a birthday present! Can you believe that…sure honey I would love for you to build me a huge building that I can perform in for my birthday. That would be a hard present to top. Especially with how famous it has become today. After all the learning we got from the tour we parted and went on to the other things we had for the day. I had New York cares at a elementary school where I hung out with this little Asian boy for 3 hours. He was brilliant I felt that at times he was teaching me more then I was teaching him. The only thing about him was that he didn’t really play well with others for instance we played candy land together and I never once got to touch my guy or pull a card because he wanted to do it all. Its not like I cared to much but he still cheated and won every time. After that I ate at my new favorite restaurant in the world called Fresh Co. I eat there anytime I have time to go to 28^th street the salad and soup is to die for.

 

 

Love

Mariah

Laughter

Thursday was a great day I don’t know if I had laughed as hard as I have as when I did on Thursday. My day started early with getting ready to stand in line to get tickets to the view we were there around 7 but we were up by 6. It was cold and my brain wasn’t fully working to its fullest I found that out first when we played the movie game in line as we waited, but later on I found out it may not of ever turned on that day. I never got into the show that day I was actually 5^th in line and they took the first four. But that wasn’t getting me down I was going to come back and be first in the second taping but till then me Anne and Jordan had some downtime on are hands. So we went and did some shopping around that part of the town, we spent most of are time in Urban outfitters a great store with really funny books inside. I hope to go back and buy one before we leave. While we were shopping Kim texted Anne and told her that we need to be really excited when we stand in line so that we could possibly open the show. And of course me being the smart cheerleader I am I said guys this is what I will do….”I love the view V-E-I-W yay!” little to my surprise you spell view I before E that was the 2^nd dumb thing I did. Then we were sitting at a bus stop and I read a sign and I go hmm… I didn’t know there was a weird dot com and that’s when Anne goes “Mariah that’s wired” then we all laughed till I cried then we went back to get in line and we didn’t get in, the 2^nd show was to full. Then we did more shopping. That night I had New York cares which was bed time stories in Inwood which I loved so much because not only did I get to read and hang out with the cutest Mexican girls ever but I also met a boy named Ben. Ben has lived in NYC for a year and a half now we had great conversation and I really enjoyed his company. We talked a lot about the city the pros and cons and he told me some cool places I should check out when I get a chance and I told him places never to go in Nebraska. We rode the subway back together and continued are great talk I feel as if we could of talked for hours longer…but then came Houston station.

 

 

Till then

 

Mariah

Hair and Tea

 

So as I mentioned in a previous blog, I got suckered into one of those days at the spa. My package actually came with two days the other which I will receive this Wednesday. So this day went very well obviously due to the fact that what I did was go to a spa where they gave me all the tea I wanted to drink (which was amazing). They messaged my head and gave me a wash, dry, and cut and also a color analysis. I was excited for the color analysis but really all it was, was the lady trying to push me into getting my hair colored so that I did not like. After my day was over there she gave me a 40% of gift certificate. Which I am very excited to put to use. One thing that was very different about this salon was that the stylist didn’t talk to there clients like they do when I go anywhere else the people where more closed and they just got the job done. In most hair salons especially small towns the ladies gossip like crazy. But in NYC they don’t even really try to make a light convo. But then again the girl who cut my hair was Russian. J

 

Yours truly

Mussa

Today I went to another New York Cares project at a elementary school where I got to do arts and crafts with some 2^nd grade kids. I was looking forward to this for sometime and when I got there I was kind of surprised to see that there was a lot of adults there and not that many kids. But each of us adults had a kid and I got a boy named Mussa. He was quiet the kid. The thing we were doing was making book all the kids loved it…. except for Mussa. He would rather be doing other things like throwing markers not drawing with them. And of coarse doing his best to not corporate with anything we were to do. But eventfully I did get him to start on his book but it wasn’t easy and he still wouldn’t write words he said it would be a picture book. I told him that’s ok sometimes those are the best books and this is what Mussa’s story was about… The title was the cheetah named Arthur the first page consisted of hell, where the devil cheetah lived the second page had a cheetah drinking beer (as I told him this wasn’t appropriate he did not care) the next page was the cheetah eating a kangaroo and the last page was a cheetah going to the bathroom, the end. That was his book and if you ask me it sums up how my day went with Mussa. The people were nice at this school but not very sincere and I think the kids could even pick up on that. But either way today was an experience and I wouldn’t change anything not even my little ornery kid Mussa.

Exhausted

So today I woke up at 10:50 and I was kind of mad because it felt like I slept my day away but at the same time it felt like 7:00 am. I went and had a really great workout at my gym and got out of there around 1 then did some laundry and got ready to start my day. We went to the Roosevelt Island tram, which was very neat to go over the river and see the city from above. But it did take us 30 minutes to get there and 30 seconds on the actual tram. Then after we did that we took an extremely long way to get to the next subway and then once we even got in the subway we still had a maze to go threw. Then we headed to see the art galleries in Chelsea but they were closed probley due to Martin Luther King day. Then we headed back to the apartment and now I am getting things done. I am doing laundry and planning the rest of my time here in New York out so I can get things done that I need to. Plus I am going to bed at around 8 because I am dead tired and don’t feel good.

 

Much love

 

Mariah

Grandpas day

Today we woke up early to go to church at the Saint Patrick’s cathedral. Which incase you didn’t know is absolutely gorgeous. I am a catholic so to me it might have been a little bit neater then to anyone else. My grandpa Tom is a very strict catholic and for him to even know I went to this church really makes his day. This church is the one you always see on the religious channel and I made sure to take pictures and send them to my grandpa which he enjoyed. After mass when all went to a dinner and ate great food I had a ruben and it was so filling then we went to a little thrift store but I didn’t have any luck finding anything but the other girls did. Then I went to workout but when I got back I wasn’t feeling to hot. So I started to get ready for bed but I ended up skyeing with one of my best friends Mich who is in Canada and we caught up and it was very nice. Then Anne came to bed but we stayed up and talked to around two. Which wasn’t very smart because we both are a little under the weather but we did sleep in till 10:50. It was kind of a chill day but one that I did enjoy.

The look on there face was enough

Today was the first day I did New York cares, I was extremely excited to finally start on the things I really wanted to do. Which is help out people, I was so excited that I left my apartment at 8:00 giving me plenty of time to find the center that I was suppose to be at, at 9:15 I ended up finding it at 8:15 so I messed around the neighborhood for an hour. That was very nice because I found a lot of neat shopping that I went to later on in the day. So now its 9:15 and people are starting to arrive and I am meeting some amazing people. First off the thing I was helping out with is called Achilles kids and I met the lady that started it her name was Karen and she had ms but she was amazing. She had ran the new York marathon in crutches and had the motivation of someone that was a pro athlete. What we do at Achilles kids is play games with kids with disabilities to get them exercising without them really knowing they are exercising. At first I was kind of nerves due to the fact I get a little uncomfortable when it comes to being around mentally handicap people. But I am very glad I did this event not only to help me with this problem I have but it opened my eyes to how much these kids needed this. Just seeing the way they would respond when they started running the race and getting to the end was enough to satisfy me. Karen told me that the transformation these kids make while doing this program is phenomenal. Every single one of those kids had amazing personalities and I wanted to spend the whole day with them unfortunately it was only three hours. Then once noon came I headed back to the apartment and worked out. It was a great day filled with amazing people that I will never forget.

Wednesday at 4

Today was one of those days where you just don’t feel like doing anything and your day kind of drags. After my workout I headed back to the apartment and feel asleep but not for long because we were headed to go walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. So Once we got to the bridge I was ready to dominate it which we all did. And Ann shared her story with me about the reading she went to today. She was very excited, seeing her be so happy about something automatically just put me in a good mood so walking across the bridge was fun and of course we took great pictures. Then Kim and Ann left us to go get ready for there night. While me and the boys headed to this cute little dinner where I feasted on a hamburger and chicken noodle soup and it was all amazing. Then I headed to Union square and did some shopping. I also got suckered in on one of those promotion deals for a salon. So hopefully its everything I want because I have the appointment on Wednesday at four and then I also have another day I get to set once I get there. After a while Teake came and walked me back to the apartment but not before stopping at a little grocery store to buy an apple and snickers which I was craving like no other. When we got back Jon was watching the history channel and it was about gangs. It was interesting but not for sure exactly what I wanted to watch right before I go to bed. But I guess we will see how I sleep tonight. Now I am dead tired and have a big day tomorrow for New York cares so I best be going to bed.

 

Night

 

Mariah

 

 

Smudge

Once I woke up today the first thing I did was head to the gym and workout. Where I happened to meet one of the most handsome men I think I have ever seen his name is Sam and he is a trainer at my gym. He came up to me and told me he would like to give me a free training session (I like to think its because he liked me but I think its just part of his job) so I said sure I would love that and now we are planning for next Tuesday so who knows maybe next Tuesday we will also plan for are wedding ha. So After my workout which by the way I pushed myself way to hard because I was just trying to impress Sam, I left to go back to the apartment and got things ready because we were moving to another place that day. Then I headed up to Time Square with the gang where I split off to go buy those shoes I was wanting that they only had one of before and I got them. Only I had to wait around for 30 minutes as they ran to the other store to get the other shoe but…I did get a discount so that was a plus. Then Jon and me headed back to the room to move stuff to are new place, which is amazing compared to the other places we have stayed. To me it just feels more homey. Then me Teake and Jon went to go pass out sandwiches to the homeless and even though the bus ride took 20 minutes and we were there for 2 it was still nice to help out. Also I noticed a man from the week before and he was extremely messed up due to the fact that he has been doing drugs. It was very sad to see this transformation in just a week and scares me to think what he may look like next Thursday or even if he shows. After that we headed back to are place and went to smudge which is a play from the women’s project and I did not like it. I thought the acting wasn’t very good and story line in general was really weird. I don’t think I was the only one that felt this way because after the show I went to the bathroom and a lot of people were expressing how they felt and none were very good. Then me and Teake ate pizza and talked about the play and we saw eye to eye for the most part. Then we headed back and had a brief meeting with Kim and then I was hard asleep. It was a good day J

sketch

Today when we woke up we said we were going to be productive and get some things crossed off are list, that’s exactly what we did. We ended up going to a fashion museum, which I must admit was amazing. Sadly there was only two floors I wish there would have been seventy. Ann, Jordan and I all picked are favorites from the collection and that was also really fun because it showed us a lot about each others style. Then after we went to the museum we went to canal street, which reminded me a lot of a flea market in Mexico. There was lots of little shops with people outside asking you to come in and check out there merchandise, you could even make deals with them. This was a lot of fun and a place I want to go back to sometime again. But once the sun went down Canal Street wasn’t so fun it was actually kind of scary. The people started talking about drugs and people in general just had a different tone. So then we headed to china town to eat some food. But since Canal Street creeped us out we just went to the closest Chinese place we could find. So it ended up being this sketch buffet for only 4.50. The food just wasn’t appetizing to me, maybe because I was a little paranoid because Eric seemed to love it. But that boy seems to love everything he eats. Then on the way back to the apartment we moved quickly because we were still a little afraid to be out there at night then when we got home we passed out but not before we crossed those three things off are list. J

where is that shoe?

Today I had high hopes of logging on to New York cares and getting a jump start to helping out with the community unfortunately I never got around to being able to log on to the projects so that’s another day on hold. What I did do today was go shopping with Teake we went to all these neat vintiage stores and small shops on the street. We also went to footlocker because I needed to get a pair of shoes from there and they had them but…only the right shoe not the left! What are the odds? But anyway there are 30 more footlockers in NYC, go figure. So hopefully I can get those shoes before I walk across the Brooklyn bridge. Till then have a great day. Much love

 

Mariah

The Time is Now

The last two days here in NYC have been very chill. I have done a lot of shopping from big stores to tiny boutiques. I have slept in and had a good workout each day so of course I am happy. But now the real fun starts today, we had the New York cares orientation and now we can finally get down to the stuff I came here for. We get to do fun projects like help the homeless and less fortunate elders and children. This to me is so important. I know I have told many people in my life that before I die I want to make a difference in someone’s life and I have a feeling with New York cares I will get a good chance to start that dream. Serving other people gives me more happiness then satisfying myself. When I think about the projects we will do and the people we will meet feels me up with excitement. I finally feel that we can get stuff done in NYC then just shop, sleeping, and working out, but don’t get me wrong I love that stuff to. So tomorrow is going to be an exciting day where I can plan things and figure out what projects I want to do. So hopefully by the time tomorrow rolls around I will be making a difference and be orginazed. Because really we have all ready been here for a week and time is running out so we best get a move on things so till then much love.

 

Mariah

I lost the lottery but still won

Today was an eventful day. I woke up at 10 and started my day off right away showered and got ready and packed up all my things because we moved to a new place. After all that was done we headed to Kims then we were off to sign up for the lottery for ragtime. Which is where you put your name in a drawing to get discount price, your name had to be in by 12:30 so we sprinted off the subway and made it just in time. Unfortunately none of are names where drawn even though I was getting ready to think of some crazy thing to do if I won, I guess that also goes along with the lotto you have to be ridiculous when you win. After we lost we hoped in line to buy some tickets that were not very good but cheap, I wasn’t excited about this I almost didn’t even want to go with knowing that there may be something I have to look around. But oh my goodness was I glad I went this show was amazing, I had never seen a Broadway musical till now and it was jaw dropping. There were points in the show where I would just start crying and not even know why. If I could go back I would, shoot I would go back 10 times if I could. After the show was over we got to go back stage and see what it was like, surprisingly it was not big and glamoures like you would expect it actually is ridiculously small. But then you have the stage; this was one of the most exciting moments of my life. When I looked out into the audience from the middle of that stage I just got goose bumps it was the most insane feeling and rush like you wouldn’t believe the feeling of thinking one day I could perform here. I know that after today I will take my dreams even more serious then before. So watch out world.

 

Yours truly,

Lottery Loser J

Art?

 

Art….hmmm something I have never really got a hold of maybe because I cant even draw a stick figure without messing up and having one limbs look ridiculous compared to the rest. So I guess I have never been one to get in touch with my artistic side at least not when it comes to drawings/painting skills. But today we went to the MoMa, yeah believe it or not I didn’t even know what that was till today. But I wasn’t complaining about going to see art after all it was free. But surprisingly enough after I walked threw the floors looking in awe to some of the pieces and wondering how someone could create something like this, or even looking at some pieces and being like really? People would pay money for this? There latterly was a black painting with a red line down the middle, I had better ideas in 2^nd grade then that. But either way I walked out those door with a since of motivation I wanted to make something I wanted to create something I wanted to make people sit there and say wow how could someone make this. Even though they will probley be asking really? Either way one thing I know I am doing is creating a piece of art with my drawing/painting skills or lack there of. But I got a feeling it’s going to be beautiful.

 

Yours truly,

The next Picasso 

Faith is Love

I met this man named Tim today. I cant even use words to describe how amazing he was so that’s that, he’s amazing….ha no but really my brain isn’t working because I am so tired. and I want it to be full going when I explain how great this guy truly was.

 

Will expand tomorrow

Day One

So before I left for New York one of my friends said to me “Mariah you know when you go to New York your going to be just a number”….and I thought about that long and hard. A number huh? What’s that mean? He said “No one knows how athletic you are or smart or funny or anything your no one your just a number.” And once again I thought about this and said you mean to tell me that no one will be able to start a rumor about me with something that never happened and I wont be there main conversation or that if I happen to slip up no one will be able to judge me and I don’t have to meet people expectations because no one will really care well gee I guess I want to be a number. And as I walked around New York all day today I looked at people and I saw a lot of different things people with there families and friends and people that were alone so its not like being here doesn’t let you have a life alone because you do have people that care.  You just don’t have everyone tiring to figure you out. They mind there own business but this doesn’t mean that they wont talk to you or help you if you need it they do still have hearts believe it or not. So I guess my first impression of this place is…I would love to live here but then again it is just day one.

 

Yours truly

58478638 (or whatever number I may be)