Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom


Written on Friday, July 22, 2011 at 4:48 PM

I am sitting at a bar called Ward III in TriBeCa enjoying a delicious drink called a Tortuga. Huge brick-exposed wall, twelve dollar cocktails that are delicious, wood, and dim lighting. The waitress looks like one of the women from Robert Palmer's video, "Simply Irresistible." Pinky and I used to love watching that video. Life, you could say is pretty damn good. Getting out of the apartment was tough this morning... It is literally one-hundred degrees out and the bottoms of my feet were aching from all the walking I did the day before. Yesterday, I had big plans for the day. I was going to work out at the YMCA (which I just joined), explore a neighborhood, grocery shop, and meet Galin in the evening. Val had jury duty right near Trader Joe's so we grabbed a falafel. I was lamenting to her that I was disappointed in myself for not having checked out a neighborhood. She explained, "Annie going to the grocery store in New York is having done something." She helped me forgive myself... Something I'm actively working on and getting much better at. But man, my principal was right. Jinny said to me, "New York is great but everything is a process. When you leave in the morning, you have to plan and prepare for the entire day." She is right. But nonetheless, I am falling in love with this place. Another person once said to me, "New York is like a bad relationship. Every time you are ready to get out, you get roses and you are swept off your feet again." I can relate. I had a helluva time getting home on that G train last night. Redirected. Transfer. Transfer. Train switch. Bah! But it's kind of fun for me to complain over "my line." Two quick highlights to reflect on...

Last night, Galin and I went to Prospect Park to watch "West Side Story." I ask you, why have I never seen this before? I LOVED IT! I Amozoned the soundtrack today. Funny, racially conscious and provocative for the time, awesome dance, contagious music. Galin and I enjoyed it with our packed picnic among 1,500 other people. Even though I was disappointed having not grown up with the movie, it was a brilliant way to enjoy it for the first time.

Today in TriBeCa I visited the African Burial Ground. Wow! Worth checking out. 419 skeletal remains were found in this plot alone. This area served as an unofficial African burial ground during the 18th and 19th centuries because enslaved blacks were not allowed to have proper burials. In the late 19th century, and on, most of the burial sites were built upon. There was, however, an area that was not destroyed because it was a parking lot. The foundation wasn't dug deep enough to destroy the graves. In the early nineties a federal building was being built in this space. A reporter who knew his ancestors had been buried there was asking lots of questions. The general manager contractor of the area told this reporter he had not found any remains; but a brave worker pulled the reporter aside and told him the truth. The reporter leaked the story that the contractors were digging up hundreds of remains and protests began. The people spoke and they won in this case. A museum and an outdoor space were designated to commemorate some of our first New Yorkers - who were brought here in shackles. The museum inside is managed by the National Park Service and is great. But what was most moving to me was the outdoor monument. Wow! The amount of thought the architect put into each aspect of the monument is inspiring. It is something that not only honors New York heritage, but also African and Caribbean heritage. More recently there have been journal entries that have been found of people who had built upon this land earlier (Duane Reade). People knew they were building on the remains of former enslaved people and said nothing. There are also stories of Columbia students digging graves to study these corpses. You can find out more at:

My cocktail is done. And I am off to navigate back to Val's for some grilling. Tell me what you are all up to.

Collisions, Celebrations, and Civil Rights

The days of my life over this last week have been eventful, to say the least.  I started my summer break only eight days ago... And it seems as though it has been much longer. For starters I think that one piece of advice that I have for new teachers (and even for myself) as I move forward in this career is that there is something powerful about quickly transitioning from being in school to then doing something else...something exciting.  I already feel like I am on the road to rejuvenation; and I am surprised by this because I was so damn worn-out.  But this is not to say that my week here in New York has been without any setbacks.

On Friday I got into a pretty significant accident driving in Brooklyn.  I was on my way to pick up Galin and Katie at the Graham Ave stop in Greenpoint.  I am not accustomed to driving in New York.  I always felt pretty competent driving in cities.  Driving in Boston with my fellow Massholes has always felt comfortable to me.  But getting used to no rights on reds and the shear speed at which New Yorkers drive has been intimidating.  Well there are all these underpasses in NY and as I was driving under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway I got completely discombobulated.  I took my left-hand turn at the green signal without realizing that an immediate red light happens as soon as you've turned.  Anyway, my car was undrivable and the fender is destroyed.  It could have been much worst, and as Brian, the mechanic who wandered over to the scene, told me, I am lucky as hell to not have left that scene on a stretcher.  I am nervous about getting behind the wheel again but I am going to have to get myself back out there so the fear doesn't manifest into paralysis.  Galin and Katie walked over to the scene and were incredibly supportive and sweet.  My thought process was interesting to observe - my first thought was utter fear; my second emotion was relief that the other driver and I were fine; and my third concern was that my dad was going to be so disappointed.  But my folks were nothing but supportive and encouraging.  Even as I approach thirty, the validation from my mom and dad means the world... Maybe this is just children and their parents or perhaps it is a by-product being the youngest child.

Anyhow, we did make it to Vanessa's bachelorette party located at Beach Haven on the Jersey shore.  When Arlene suggested we go here for the weekend we were all a bit skeptical.  The Jersey Shore has given love and and the beaches a bad name. But it was absolutely lovely.  The beach was beautiful.  The food was yummy.  And the dancing was a blast.  But mainly, the company was what made it a flawless weekend.  I am so blessed to have a group of female friends who are flexible, caring, and without drama.  And what was especially wonderful was that Vanessa combined three worlds: family, Boston folk, and college folk... And we all hit it off.  It is always a wonderful surprised when that happens.

Currently I am on a flight to Little Rock, Arkansas for a Civil Rights conference.  I am really getting a little taste of America this summer.  And what is significant about that for me is that my travels have primarily been international.  So I am enjoying a deeper taste into the U.S. Of A.  And I am learning that there truly are significant cultures and flavors to the different cities here.  I have been ignorant to this.  My time in New York has actually shocked me a bit, as there are more pronounced differences between Boston and New York than I realized.

Some New York highlights have been sneaking on to the Holiday Inn roof deck with Sarah (that deserves its own blog post, which I will write later), hanging out under the Brooklyn Bridge with a new friend, partying it up with Sumul, and seeing the brain exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.  And checking out Sumul's kick-ass project in Harlem at the Hamilton Grange - that's a separate post too.  More to come.

Dirty Feet, Stinky Smells, and Gratitude

It’s twelve-fifty-four ante-meridiem. I have just completed the first day of my vacation in Brooklyn. I sit here in my four-bedroom apartment in Greenpoint feeling relaxed… which is a stark transition from recent points of view. It’s a little stinky outside my window. The stink is amplified by my window fan and I am humored by it at most. My Nag Champa incense helps. But I feel like I am in a back alley in a foreign country and I rather like it. I arrived last night and Val helped me unload my stuff. Stuff… god damn have I been thinking about stuff over the last seven days, more actually. I’ve been moving boxes out of my apartment in Boston for several weeks. On top of that I had to pack up my classroom for the summer (one of my least favorite things about the job). I am seriously trying to shed all my STUFF. New York is a good place to do this because there simply isn’t that much room for stuff. My folks helped me the last two days of my move – I couldn’t have done it without them. It was actually the best thing about the packing – was working on a project with my mom and dad (coordinating and communicating and planning together)… I like doing that kind of organization with people I love. Even though there were moments of stress and anxiety, engaging in that kind of work with someone is a bonding experience. And now that I sit here and reflect on it, I realize I really enjoyed it. I don’t know if I would have realized that if I didn’t have the time to sit here and write that down. Time. Another thing I’ve been thinking about. Today I had time to leisurely lay in bed upon waking up. I stared at the streamers hanging above my bed and contemplated a depth of things – from my naval to God. I used to spend so much time doing that in high school. One of the hardest things about growing up is having to be responsible all the time. I know I feel a daunting sense of responsibility caring for twenty 8-year-olds daily. But I am so grateful for the ability to take a real break and get back to me and to basics. It’s crazy to me that most Americans and probably most people don’t get an opportunity to do this. It’s not human. And there are moments where I think – jeez, this is solipsistic. And then I have to remember that caring for myself is not a selfish act. Some highlights in my last thirty hours as a New Yorker have been enjoying grilled pineapple with campari at Colleen’s roof deck BBQ, going to Trader Joe’s with Liz and having to have serious intention about what I bought because I had to consider how much space I had, what I could carry, and how many meals I was actually going to have at home, and an impromptu visit from Edwards. He’s practically my neighbor and we walked to a funky bar called Spuyten Duyvil (upon the recommendation of my housemate). It was a neat bar with beer and wine and a big outdoor garden. Tomorrow the plan is to explore Greenpoint further.