Hi guys! I know it's been a while since I was last on here. I had a really relaxing winter break and I'm back at Hunter for the semester, ready to kick butt and do well in my courses. This semester, I'm taking Western Backgrounds of Literature, Existentialism, Intro to Astronomy, Classical Mythology, and of course MHC 150 (Peopling of New York)! I have a really heavy course-load, but I think I can manage it somehow. Maybe. Kind of already feel like drowning, but I'm taking it one day at a time.
Mostly, I try to de-stress. The best possible way to do this is to work out! My friends and I have discovered a great yoga studio on St. Mark's Place. The place is open to the public and 100% donation based, so you don't have to pay! It's free every night and on Sundays they do candlelit yoga. It's a great way to get in shape and de-stress after a long day at school. My New Year's Resolution has been to get in shape, and my friends are 140% there with me. It makes it so much easier to follow my rules, work out, and eat healthy when other people are doing it with me. Then again, there's nothing like not being able to move the next day after a particularly intense yoga session.
The beginning of the semester means overwhelming syllabuses and booklists. I tend to freak out, thinking everything is due at once. It'll take a week or so for my brain to adjust to the actual weekly work-load. Also, I've received so many Amazon packages in the last week that the mailroom attendants know my name.
Anyway, the start of the semester also means a Macaulay common event! Last Thursday night, we went to hear Joe Salvo speak about the ever-changing demographics of New York City and what makes the city so unique. That man is just a walking encyclopedia of statistical knowledge. Amazing and fascinating lecture. It was a great kickoff to what is sure to be an interesting course.
There is something totally weird that I've resolved to do: I've decided that I need to learn how football works. While I was home during the break, my dad would explain it to me as we watched. I'm hooked now, though I only care if the Ravens or a New York team are playing. Thus, I'm going to be spending this Sunday watching the Superbowl with my godparents! That's actually the last thing I thought I'd ever be doing on a Sunday, but here I am. My resolutions are opening me up to the world, which I'm happy about. It's nice to experience and enjoy things I thought I hated or didn't understand or appreciate. That's just January for me. I'm going to try to do something like this every month (see also: something out of character/foreign to me).
Last, but not least, I just returned from a ballet performance at Lincoln Center by the New York Ballet. It was fabulous, let me tell you. And this is why I'm mentioning this: I originally didn't "understand" dance. It was confusing and didn't hold any meaning for me the way plays or music did. But last semester, in MHC 100, I learned to truly appreciate the arts, dance in particular. My teacher was a modern dance choreographer and she brought us to a myriad of dance performances which we would then discuss and analyze at length in class. This was such a mind-opening experience for me. While at the ballet tonight, I noticed myself making connections between the dances being performed and other pieces I had seen. I also started to create stories of the dances, feelings and moods becoming prevalent and a tone taking shape. I was able to hold a conversation with a former dancer about my thoughts and feelings on the dance, and to reference other choreographer and movements. I have never been prouder of myself. I took a step further into the world of dance, a step into what was previously pure darkness to me.
There is a moral (or two) to this story. One, never turn down an opportunity to try something new. You might just come to appreciate it, or even love it. And two, appreciate what the Macaulay courses are teaching you about this amazing city, and world, around you. It is the greatest city on Earth and we are lucky to live in it and grow in it and learn in it every day.
Erica
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