Remember

Let's take a moment to commemorate the victims of September 11th. Many innocent people were taken away because of hate. It's up to us to make sure this doesn't happen again. Not by machine guns or grenades, but the simply act of understanding. As Americans and New Yorkers, we represent every corner of the world. We should take this as an opportunity to learn about other cultures and religions, respect others' differences and create peace. In spite of what has happened, hatred and anger will get us nowhere.

With this in mind, I visited a Holocaust survivor for the first time. Through my Victims of the Holocaust seminar class, Selfhelp (an organization that aids those who have been affected by the Nazis) matched me with him. I was nervous about meeting with him because the Holocaust is such a delicate subject and I didn't want to say the wrong thing, but these fears were quickly alleviated when he started sharing his story the moment I sat down. He told me all the horrors he witnessed, the struggles he faced and the love that kept him holding on. Even though I knew about the tragedies that occurred and saw some photographs in school, I was unprepared for the graphic images he showed me from his archives. Coupled with his personal account, the photos were more than pictures, they told a story. I admired his will to live despite how much pain and loss he suffered. He still believes in God and love and the goodness of people. It's truly amazing to meet him and hear his story. He gave insight into the meaning of life through his tumultuous journey through the world.

To anyone who's looking for an elective, I would highly recommend the Victims of the Holocaust seminar (JSS41003). In addition to being a Jewish Studies and History class, I feel like it is also equal parts a philosophy class because it made me stop and think about morals, ethics and human nature. There is a lot to be learned from history.

The Daily Grind

Two weeks into the fall semester, and I really don't feel like I've gotten used to my schedule at all. Considering we haven't really had a Monday yet, I know I wont get use to the daily flow of this semester until about october.

But I've made my semester start on a great foot. I've lived up to my goal of working out more than before, by going to the Wednesday Zumba classes that Hunter offers. I love it!Its so active and fun- it's really like a dance party! I also am making the extra effort to go to the pool at the dorms at least twice a week, and so far, its been alright. Let's see if I can keep this up!


On a gastronomical note, my taste buds have had a great start too. I just discovered an NYU hangout- cafetasia. Best cheap Thai food ever!

But unfortunately, this is my first semester since freshman year fall semester that I have no days off :( . I have biochem ( only 2 tests and huge lab reports), orgo 2 ( nice lecturer, scared again as hell!), marine geology( not as easy as i thought, but very interesting!), music 101 ( a great refresher and welcome change to my science laden schedule), orgo lab 2 ( so frustratingly laden with menial work, but lab, even though its early in the morning from 8 to12 is pretty interesting), and independent research credits ( the 2nd time im taking it, this time while focusing on marine biology. i got to read 5 research papers and get a genreal idea of a project by thursday. bring it onnnn).


But how am I supposed to face the semester without a reliable internet connection? Brookdale, you gotta shape it up!

Falling into Place

Hi, I am Danielle Gold and I finally feel like I've settled into my sophomore yeat.

Summer vacation went rather fast. My Birthright trip to Israel was absolutely amazing and is a must do if your a Jewish college student. With others from CUNY Hillels, Ihiked, ate and visited a variety of cultural and religious sites. The people there were so amazing. The people were equally cool at my internship at the New-York Historical Society. The hours were long but the diversity of the projects made my 40 hours per week fly by. I can't wait until the museum reopens on 11-11-11. I hope some of my classmates will come with me - its free with our Cultural Passport. My summer online oceanography class was a big commitment on top of my internship, but it made my science requirement a breeze (hehe). My fall semester classes started just days after my summer class finished.

I continue to overextend myself in an attempt to feel active. Yet, in contrast, the first week and a half of school has gone like molasses, washed down by a tropical storm. It feels like months since my family and dragged my new green bedspread and prints up to my tenth floor dorm. (I'm in the same room I was in last year. Hit me up if you haven't already done so :) It wasn't long after that I had to leave the dorm for LI because of Hurricane Irene. I had to go to my aunts, because my family home was in a flood zone. We lost power for a little under a week, although I returned to the dorm Monday morning. Classes have been mostly review of the syllabi and a few readings, yet they kept me from fully attended Macaulay at Hunter's Sophmore reception and the Seminar 3 launch event. I did get to declare my Media Studies major before Labor Day Weekend, which was a four day break for me. It was a good four days filled with ice cream and challah and chinese food and movies and believe-it-or-not unicycles. Perhaps, as much downtime as summer. I feel as though I've fully moved into (aka made a mess of) the dorm and I'm ready for the work to begin!