I Dare You to Move

Hi, everyone!

Shanah Tovah to everyone who is celebrating the new year!

We only had one day of classes this week so we've had basically a full week of vacation. But it hasn't felt like much of a vacation to me. I've been going over my notes, reading my textbooks, and just trying to get organized for the rest of the semester. Not that I'm complaining. Being busy feels good. I like to feel like I am doing something with my life. haha.

Next Tuesday is the primary election, and it will be the first time that I will actually vote in a primary election. I actually didn't vote in either the primary or the general election, in the first year that I was eligible to vote because I was at Hunter all day, and I didn't feel like getting up early to go to the polling place. Last year, I didn't vote in the primary election, but I did vote in the general election because we had to pick our next president, and that's kind of a big deal. :p This year is a big election year for New York so I will voting in both the primary and general elections.

I've been having a hard time deciding who to vote for in the primary in regards to the mayoral and comptroller positions. I think I've finally come to some kind of a decision, but I won't be revealing it here! (at least, not yet!)

Bloomberg has been with us for a long time, and I know that people say that they're tired of him and that he's this horrible person. But the truth is, he's done a great job of handling this city for the last 12 years. We are not an easy city to govern. There is so much going on that needs to change. He did a good job of helping us progress as a modern city. The next mayor needs to be someone who understands the essence of New York and who is sympathetic to our needs and concerns.

As for the comptroller position, Spitzer and Stringer both seem to be capable candidates. When Spitzer was governor, I thought he was great, albeit I was 13-years-old when he was elected, and I didn't know the first thing about politics. Then, all that ugly stuff happened, and he had to resign. So now he's back, and I don't really know what to make of him. He's incredibly intelligent, but can we trust him? Even though Stringer seems like he could do a good job as comptroller, I'm not too excited by him.  At the end of the day, we need someone who will get the job done, but I'm still on the fence about those two.

Last Saturday, I woke up with a swollen and itchy right earlobe. Sounds weird, right? The last time this happened was when I was 16. Back then, my doctor told me I was allergic to a certain metal in my earrings, and she gave me some cream, and everything was fine. This time, I was wearing hypoallergenic earrings so I didn't understand what was going on. That Thursday, my dad had put some iodine on my earlobe because I had a small bump in my ear. Then, on Friday, I saw some people giving my ear a weird look, and I saw that my earlobe had begun to smell and was getting itchy. On Saturday, I woke up with this weird looking ear lobe so I took off my earrings off. I noticed that the earrings had turned blackish, which I think might be because the metal reacted with the iodine. I thought maybe that was the reason for the allergic reaction. The swelling still wouldn't go down. Then, I thought that it might be infected. I ended up going to the dermatologist on Sunday who told me that it was probably a combination of an allergy and an infection. Yay for me! =( She prescribed me some cream and antibiotics, and my earlobe is back to normal. So why am I telling you guys this story? Be careful what kind of earrings you wear. It's good to wear gold earrings or hypoallergenic earrings. I don't know what happened with my hypoallergenic ones. Maybe the metal just corroded or the iodine ruined them. But it's better not to wear the fake stuff because you never know how your body will react. Also, avoid touching your earlobe with unwashed hands.

Also, on that same Saturday as my little earlobe drama, I found out that my Macaulay Hunter advisor, Adrienne Fitzgerald, is leaving Macaulay Hunter to go to Macaulay John Jay. They've just started up the Macaulay program there so she'll have a hand in developing it. I'm so sad to see her go because she is just so awesome at her job. She knows a ton about the different opportunities available out there, and she's always available for help whenever I have questions about anything. I truly wish her the best. She's a real star.

S.

This week's featured song is one that I heard a few years ago while listening to the radio. I immediately fell in love with it because of its fantastic message. Whether I'm sad or happy or anything in between, this song makes me feel just a little more alive.

Song of the Week

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before

~ "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot

Not Even a Week...

Hey guys, it's been a while! For those of you who don't know, and don't want to scroll back, my name is Maya Kinsman, I'm currently a sophomore (oh gosh!), and this is my second year writing for the MacBlog. But - I actually haven't been back in New York for even a week yet. I am in the Chinese Flagship program, and this summer many of us went to Taiwan for two months to further our studies. Last Wednesday I landed at JFK before customs opened, back from almost 3 months abroad in Asia. I really enjoyed my time overseas, and though I have traveled pretty extensively with my family, I've never studied abroad before or traveled alone/with friends overseas. School in Taipei was pretty rigorous and although we had our ups and downs, overall it was so worth the experience - I really recommend studying abroad, even if you aren't a language major.

Other than studying, of course we took advantage of being in a completely different country and explored quite a bit! Right out of the park, we went to a restaurant that is toilet-themed! The food is served in urinals, toilet bowls, squaty-pottys, and all the decor is bathroom-related. Although it wasn't amazing food, it was a fun experience! Especially for all the puns my friend was able to use.

Towards the end of our time in Taiwan, a few of my friends and I climbed up a mountain called Elephant Mountain, which has a great view of Taipei 101, and took some pretty silly photos.

However, our campus itself (National Taiwan University located in Taipei) was really gorgeous and a real change from Hunter, itself. It was definitely something to get used to: having to walk 15 minutes across campus to your other classes.

After Taiwan, a few of my friends and I traveled for the majority of August through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong. Don't ask me what my favourite place was!! I really don't have a favourite or a least favourite for that matter, mainly because they are quite different places and we had quite different experiences in each of them! They were all so exciting and interesting, whether we went to cultural and historical sites or just made friends from around the world at our hostels. 

In Singapore, we went on the tallest ferris wheel in the world (called the Singapore Flyer) which has a spectacular view of the city, night and day. We also went to the only Night Safari in the world, which was pretty much a zoo at night with a amusement park/zoo-like safari ride included. And I bought a white tiger key chain from there, which is adorable!

In Malaysia, we met up with one of my Chinese tutors from Hunter (who is Malaysian) and got shown around parts of Malaysia we wouldn't have seen otherwise (like her home village outside of Kuala Lumpur). We also went on a snorkeling trip on the other side of the country, which was really fun.

In Thailand, we visited two places - Phuket and Bangkok. In Phuket, we managed to have a few days just to relax and also to visit James Bond Island where The Man With the Golden Gun was filmed. In Bangkok, we spent a few days doing guided tours to the floating market and Attuhaya (an ancient Thai capital), as well as showing ourselves around the particular part of Bangkok we were staying in. We actually happened to be in Thailand for the Queen's birthday, which is also Mother's Day in Thailand, and is a National Holiday, during which alcohol is not allowed.

After Thailand, our group shrunk a little bit and three of us went to Hong Kong. I was born in Hong Kong, I lived there until I was five, and I go back every three years, so it wasn't quite as exotic and different for me, but it was still a really fun trip. We stayed in an apartment in a village in my old hometown, and I even managed to fit in a haircut at the same place I got it cut there three years ago!

I loved traveling, even studying, abroad and I can't wait to be able to do it again. However, right now, classes have started up (though we do have quite a long weekend after today, especially as I have Mondays off) and I need to get back into homework mode. Sad as it may be, I am glad to be able to see all the people I've missed since being away! Next week I'll hopefully be able to talk a little more about how my classes are going, and maybe my dorm room will be set up enough to post a picture (right now I'm still practically living out of my suitcase, as I haven't had time to even go back to Westchester yet to get my fridge or even a fan!!). And, just as an addendum, if you have any questions about studying abroad or traveling abroad on your own/with friends, feel free to send me an email or post a comment; I would totally be willing to talk about it more.

Another Year: Some Certainty in the Face of Ambiguity

Hi, everyone!

My name is Chris. So here I am, entering my second year at Hunter and my first year writing for the MacBlog. I read this blog during senior year of high school, a time that now seems so far away. The MacBlog helped make my decision to come to Macaulay at Hunter just a bit easier, so I’d love to be able to do the same for anyone out there still deciding where to go to college. I know people are shy about commenting on blogs, but I’d love to hear from readers and I’d be happy to answer any question I can. 

Reflecting back on my first year at Hunter, I guess I’m entering my sophomore year with a greater degree of certainty. I came to college as a potential political science major, but a year of taking courses in that field made me realize it wasn’t for me. I’ve since officially become a proud English literature major. Still, I can’t pretend I know quite where my life is going. I tend to believe that the more you learn the less you know, only because you discover that there is so much out there you don’t know. I'm not quite sure where my life is going, which can be worrisome at times. Nevertheless, I am happy to be continuing my education alongside a number of close friends doing the same. 

This semester, I’m taking a bunch of classes I’m really excited about, including a course on the Greek and Latin roots of English. I love words so I think it will be great to learn the etymology of words. Plus, it might improve my Words with Friends skills. 

Anyway, I’ll keep this post short since it’s my first on the MacBlog. But I’m looking forward to writing here about my academic experiences, out of class adventures, and potential mishaps or successes. Oh, and I’ll also write about great food that I’ve already come across or may discover as this year progresses. 

Food to check out:

When I came to college I realized how much I like Indian food. Living at Brookdale, I am fortunate enough to live next to a bevy of Indian restaurants. For a quick yet tasty meal, I’d recommend Curry in a Hurry or Curry Express.