reflections on...New York City 2

On my last weekend in Syracuse, following my last final turned in right at 5 o'clock on Thursday, Dave and I decided to make another run down to New York City. I stayed with him and his family on Thursday night, enjoying an early Christmas as Kathy gave me a beautiful hand-crafted snowman and a Bath and Body Works set. Then, Dave went to one of his finals Friday morning and we got on the road. It was a quick trip, arriving Friday night and leaving Sunday morning, but it was a great way to end the semester. Just after getting back to Syracuse, I packed my bags and finished last minute details and jumped on a jet plane on Monday to go back to Utah for the winter break. Here are some highlights:

Enjoying a Frosty on the road...

Mmm.

Trying to get a look at the amazing ice storm that attacked the Northeast. All along the route, trees were bent over with ice even though most of the way the ground was dry. I'd never seen such a storm.

One of the biggest blessings of this trip was getting to see my wonderful friend Angelica. We first met in 2005 while I was working in Guatemala, where she is from. Her mom was my best translator and they are both part of an amazing household of women (mom, Angelica, and four other daughters). They became my best friends outside of Tambrizap and I will forever be grateful for their kindness and sincere friendship. I was blessed to be able to visit her family both in 2006 and 2007 when I returned to Guatemala and they even came down to meet my host family in 2007 in Santa Maria Visitacion. Constantly supportive of my education and repeating how careful I should be before attaching myself to any man, Angelica's mom also instilled the same respect for education and hope for the future for her daughters. Angelica received a scholarship to come to Suffern, New York and study English in an international program at Rockland Community College and will be in the States for the next 2 years. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the emails that she was coming to the States, and then even more amazed when I read that she was going to be living in New York while I was going to be out there for graduate school. I hadn't been able to see her until now after she'd already spent almost 4 months in New York and already her English is outstanding. She's such an inspiration and I'm so grateful I got to see her. It was the blending of two worlds and I am still honestly in shock at seeing her in my own country, dressed in jeans rather than in traditional Maya textiles, and speaking English. Regardless of any other activity, I was immensely grateful to see her.

And, on top of everything, my wonderful Dave cheauffered us around and was supportive enough to sit through the entire dinner as Angelica and I spoke in Spanish and K'iche'.

After getting to Rye and finding the apartment where my friends the Bonhams generously offered for us to stay, we crashed for the night and then headed out on the morning train, straight to Grand Central Station. Not only filled with the daily bustle, we happened to arrive in time to catch an International Santa Convention, thus the sea of red velvet pouring in on the left-hand side. We stopped to ask what the commotion was all about and heard intermittent "Ho! Ho! Ho!" chants fill the immense hallway. There were your traditional bearded Santas but also a million unconventional Santas with red and green checkers, mohawks, skater pants, and everything in between.



While we were in the neighborhood, we headed over to see the very impressive headquarters of the UN. Sadly, whether due to being Saturday or whatever the reason, the flags were not on display and everything was closed off. The reflection of the skyscrapers in the windows is truly spectacular.






Directly opposite the huge U.N. building is U.N. Way, a short and arguably dingy small alleyway connecting to Grand Central. The funny thing is, rather than leading you to the U.N. building, it is a one-way street, in the opposite direction! We laughed about how the U.N. is not only so large an unapproachable as a bureaucracy but they literally build themselves out of contact but are happy to send people away into the world. It is, after all, the "U.N. Way"! Haha.


Walking around town, we passed the MetLife Building, beautifully adorned with a GIGANTIC wreath and beautiful tree.


We finally made it to the TKTS booth to hang out for Broadway tickets, and jumped in line despite the cold in hopes of getting matinee tickets. We waited for about 20 minutes only to get up to the front of the line and have the guy at the window look at us, the last two in line with nobody behind us, and be told it was 2 o'clock and they were closed and we would have to come back at 3. Thanks New York. So, furious but helpless, we jumped in line to wait for a VERY cold hour to get evening tickets. I offered to go get some food and walked up to the Olive Garden around the corner when I saw people still buying tickets at two of the TKTS windows. I was so confused and found out that, rather than having completely closed, our window was ONE of the windows that closed while they kept 2 open until changing to evening tickets at 3. I was floored. So, rather than just telling us that we had to walk 5 feet to the other window to get our matinee tickets, the wonderful ticket agent just pushed us away and claimed they were closed....thanks New York. I got up to the window and asked if they had some Cirque de Soleil tickets but they only had separate seats available. So, I continued with the lunch run as planned and, after being ridiculously overcharged but blessedly warmed by being inside, I headed over to meet Dave again in line. He was almost frozen and despite initial attempts to stick around and wait till 3, I finally convinced him to go inside somewhere and warm up. He found the Times Square Information Center and hung out there for a little while before we finally got the line moving and bought our tickets for the evening show. We immediately returned to the info center and ate our delightlfully still warm food and Dave got some McDonald's hot chocolate to speed up the dethawing process. My feet were tingling so I got them out of the cold shoes and socks and rubbed them warm while Dave attended to his hands. We really were THAT cold. Following the encounter with the TKTS agent and the frigid wind despite the sun shining, I told Dave that New York was simply too cold. He agreed and added, "and not just the weather."



Here is Dave inside the Times Square Info center in front of the famous New Year's Eve ball that will drop over Times Square this year. Glistening with Waterford Crystal and brilliantly shining various designs and many colors, it was cool to see the ball up close.

Even after a half hour of rest time, I was still cold.

We had a couple of hours before the show started, so we decided to check out some of the big shops there at Times Square. We headed into the M & M's factory and bought some cheesy but warm hats at a corner news stand.

We then saw the Hershey's store and headed down the street on our way to the big tree at Rockefeller Center. Here is the famous Radio City Music Hall.

Me at the big tree. Gigantic and full of lights, it was a beautiful sight in the midst of the very cold NYC. Honestly, though, I had expected more than just lights and was sad to see no ornaments or other decorations but just multicolored lights. But, the sheer size of the tree was cool.

Yeah, we look like nerdy tourists, but we were a LOT warmer.

Heading down to Madison Square Garden to get to the show.

Meandering through the theater district, I found this dedication to Les Mes, one of my absolutely favorite musicals.




At the Garden to see Cirque de Soleil! It was a very unique show incorporating an urban theme with BMX biking and roller blading with traditional circus tricks of trapeze acts and gymnastics. Live energetic music and a quirky mystical atmosphere accompanied the physical feats and I enjoyed the show. I struggled to identify with the urban setting and thought that I would have liked a more plot-driven show than the helter-skelter antics of big dogs and big birds circling cops and robbers. But, it was still entertaining and Dave and I relished in the chance to sit down in a warm theater and just relax next to each other. In the end, we got covered in a flurry of paper snowflakes pouring down from the ceiling.

We finished out the night getting back on a train to Rye and went straight to bed, up early on Sunday to return on the 4 hour drive to Syracuse, arriving just as sacrament meeting began. It was a WONDERFUL trip and even with the cold we were really blessed to have safe roads and safe accomodations. Thanks Bonhams for the apartment, thanks Angelica for the great visit, and thanks Dave for a perfect end-of-semester send-off.

reflections on...New York City

Living in Syracuse, New York, the whole world thinks that I am living in downtown New York City. But, living upstate is about a 4 hour drive from "the City" as everyone refers to it. But, being 4 hours away is still dramatically closer than Utah and I had to take advantage of the proximity to go tour one of the world's largest and most lively cities. So, on Black Friday right after Thanksgiving, Dave and I jumped on a train from Princeton Junction and headed into the City to tour around. We spent a whirlwind day touring the city, lucky enough to have good weather and not too much cold wind.

We started out the day atop the famous Empire State Building. With the twin towers no longer dominating the skyline, the view from the 86th floor of the ESB was the hottest view in town. It was bitterly cold that high up and it took us more than half an hour to just venture through all the maze of lines and elevators to get there but it was a great start to my first time in the City.

One of the amazing views of the towering skyscrapers of NYC.


We then jumped on the subway and headed down to the harbor to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Here we are at Battery Park just before walking down to the harbor.

I love this shot. Off in the distance is the famous Statue of Liberty. It was a lot smaller than I had imagined from all the years of seeing pictures of it. One of the symbols of American heritage and a monument to the rich immigrant history of our country, I can only imagine what it would have been like to be heading into a new land on a tired boat crossing the great Atlantic Ocean, and, just as you land, you look up to see the eternal flame of a motherly figure welcoming you to a new land. As the boatloads of immigrants poured into the harbor, they integrated into a new way of life, a new language, new foods, and a new land full of opportunity and discovery. It's interesting in light of the shift in immigration mentalities today and the waves that had once come looking to settle permanently and raise their families with the American Dream have devolved into transient labor forces merely seeking work. It was a great site to visit.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get on the ferry right away to get a closer look and saved our tickets for later in the afternoon. We did, however, get this view of an up-and-coming statue lookalike offering pictures for a price. I snapped some clandestine shots and we headed to the streets to walk up to Ground Zero.

On our way, we ran into the famous Bull of Wall Street. You can't see it in this shot, but behind the bull was a big celebration for Albanian Independence Day. As we strolled around, we could hear the echoes of shouts of "USA! USA!" as the 30 or so Albanians in the crowd celebrated their heritage while in a new home.

Here we encountered the famous Trinity Church at Wall Street and Broadway. For more action-filled commentary you should check out the new National Treasure movie.




This is Ground Zero, once home of the World Trade Center towers destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001. I remember that day with vivid detail. While I didn''t have any friends or family that suffered in the attacks, I nonetheless remember the effects of fear and uncertainty that plagued the country following the attacks. There was nothing to "see" at the site, just a block long perimeter and the peeking necks of the construction cranes rising above the walls. The feeling of emptiness was almost palpable and it was truly a sobering site.

As we walked down the barricaded empty pit, I caught sight of the fire station, home of Engine co. 10, one of the most devastated companies in all of NYC as a result of the attacks.

We were lucky enough to see one of their trucks coming back to the station, complete with a bold American flag on the side and "We support our troops" etched across the windshield.

Most poignantly, the side of the fire house was dedicated to the memory of those killed in the attacks, emblazoned in a copper mural showing firefighters and other responders during 9/11 with the buildings on fire and people streaming out. Really a powerful depiction especially as you turn your shoulder and look at the actual Ground Zero across the street.

Almighty Kristine holds up a multi-ton sculpture!


We headed to Chinatown for lunch...that is after every single corner cop failed to give us directions. Apparently, nobody knows how to go anywhere in the city, including Chinatown. So, every time we tried to approach somebody and ask which way was best, instead of just being cold and refusing to tell us anything, it was always "uh, Chinatown? Yeah, maybe you should like take the subway or something." We finally made it thanks to a homeless man accompanying a cop...note NOT thanks to the cop but the homeless man...and then headed to a restaurant recommended as one of the best Chinese joints in town. It was packed and we huddled against the cold at the door until we were seated, but had a great, authentic Chinese lunch before heading uptown.

Times Square in all its glory. The whole area was JAM PACKED and teeming with people carrying inordinate amounts of shopping bags from Black Friday. I was admittedly overwhelmed by the amount of neon shining down on me...and it was still day time! We waddled along with the crowds and attempted to get in line for the TKTS discount Broadway tickets...but the line was more than 2 hours long and the windows had just opened so were unlikely to get any good tickets. We decided to head back to the Statue of Liberty and opt for a Broadway show another weekend.

After RACING through the park to make it onto the ferry, we had to convince the workers that they should actually let us on as they were already pulling up the gangplank. We had gotten tickets for the ferry that stops on the island and lets you walk around the statue but the ferry that we were trying to board just did a sweeping tour of the harbor without stopping. So, the worker tried to deny our tickets and I just yelled "I don't CARE if you don't stop, just let us on!" and they finally conceded and we made it just as the sun began to set. It was freezing atop the open-air ferry and once we made the run past the the statue, we headed down inside the ferry and grabbed some hot chocolate while we listened to the rest of the history of buildings around the harbor. I like this picture with the sun hitting the buildings. The big clock is a 55-ft wide dial that used to stand atop the Colgate building.


A view from the boat.

A last minute shot before my camera battery died..and the sun went down.

We then fit in some shopping at Ann Taylor Loft and took advantage of some of the amazing deals before jumping back on the train and returning to New Jersey. It was a GREAT trip and while I am more thoroughly convinced that I do NOT want to live in the City, I'm glad that I got to visit.

reflecions on...Thanksgiving

Those of you that know me will find it no surprise that I am extremely late in updating this blog. So, regardless of the timeliness of the update, at least I'm getting things recorded right?

Thanks to a few days off from class and a generous invitation from Dave's family, I went on a trip to New Jersey and visited Dave's Aunt Celeste and Uncle Mike in Princeton Station. We spent a couple of very chill and fun days with his immediate and extended family. In classic Thanksgiving tradition, there was a lot of great food, plenty of games, and even organized competitions for pool, ping-pong, and fooseball champions. It's almost inspiring to see a family as competitive (well maybe not quite as competitive) as mine. We watched some football (complete with Dave's dad Marc continuing his attempts to convert me to Cowboy fanship), saw some great movies, and had a great time just hanging out and getting to know what everyone had been up to. Dave's family was incredibly open and welcoming and despite the lack of studying and my gigantic report that was due right after we got back to Syracuse, I thoroughly enjoyed the time off alongside great company. We also got to spend a day in NYC but I'll be showing that in a separate entry...Sadly, I got seriously sick on the drive home and am still nursing the sore throat and congested sinuses that resulted. But, thankfully, it didn't hit me until Saturday morning and we spent most of the day driving back so I got to sleep in the backseat and didn't miss any of the party. Here are some highlights:


The whole gang playing cards.


Check out the food!! And, if you look beneath the scrumptious selection, you'll also see the beautiful granite countertops, part of the newly remodeled kitchen.


Not only was there turkey and all the trimmings, but Dave's mom Kathy provided this amazing caramel cheesecake, one of many amazing desserts. I think we all gained at least a couple pounds that weekend...


Mike, a constant jokester and life of the party whipped out his extending fork to sample the plates around him. Good times.

Dave and I relaxing and enjoying the time off.

The most important part of Thanksgiving of course is remembering what we are thankful for. I, for one, know that I have been greatly blessed and I am happy to be able to recognize those blessings. So, while this list can by no means be comprehensive and I could continue listing in much greater detail for a long time, I do want to highlight some of the greater blessings from this year.

I'm grateful for (in no particular order):
Good friends, especially those in foreign lands that accepted me into their culture and aided me in my research, my travels, and my personal trials.

Education, particularly the language skills that have opened the doors for my future career and past experiences. And, going along with that, I'm grateful for graduating this year! And, more recently, thankful for the new skills I'm acquiring in my graduate program.

Family, both my immediate family and ancestors that have left good examples for me to follow. This year I gained another niece while I was slaving away at my first semester of graduate school and I got to meet her in October. I am grateful for my growing family and also for my future family which motivates me to keep studying and keep developing myself so that I can be a good mother someday.

Safety and Security. Coming back from Paraguay this year, I realize again just how blessed we are to live in a country where you can trust the cops, don't have to bribe everybody, have safe roads and safe sidewalks, and where justice and the law are respected. Along with that, I'm grateful for a warm bed and a clean dry home to stay in every night.

Most importantly of all, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to know that God lives and that His son Jesus Christ truly did sacrifice himself so that we could return to our Heavenly Father someday. This knowledge directs my entire life and provides perspective for all the other wonderful blessings in my life that come from God.

Again, the list could go on, but I at least wanted to highlight some of what I feel at this reflective time of year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Reflections on...FOOTBALL!!!

As I sit updating my blog and going web research I am listening to the live audio stream of BYU football!! A personal favorite hobby and something I have sincerely missed while living abroad, I just wanted to say that I LOVE FOOTBALL!! For all those that have not discovered the adrenaline-run, strategy-filled, hard-hitting, nail-biting action of college Football, I invite you to visit http://www.ncaafootball.com/ and pick your favorite team. Granted, it's the end of the season and there won't be much action left...but you can still get into the bowl bids and conference championships...and then finish out the year with some pro football action leading up to the Super Bowl in January. Oh, and while I'm at it and before the game ends...just a shout out to my fellow BYU fans---GO COUGARS!!

Howe Caverns

On a weekend day-trip, Dave took me to a great little spot called Howe Caverns. After about a 2 1/2 hour trip towards Albany in the pouring rain and a quick stop at Burger King, we finally made it to the caverns. By the way, Burger King started this new thing where the tray liners are replete with "health information" for all the food on their menu...DON'T read it if you ever wish to eat fast food again in your life!! After seeing a hamburger listed with 85g of fat and 1300 mg of sodium, I wished I had packed a lunch. Anyway, we made it back to the freeway and then drove along a series of random country roads that made me grateful Dave has GPS in his car. I can't imagine how people got around in the back country without handy-dandy GPS directions!!

Arriving at Howe Caverns, we got our tickets and waited for the next tour while we wandered through the gift shop and oggled the mounds of homemade fudge for sale. The tour started by descending a HUGE 158 ft elevator shaft and entering the cave. Touristy and developed, it's far from real spelunking, but we had a blast taking funny pictures and playing to see who be the first to spot any cave gremlins. There was a lot of artificial lighting (along with rows of algae and other microlife responding to that lighting), brick-paved trails complete with steel handrails, and plenty of rsting stops along the way for those visitors that just couldn't hack being on their feet for the 80 minute tour. Dave joked about all the "naturally-formed" handrails, electrical chords, and emergency phones. We were a part of a small group of about 30 people following a sarcastic tour guide who recited the history of the cave's discovery, the number of weddings that had been performed on the heart-stone "bride altar," and random stories about what the formations supposedly look like.

Enjoy the pics!!
WELCOME!!

Some of the stalactites (remember that stalacTITEs hang TIGHT to the ceiling and stalagMITEs lay low to the ground)


Looking down the cave


The tour included a 15-minute boat ride...kinda reminded me of being with Willy Wonka though.


Looking down the underground river from the boat


The biggest formation in the cave...the Pipe Organ (and Dave...not typically included as part of the formation but he just fit in so well!)


Playing some more with the formations


Looking up...anyone up for some rock climbing??


The most narrow part of the trail...picturesque!!

Taking a break...


Me alongside the largest free-standing formation in the cave.