Wow... I haven't blogged in a while - since March, actually. School always got in the way, what with the AP exams that drew near and my senior year of high school at the Academy of American Studies coming to its end.
I miss those days. Just when you get comfortable, being confident, knowing your place and your surroundings, you have to leave and embark on a new journey - a scary one. Thank goodness I had Priscilla with me. It's pretty funny how we actually signed up for the same block program at Hunter College. We have Psych, Philosophy, and FYS (first-year seminar... It's not really a class in my view, but rather an extended orientation) together. She's lucky she was able to get the credit for AP English, so instead of taking Engl 120, she's taking Intro to Sociology instead. I still have to take it, but I got credit for Engl 220. What bites is the fact that I scored a 4 on the AP European History Exam, and I can't even get credit for it. I was hoping that if I did get it, it would count towards the General Education Requirement (aka GER). But oh well, I guess.
My first week at Hunter has been pretty interesting so far. I like my classes, although it was a bit hard to catch up with some of them due to the fact that I didn't have Internet access at home for about a couple of days this past week.
Anyway, I just figured I'd start a new blog instead of holding on to my old one, since my life has now taken a new turn. Speaking of which, I recently came up with a new quote:
"Get lost to find yourself."
That pretty much became part of my philosophy after a bunch of experiences exploring the city with my friends. Most people fear getting lost because it means losing their sense of control. But it takes a lot more courage to willingly accept it. The point is - it's better finding your way than finding your way out. I suppose that doesn't really make sense. But in my head it does.
I guess what I mean to say is that - not to sound cliche, but it's true - the journey's more important than the destination.
Take today for instance. Priscilla and I have long breaks on Mondays and Thursdays in between our 2 classes. It wasn't just long - it was about 3-4 hours of torturous freedom. Ironic? Well, freedom would be "torturous" if you had no idea what to do with it. So we wandered around the college library, wondering why most of the materials looked like old reference books instead of anything eye-catching or interesting. Nothing really screamed, "Read me!" to either of us, so we decided to venture outside.
Eventually, we decided to go to Central Park, seeking a tranquil natural atmosphere. We talked for about an hour, watching people who looked like tourists snap digital photos from their cameras. We even cracked a joke about ourselves - the irony that we've lived in New York for most of our lives and still lose our sense of direction. Little did we know that it was actually a foreshadowing.
We figured that we'd leave the park at 2:15 to get to our 2:45 Psychology class on time. Priscilla pointed out a pathway that seemed like a shortcut, so I just followed along. It was a long trek out of the park, and we soon found ourselves on 65th St. and Central Park West. The fact that the street sign said "West" should have rang warning bells inside our heads. But instead, Priscilla and I walked all the way to Lincoln Center, where the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts stood right across the street. Did it occur to me that we may be lost?
Not by a longshot. I got too excited that even Priscilla started laughing. So we crossed the street toward the direction of 68th St., thinking that once we hit it we'd be somewhere near Hunter. So much for wishful thinking... We ended up on Amsterdam Ave.
That's when it finally hit us: We were screwed.
We didn't panic, although our adrenaline sure kicked in, pumping through our systems in our determination to get back to where we started. All I knew was that as long as we were near 68th and Lexington, we were safe.
Priscilla worked up enough nerve to ask a group of guys strolling in front of us (who were either college students or high school seniors cutting class) if they knew where the college was located. One of them, who looked about thirteen-fourteen years old turned around and nodded with a casual "Hey." Pris and I just exchanged looks - it was all we could do not to laugh at that very moment. After what must have been four blocks, we decided to ask a security guard in front of one of the residential buildings for directions.
"It's on 86th St.," he said, scratching his head. Apparently, he wasn't too sure himself, so he asked a resident on his way out if he knew where Hunter College was located.
"You have to walk straight through the park," the resident said, pointing across the street where the greenery greeted us once more.
Once more, Priscilla and I walked straight through Central Park on pavement that had a tendency to curl. We felt like joggers wet with perspiration, but without the running. We reached 71st St. when an old, toothless man looked at Pris and said, "You look like my future wife." We just walked faster, shuddering and laughing it off once out of earshot. Like the Little Engine that Could, a single thought kept popping up in my mind: We're almost there!
Despite the weariness and the weirdness, my excitement managed to pique up when I saw the Asia Society on 70th and Park, a place neither of us has been to yet. I kept it in my mind for later, a visit sometime in the near future.
By the time we found our seats in the back of the Assembly Hall in the North building, it was already 3:05, about 20 minutes into the class. Luckily we didn't miss much, thanks to the notes on the reading that we reviewed before deciding to explore the library (and the rest of NYC, it seems). It felt good to sit there after our little adventure. Air conditioning and cushioned seats had never felt better.
If it was someone else lost and confused, frustration and panic would have conquered. But Priscilla and I handled the situation pretty well. Sometimes wandering around can lead you to something you never expected to see. Okay, so we killed two birds with one stone - finding our way back while also seeing a few of the interesting sites on the list handed out to us during FYS the day before. At least we know now where to go to fulfill our "In a New York Minute" (Hunter's current theme for its students) assignments.
Heh... Who knew?
Getting lost "in a New York Minute" was well worth it.
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