Being "PC" or politically correct is a difficult thing to accomplish 24/7. Someone is always getting offended and as Avenue Q puts it, "everybody's a little bit racist". If you have not seen Avenue Q it is hilarious and consequently is playing Off Broadway in this lovely city that I live. Being politically correct in the field of social work is especially important, but how does one keep up with the ever-changing terminology? This thought invaded my head when I was in class the other day and my professor informed us that one must not say "committed suicide", that is no longer a "PC" way to say it. Who knew? Saying that someone committed suicide places blame where blame should not be placed. Instead the politically correct way to say it is, "died by suicide". So in the unlikely and saddening case that you need to know this, consider yourself informed and see a social worker for a bereavement group.
In other, more upbeat news, I am still alive and well. I have been busy with school where we changed over classes and got tragically split up! In a less dramatic way, we are all now in our "methods" (me in clinical, others in policy, etc etc.). I have the same ridiculous professor who is now teaching us about couples and family counseling. A little different than the DSM class we had, and yet I am still analyzing my own life as we learn about the appropriate way to counsel couples and families. It is a little less depressing than diagnosing myself with schizophrenia though I'd say (haha). I love this class though and feel that I am learning a ton, not to mention we are the only section that does not have piles of reading each night, lucky ducks that we are!
The issue with not having tons of reading though is this feeling of unrest that I have starting at NOON. That is a little early for me to be bored and yet I make it happen. I am so not used to this lack of schedule that we have going on. So I go to the gym, but an hour later now what do I do with myself? I read 50 Shades of Grey is what I do. Yes, I am declaring that in my blog for all to see. I have succumbed. But do not fret, I am analyzing from a social work perspective each character in the book. Maybe I'll write you an in-depth analysis of them after I finish all three, haha just kidding. But seriously maybe I will.
In this city that never sleeps though you get this constant feeling of, "holy cow should I be doing something?", "what zoos, aquariums, and museums are free for me today?", and "how can I be bored when I am in New York City?". Don't worry though, the Bronx Zoo is free Wednesdays, the MoMa is free with your Columbia ID, and the aquarium is free after 3:00 on Fridays. In case you wanted a play by play of the rest of my poor-college-student week and in case you live here and want free things to do! Oh also it's not technically free, but it's suggested donation and I am suggesting a $0 donation.
Until next time, something I learned this week was to not drink all of the free mimosas that you can at drunk brunch for risk that you will in fact, be hungover at 6:00pm and not happy about it as well as you might buy a $30 calendar from Paper Source because you have drank as many free mimosas as your bladder and the bartender will serve. Sigh, lesson learned.
x's and o's and lots of missing you all (still in need of a cool way to sign off and there have still not been any good suggestions. I am disappointed in you friends),
-Mandihattan
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
4:00am
4:00am, this is a normal time for New Yorkers to stay out on the weekends, shoot even on the weekdays! It's 4:00am and you are not alone on the subway. It's 4:00am and you are definitely not alone at the closest pizza place. Shameless. Pizza slices the size of your face, I'm all over that at 4:00am. Now for those of you who know me you know that if I am not out of my house by 9:30-10:00pm then I am not budging from my comfy spot on the couch. But here in the big apple is a whole different story! I have been here for 2 weeks now and 4:00am is now an acceptable time for me to roll in to my apartment and crash, literally toss shoes and crash face first into my pillow! Side note: I never do it when I have class the next day alright? I am no freshmen in college anymore! I am a grad student people, I have dignity! Or something like that.
In other news, school is going well, that is why I am here right?! Not to go out until 4:00am, but come on, it's still summer okay? We ex-quarter schedule people are not in school mode until September so give me a break! Also I can only eat pizza slices the size of my face for so long, at least until my metabolism catches up with me! We finished our first session of learning about the DSM-IV and learning how to diagnose clients. It was so interesting, I cannot believe how much I have learned already! But I am glad that part is done and over with, test and all! I hated sitting in class diagnosing myself with every mental illness in the book! Haha, but seriously I did that.
Our next session is on group work and the art of leading groups. I say it is an art because it really is! There are so many things you can say or do wrong in leading a group so it is important to have this information pounded into your head until you're blue in the face. That metaphor didn't match perfectly, but you get my drift. I absolutely LOVE this professor, I think all of us do, let's be real. He's hilarious. He's a New Yorker, from Brooklyn born and raised and he has the accent and mouth to prove it. Here's a few fun quotes directly from him, don't mind the swearing mom and grandparents, it's normal here and he's in his 60s, which makes it even more outrageous!
-Upon introducing himself, "I swear a lot and if you come from a place that you aren't used to that, then fuck you."
-Discussing how as a group leader we must tell ourselves, "keep your mouth shut you moron."
-On social workers, "we are boo boo kissers" & "social workers love, love"
-On self care for our difficult jobs, "I always sugest running, exercise, and making passionate love in the afternoon."
Those are just some of the best ones. I've been keeping a running list just for you! More to come on this hilarious professor and the role play exercise that a group of us randomly got trapped into doing on Monday! Yeesh!
Today I went to the MoMA (Modern Museum of Art) with some friends (Yes, I still have friends who are just delightful!) and walked around until we all did not even have the energy to talk anymore. Art sure does take it out of you doesn't it!?
What I really think we need to talk about is the weather. Now, East Coast summers. Woah. They are not kidding about them are they!? No one is joking around when you wake up sweating and not from a bad dream, but from the severe heat seeping into your 3rd floor, not air conditioned, New York apartment. I get warm just from walking the 5 steps from my room to the bathroom! It is that ridiculous. I have two fans in my room, one directly clipped onto my bed and the other in the window and let me tell you, the heat is winning. Mother nature, you win. Now that I surrender we can move on right? I want to drink pumpkin spice lattes, wear boots, dig out my three thousand scarves, and watch the beautiful fall leaves change colors. But then let's stop there right? Let's not speed into winter, but yes, let's speed into fall because I cannot stick my head in the freezer for much longer! I am melting away over here people!
Anyways, I miss you all dearly. I cannot believe I have been here for 2 weeks! I cannot decide if time is going fast or slow, that's a strange feeling isn't it?
Hakuna matata,
Mandihattan
(I do not think hakuna matata is a keeper, but I figure I have 10 months to think of something creative sheesh!)
In other news, school is going well, that is why I am here right?! Not to go out until 4:00am, but come on, it's still summer okay? We ex-quarter schedule people are not in school mode until September so give me a break! Also I can only eat pizza slices the size of my face for so long, at least until my metabolism catches up with me! We finished our first session of learning about the DSM-IV and learning how to diagnose clients. It was so interesting, I cannot believe how much I have learned already! But I am glad that part is done and over with, test and all! I hated sitting in class diagnosing myself with every mental illness in the book! Haha, but seriously I did that.
Our next session is on group work and the art of leading groups. I say it is an art because it really is! There are so many things you can say or do wrong in leading a group so it is important to have this information pounded into your head until you're blue in the face. That metaphor didn't match perfectly, but you get my drift. I absolutely LOVE this professor, I think all of us do, let's be real. He's hilarious. He's a New Yorker, from Brooklyn born and raised and he has the accent and mouth to prove it. Here's a few fun quotes directly from him, don't mind the swearing mom and grandparents, it's normal here and he's in his 60s, which makes it even more outrageous!
-Upon introducing himself, "I swear a lot and if you come from a place that you aren't used to that, then fuck you."
-Discussing how as a group leader we must tell ourselves, "keep your mouth shut you moron."
-On social workers, "we are boo boo kissers" & "social workers love, love"
-On self care for our difficult jobs, "I always sugest running, exercise, and making passionate love in the afternoon."
Those are just some of the best ones. I've been keeping a running list just for you! More to come on this hilarious professor and the role play exercise that a group of us randomly got trapped into doing on Monday! Yeesh!
Today I went to the MoMA (Modern Museum of Art) with some friends (Yes, I still have friends who are just delightful!) and walked around until we all did not even have the energy to talk anymore. Art sure does take it out of you doesn't it!?
What I really think we need to talk about is the weather. Now, East Coast summers. Woah. They are not kidding about them are they!? No one is joking around when you wake up sweating and not from a bad dream, but from the severe heat seeping into your 3rd floor, not air conditioned, New York apartment. I get warm just from walking the 5 steps from my room to the bathroom! It is that ridiculous. I have two fans in my room, one directly clipped onto my bed and the other in the window and let me tell you, the heat is winning. Mother nature, you win. Now that I surrender we can move on right? I want to drink pumpkin spice lattes, wear boots, dig out my three thousand scarves, and watch the beautiful fall leaves change colors. But then let's stop there right? Let's not speed into winter, but yes, let's speed into fall because I cannot stick my head in the freezer for much longer! I am melting away over here people!
Anyways, I miss you all dearly. I cannot believe I have been here for 2 weeks! I cannot decide if time is going fast or slow, that's a strange feeling isn't it?
Hakuna matata,
Mandihattan
(I do not think hakuna matata is a keeper, but I figure I have 10 months to think of something creative sheesh!)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Overwhelmed
Pronounced, overhhwhhelmed. If you have not seen Hot Rod, this hhwhhill not make sense to you.
In other news, I made it. I made it to the big apple, the city that never sleeps, the greatest city in the world, New York City that is! Here is what the past week has been like for me. I want you to know, that I am sitting in the dark in my room with a fan literally in my face. I'd be dying otherwise. Talk about no air conditioning in the middle of an East Coast summer, YEESH! Anyway.
I left on Sunday evening, the redeye flight on Delta airlines. If you have never flown Delta airlines, please do not start now, they are an incredibly terrible airline. They charge for every bag ($25, $35, $125 respectively) therefore moving across the country and checking bags, is not an option. Secondly, they charge $90 on top of the $25 for an overweight bag, whether you cry in front of them or not (this did happen and I still paid $150 for my trip). Anyway, I got on the plane at 11:10pm and arrived at JFK at 7:00am. I got my bags and stumbled around JFK to find myself my first New York taxi (well first since I moved here that is). I negotiated a $50 taxi ride and made it safely to my apartment by 8:30am. Now, you should know that orientation for the MSW program started at 9:00am, just 30 minutes later. BUT! There was more to be done! I got let in by my new roommates and then dropped my stuff and ran to the housing office where I was to fill out and sign my lease and then get my keys from my "super". About an hour later I walked across the street(!!!! so close!!) to the social work building for my LONG day of orientation, which I was fashionably 30 minutes late for.
Orientation was extremely long and extremely boring, but all of the professors and faculty members were the sweetest. You can always count on that in social work! :) Orientation dragged on from 9:00-5:30pm, no joke, but at least we got free New York pizza for lunch! Om nom nom. After orientation they held a happy hour for all of the new advanced standing students at this bar called Havana Central where we got 2 free beers/wine/well drinks (Blue Moon in my case) as well as bomb appetizers (empanadas, yes please). It was a fun time getting to know other people, there are only 2 guys in my program and then everyone is from literally everywhere. One is from Burma! Awesome! Another is from Nepal and another from South Africa! After happy hour, I am sure you can imagine that I was EXHAUSTED. So naturally I stayed up too late and then crashed hardcore into the most uncomfortable twin size dorm bed ever.
A little info about my apartment now. My apartment is an over 100 year old building literally across the street, LITERALLY ACROSS THE STREET (it's really awesome so should be emphasized) from the social work building. I have a room about the size of my junior year room so that's nice! It's fully furnished and I live with 2 other girls in my program, but with different methods of concentration. We have one bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a guest bedroom!! So please feel free to visit, you will get nice accommodations. I love my apartment because it's silly and old and very New York although my room gets like no daylight, so that's depressing, but whatever I do not plan to be in my room much. I have a lovely view of a brick wall, classy huh?
The rest of the week has been jam packed with classes, I am taking two: one from 9:00-12:00 on M,T,W,Th and one from 2:00-4:00 on T, W. Both of my professors are really great and I am learning a lot already! Right now we are studying the DSM-IV and learning to diagnose and prescribe medications (even though I cannot prescribe technically), so that's really interesting and stuff I have never learned about! 9:00am is pretty early to start talking about psychotic disorders though, heavy stuff! We all start diagnosing ourselves with schizophrenia! Eek! Just kidding, but seriously it's intense. There are 54 girls (well and 2 boys) in my program and we will have this schedule for the next 4 weeks, then we get a week off (Hamptons anyone?!) and then we start fall SEMESTER (semesters?! what is this!?).
I am having a good time, but am definitely missing Seattle and all of my friends like crazy! New York is no Seattle, I don't care what anyone says! There are pidgins everywhere! It really is gross haha. And they don't recycle or compost and they leave their trash on the side of the road. People go overboard with using their horns so honking is constant and everyone is super pushy and quick, which I actually really like. I love how they are so blunt and like yelling at you, it keeps me on my toes and I just laugh because I'm such a mess always! Oh yeah and no one takes debit cards around here without a minimum, so cash is a necessity, which is kind of annoying.
I ventured out to Trader Joe's today on the 1 subway, where I purchased all of my favorite foods and got my monthly metro pass for $104. Basically I've spent my life savings already hahaha just kidding, but seriously. Then I went to Central Park and wandered around for a bit with some friends that I've made! Yay for not being a complete loner! I took the C subway there. After Central Park we of course needed to stop at the Pinkberry because we were dying of heat and exhaustion and well, we needed frozen yogurt.
All in all, I have been doing well for these first 4 days. I definitely have felt overwhelmed and out of place, but I think it will get better. Classes have been interesting, I've had homework every night, and I have begun exploring the city that I still cannot believe I am lucky enough to live in. I still cannot believe I go to school at Columbia University and am constantly in awe of who have walked the halls before me, I have some big shoes to fill! Sorry this was a long post, if you have made it this far then I am sure you are missing me insanely, HAHA just kidding! But anyway, I hope I can make contact with each of you soon, sorry if I've fallen off the Earth this week, I'm just trying to keep my head above water. I'll update again next week! I'll try to be an actually good blogger and next time I will even add pictures! I miss you all dearly and am thinking of you constantly.
Xoxo,
Gossip girl.
Hahaha just kidding, I really need to sign my blogs in a clever way... :/
-Mandihattan
In other news, I made it. I made it to the big apple, the city that never sleeps, the greatest city in the world, New York City that is! Here is what the past week has been like for me. I want you to know, that I am sitting in the dark in my room with a fan literally in my face. I'd be dying otherwise. Talk about no air conditioning in the middle of an East Coast summer, YEESH! Anyway.
I left on Sunday evening, the redeye flight on Delta airlines. If you have never flown Delta airlines, please do not start now, they are an incredibly terrible airline. They charge for every bag ($25, $35, $125 respectively) therefore moving across the country and checking bags, is not an option. Secondly, they charge $90 on top of the $25 for an overweight bag, whether you cry in front of them or not (this did happen and I still paid $150 for my trip). Anyway, I got on the plane at 11:10pm and arrived at JFK at 7:00am. I got my bags and stumbled around JFK to find myself my first New York taxi (well first since I moved here that is). I negotiated a $50 taxi ride and made it safely to my apartment by 8:30am. Now, you should know that orientation for the MSW program started at 9:00am, just 30 minutes later. BUT! There was more to be done! I got let in by my new roommates and then dropped my stuff and ran to the housing office where I was to fill out and sign my lease and then get my keys from my "super". About an hour later I walked across the street(!!!! so close!!) to the social work building for my LONG day of orientation, which I was fashionably 30 minutes late for.
Orientation was extremely long and extremely boring, but all of the professors and faculty members were the sweetest. You can always count on that in social work! :) Orientation dragged on from 9:00-5:30pm, no joke, but at least we got free New York pizza for lunch! Om nom nom. After orientation they held a happy hour for all of the new advanced standing students at this bar called Havana Central where we got 2 free beers/wine/well drinks (Blue Moon in my case) as well as bomb appetizers (empanadas, yes please). It was a fun time getting to know other people, there are only 2 guys in my program and then everyone is from literally everywhere. One is from Burma! Awesome! Another is from Nepal and another from South Africa! After happy hour, I am sure you can imagine that I was EXHAUSTED. So naturally I stayed up too late and then crashed hardcore into the most uncomfortable twin size dorm bed ever.
A little info about my apartment now. My apartment is an over 100 year old building literally across the street, LITERALLY ACROSS THE STREET (it's really awesome so should be emphasized) from the social work building. I have a room about the size of my junior year room so that's nice! It's fully furnished and I live with 2 other girls in my program, but with different methods of concentration. We have one bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a guest bedroom!! So please feel free to visit, you will get nice accommodations. I love my apartment because it's silly and old and very New York although my room gets like no daylight, so that's depressing, but whatever I do not plan to be in my room much. I have a lovely view of a brick wall, classy huh?
The rest of the week has been jam packed with classes, I am taking two: one from 9:00-12:00 on M,T,W,Th and one from 2:00-4:00 on T, W. Both of my professors are really great and I am learning a lot already! Right now we are studying the DSM-IV and learning to diagnose and prescribe medications (even though I cannot prescribe technically), so that's really interesting and stuff I have never learned about! 9:00am is pretty early to start talking about psychotic disorders though, heavy stuff! We all start diagnosing ourselves with schizophrenia! Eek! Just kidding, but seriously it's intense. There are 54 girls (well and 2 boys) in my program and we will have this schedule for the next 4 weeks, then we get a week off (Hamptons anyone?!) and then we start fall SEMESTER (semesters?! what is this!?).
I am having a good time, but am definitely missing Seattle and all of my friends like crazy! New York is no Seattle, I don't care what anyone says! There are pidgins everywhere! It really is gross haha. And they don't recycle or compost and they leave their trash on the side of the road. People go overboard with using their horns so honking is constant and everyone is super pushy and quick, which I actually really like. I love how they are so blunt and like yelling at you, it keeps me on my toes and I just laugh because I'm such a mess always! Oh yeah and no one takes debit cards around here without a minimum, so cash is a necessity, which is kind of annoying.
I ventured out to Trader Joe's today on the 1 subway, where I purchased all of my favorite foods and got my monthly metro pass for $104. Basically I've spent my life savings already hahaha just kidding, but seriously. Then I went to Central Park and wandered around for a bit with some friends that I've made! Yay for not being a complete loner! I took the C subway there. After Central Park we of course needed to stop at the Pinkberry because we were dying of heat and exhaustion and well, we needed frozen yogurt.
All in all, I have been doing well for these first 4 days. I definitely have felt overwhelmed and out of place, but I think it will get better. Classes have been interesting, I've had homework every night, and I have begun exploring the city that I still cannot believe I am lucky enough to live in. I still cannot believe I go to school at Columbia University and am constantly in awe of who have walked the halls before me, I have some big shoes to fill! Sorry this was a long post, if you have made it this far then I am sure you are missing me insanely, HAHA just kidding! But anyway, I hope I can make contact with each of you soon, sorry if I've fallen off the Earth this week, I'm just trying to keep my head above water. I'll update again next week! I'll try to be an actually good blogger and next time I will even add pictures! I miss you all dearly and am thinking of you constantly.
Xoxo,
Gossip girl.
Hahaha just kidding, I really need to sign my blogs in a clever way... :/
-Mandihattan
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