The Apartment Application

Today was a pretty packed day. Here is my schedule:

8am wake up
8:30am leave to work
9-10:50am work at office
10:55-11:05am Introduce coach (as a mentor)
11:10am-12:30pm work with AB
12:30-1pm lunch
1-2pm work at office
2-2:30pm meeting with IT
2:30-3:30pm work at office
3:30-4:15pm meeting with GRF & AB
4:15-5pm meeting with Coach
5-5:530 meet with real estate office

So filling out and gathering all the paperwork for the apartment we applied for was stressful. We put a $1,000 deposit, $100 of which is non-refundable. Putting down that much money was nerve racking.
I was so tired by the end of the day that we just ordered a pizza. It was okay. Eh.

The Orientation at Pace University

Woke up super early to get ready for Alex's orientation. I don't know how he will do the commute to school, but I'm sure he'll survive. Got there and already greeted with gifts. We had a tour of the main building of the NYC campus and then ate breakfast. Then we were split into groups: students & students' family. I was excited to learn more about Pace and all the wonderful things they offer. For one, they provide unlimited free visits to the counseling center, free software & electronics repair (which would be a good place for Alex to do his workstudy), and the reputation of having the highest average earning upon graduation in the NYC metropolitan area! Then we meet up again to eat the assorted sandwiches they had and to look at all the groups they have on campus.

Coat hangs in the classrooms for cold winters!

After lunch, he went to register for classes and I walkd around the city to window shop. I did end up buying some earrings that were only $2.99! Tip: just because a store may look expensive, don't just assume it is. I almost didn't walk into the store I got the earrings from because it looked pricey, but I'm glad I did. I want to go back and maybe get clothes next time. Meanwhile, Alex got a chance to register for his classes and get everything figured out. I am so proud of and happy for him! He's going to have a great experience.

After his orientation ended, we went to Gray's Papaya for hot dogs and a small papaya drink. The dogs were very good, but the drink was little too creamy for my taste.

We crossed the street to go to a community garden and I realized it looked very similar to the one where Miranda & Steven from SATC got married! It was very pretty!!

THEN, we went to the Bronx to look at 3 apartments in one building. We really liked then, especially for $975 a month. We plan to apply to them tomorrow.

Entrance to the building where we saw the apartments

The Beginning of an (Uneventful) New Week

Today was fairly uneventful. Went to work, had a blah tv dinner lunch, and went home. I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes (not from a box!) for dinner. Oh yeah and laundry. About $4 for mine, Alex's and Keity's clothes for wash and dry. Then prepared for Alex's orientation tomorrow.

What? I love ketchup!

The Hurricane that Never Came

So, Irene is a liar! She never came to flood our homes or produce power outages. It was pretty windy, especially last night. That part was somewhat scary. But otherwise no interesting news about the lost storm. I know it hit some places bad and that's unfortunate, but I was expecting something more dramatic and exciting.

The news.. Time Square relatively empty

We stayed home for most of the day, watching movies like Tangled and The Beach. In the morning we had colombianos, cheesy eggs, and turkey bacon. Another lazy day that otherwise we wouldn't have had. In the end, I think it was good for us. Later in the night, we walked around looking for food, but many places were closed. We ended up eating dinner at Guadalupe (thank you mama Hens), which was very yummy!

Public transportation was closed.. for the first time in NYC history! The buses were temporarily open later that night and trains wouldn't start running fully until Monday.

The 3hr Dinner & Video

Woke up at 7:45am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I went to the fire-escape and sat there organizing my pictures on my laptop. We decided to make dinner since we figured nothing would be open. Went to 4 different grocery stores, hoping to avoid lines, but everywhere we went there were plenty of lines and empty shelves.

Got everything for dinner and started making it at 5pm. We weren't finish til about 8pm and by then I was starving. We made delicious chilaqueles, arroz, y frijoles.

I have to add this picture! We didn't know Keity had zoomed in!! LOL

As we ate, we talked about our silly habits and some how (my idea;) we decided to do a vidoe for Bonnie showing her we miss her. We made signs, danced to a song (ya no te veo!) and were dressed in her attire. Better yet, watch the video.

Fun times.. that spawn from boredom. Then Hensleigh made cookies (yum!) and we all went to bed.

The Schedule & Target Experience

It's great that I have this 3rd part time job, but trying to figure out my schedule is hectic. I have to (technically) keep all 3 jobs within a 9-5 time frame for my time sheets, but with an average of 50 hours a week, that's impossible. I like to be organized and plan ahead, but I won't be able to since things will change week to week. I think that's a skill I need to acquire, adapting to the dynamic nature of applied work. I'm sure I'll be grateful for the experience when I learn from it, but right now it's driving me nuts!

I went to Target today after work and dinner. Keity left to Vassar and since it's the same exit as Target she showed me the way. I was excited to do some sort of shopping, since I haven't in a while except for groceries. But I was in for a surprise. The place was packed with people, long lines, and empty shelves. I guess everyone is preparing for Irene. I'm not too nervous about the hurricane, as our area shouldn't be affected other than power outages. Still the news is frightening and people in lower regions are being forced to evacuate. Regardless, we're on the 4th floor, have candles, food, water & flashlights (yes, the one's on our phones). I think we'll be okay, but we'll just have to wait & see.

The Yankees Game

In front of the Yankees Stadium

Beautiful backdrop

The field

Love the city in the background!

Just took a picture with him because he's one of the more popular Yankees... haha

I LOVE KETCHUP!

$1 ice cream from McDonald's. HUGE!

After training today, Alex and I made dinner so that we woulnt spend money at the Yankees game. I wasn't extremely excited to go until we got off the train and saw how many people were going. Keity & I had to use the restroom, so I lead us to the front of the "line." On our way, some man literally elbow chucked me and said something along the lines of "Come on! We'll all be getting in." If we're all getting in, then let me get in. Its not like I was pushing people, just weaving in and out of the gaps.

Once we got in and settled, I realized how amazing the scenery looked. It appeared as if the buildings in the background was a backdrop for the stadium. Absolutely surreal. We stayed until the beginning of the 8th inning because we wanted to beat the hectic traffic of people and not stay too late because of work. The Yankees were winning as we got out our seats, but once we got to the elevator, they were tied. Who won?! After, we went to McDonald's for some ice cream and man was it huge. I forced myself to finish it, but it was oh so good.

The Job Offer

Last night I got an email about the other part time job I interviewed for at Columbia University. I was so happy to read that they offered me the position! I kept checking my email all day yesterday, and when I didn't hear back from her, I was very disappointed. I actually woke up yesterday to a rejection email from another job (I've applied to so many that I don't even remember what it's from) and I thought it was for the one at Columbia. But I'm excited that I was wrong and will be managing this new project.

And I guess with good news come bad news. As I was finishing the last line, Alex informs me that the room we wanted to rent out has been given to someone else. It's always something. I don't know if I have the energy to keep doing this. But I have to keep on trucking.

The Earthquake & Workout

So, there was an earthquake today. I was sitting on a bench, talking to my mami and I realized that my seat was moving. I looked around thinking maybe someone was moving it. No one. Then I thought maybe it's the train since I work right next to the tracks. But there was no train passing by. So I just figured it was nothing. Then after training today, someone brought up it up and everyone was freaking out about it. I thought it was funny. It was also interesting that last week I asked one of my coworkers if they have earthquakes here, and she said "NEVER!" But it makes sense that people are reacting the way they are. The buildings are old.

After work, Keity & I went to Planet Fitness to workout. I used Bonnie's membership card to go in for free. I definitely feel out of shape, but it'd would be nice to get back into it. I felt cramps immediately and I was sweating like crazy, the latter of which was due to the fact that the AC was low. We walked there and back, jogged for 30mins, worked on some thigh machines, free weights for my arms, and a lot of ab moves. Feels good now, but I'm sure I'll be hurting tomorrow!

G'night!!

The Test

Today at work I sat at my boss' desk since she wasn't there for most of the day. I hoped to get a lot done for the website we're working on, but I only got half way done. I was also in charge of planning a few events, by ordering food, organizing the budget and thinking of give away ideas. Every restaurant I called there was a problem. I felt very unaccomplished. My coworkers were conversing a lot, which I think also added to the fact that we didn't finish the event planning task. Somehow I feel lik I didn't pass the test to myself.
When I got home, I was happy to just relax. Poor Bonnie had a lot going on with her flight being delayed to DR. We each made something for dinner and it was very scrumptious, fillinh and healthy.
I have to mention this. I've been feeling a little attacked. Like someone is taking their frustration out on me. And it only appears to be directed towards me. I don't know why. By the end of the night I can see they were trying to control it. We'll see how it goes.

I made the corn, Hensleigh made the tilapia, Alex made the rice, and Keity made the broccoli. YUM!

The First Feelings of Homesickness :/

It's been a week, and I work up feeling homesick. I had a dream about home and it made me miss everyone there. Like Keity said, it starts to settle in once you get into a routine. We'll see how it goes.

It was a relaxing day, home (interesting word choice) for most of it.

We went to visit Alex's school and it's so close to everything in the city. Pace is right next to ground zero, literally a block away. It was nice to walk around the city and see all the beautiful buildings. The new WTC building is almost ready and its amazing. We bought a bag of nuts ($2.50), and they were nice and toasty!

I can't wait to see family again. I miss them <3

Alex & his school

Pace University!

Deliciousness

New WTC Building

Wonderful city

The Night Out

The first apartment we saw today. Nice, but small bedroom.

It was nice to sleep in today. Woke up at around 11am. We went to look at various apartments and decided we will be staying with someone for $600/mo (really $150/wk) including utilities and all we need is internet. There is a bed, small TV, and drawers in the room. Down side, no window (therefore no AC) and we're sharing the place with a couple and their 5 year old daughter. But really, we couldn't ask for more. We will finalize our decision on Wednesday and hopefully move in next Sunday. We hope to stay here until we're more stable and able to afford something closer to Keity. <3

After the initial apartment hunting, we went to eat some Mickey D's, thanks to Auntie Carrie for the gift card. Then we went to a farmer's market down the street and bought 5 ears for corn for $2. We saw some honey and pickles that we thought about buying for daddy Joe and Gram, respectively, but we're going to keep looking.

I love the beautiful flower bouquets in NY!

Me & the corn.

Now for going out to experience the NY night life! We drank a little before going out of course to save money. Made it to the club a little before midnight and would have to pay a lot to get in, so we decided to get int he bottle service line, but they kept jacking up the prices and we went to El Morocco instead. That was fun! Danced most of the time and when Bonnie was leading me on the dance floor, I definitely got a workout!! Finished the night by getting Keity a chicken gyro (I took a few delicious bites) and took the subway back home. All-in-all a good night!

Tripod!

Dancing :D

The Night In

After training at work today, we stayed in and hung out with Keity. We went out to get stuff to make margaritas at home and it started raining. It was interesting to see people stand under the awnings, later to find out that they do this because the rain tends to come and go quickly. We got soaking wet, but it was an experience.

 Cloudy night!

 Making drinks!

Nice night in :]

The Training & Grocery Prices

Today was my first day of the mntor training. I'm pretty excited about my responsibilities and I feel like I can be a great resources to the coaches. Basically, I will be supervising tutors who provide review sessions to certain students in math, science and business classes. It's only a few times a week, but I'm happy to be a part of it.

When I got home we went to survey the supermarket prices, since Alex heard that 41% of the grocery stores in NYC are overpricing their products. The food here definitely much more expensive here than in other places, but if you look around you'll find decent prices. It's also good to look at the top and bottom shelves of each section of an aisle, since those prices are typically cheaper because the middle section is at eyes view. We'll keep looking for better prices, but so far nothing compares to Fresh & Easy back home!

 [VIDEO WILL BE ADDED SOON]

The Interview & Bill

Work went well today. I was happy to see some data. I had an interview in the middle of my work schedule and I'm worried I don't have enough "science" related experience. But I know I am capable of fulfilling all the responsibilities. I'll hear back from them by Monday.

Then we and a few girls went to Pio Pio, a Peruvian restaurant. It was delicious! Reminded me of my family. <3 But the bill was insane. We chose not to tip the waiters and were informed that they make less than minimum if they don't get enough tips, which sounds illegal to me. Regardless, with tips, they should be making more than enough. And why not tip the cooks or other service people like salesmen? Still, we paid more than we were supposed to considering we only had the main course of the meal. Either way, it was fun and I hope we can do something like that once a week.

Matador Combo

Sorry the pictures are crappy. The flash was intense and I was too hungry to care! :D

The Apartment

We went apartment hunting. Well, we met with my beautiful cousin (Melizza)'s uncle to see an apartment in the Bronx for $1,000/mo. It's a one bedroom, still being renovated, but I see the potential. We thought it was too big for us so we asked Hector to look for studios.

We went to see another one also in the Bronx, and it was nice for $800/mo., but very far from transportation. If it includes utilities, that's going to be hard to pass up. We'll see. We can't have everything on our list (which is short: near the city, cheap, room for a bed & desk, bathroom and kitchen with fridge and stove), but we want to keep looking.  It would also be nice to be near Keity. <3

Hope better options pop up!

The Job

My first day of work was nerve-racking, but as soon as I got there I felt very comfortable. Having 2 part-time jobs isn't ideal, but it'll do and so far it's been good. I feel somewhat overqualified, as one coworker pointed out saying that my resume appeared that way. However, I believe in the program and hope I am here to improve it in many ways. And I'm sure I will learn a lot!

At lunch, the girls took me to get pizza.

All of this for only $3.25, a deal in my book. It was pretty damn good, and came free with a side of sauce courtesy of the "Italian" guy behind the counter.

After work, I came home to make dinner for Keity. Then we watched "Bad Girls Club." My first time watching the show and man are they crazy. This was the first time in a LONG time that I felt relaxed after work. This whole summer I would leave work to do NY related activities (e.g. applying to jobs, looking for apartments, etc.). Then I took an amazing short shower and slept like a baby (also been a long time).

Looking forward to the rest of my week.

The Flight

We made it to NYC! I'm very excited to be here and so far all of my experiences have be great. People have said New Yorkers are mean and aggressive, but I've witnessed and encounter first-hand random acts of kindness. On the bus home today, I saw an old man give a woman, who had a baby and toddler with her, his umbrella because it started raining outside.

So, I have some tips for traveling.

Pack the most you can (if necessary). My checked-in bag was .5lbs over the limit, with no charge. Thank you to my wonderful Mami for helping me pack!!! I had to take a little out of my carry-on because it didn't fit in the box that you need to test your bag in, even though there is more space in the overhead compartments. Luckily I had someone take and later ship what I couldn't take (thank you Becky)!

Know what you're allowed to bring. Did you know you can bring a small meal, umbrella, pillow, diaper bag and many more items in ADDITION to your personal and carry-on bag? I brought the former of the 3. We had lunch during our lay over, an umbrella prepared for the rain waiting for us in NY, and a pillow for sleeping on the plane (and use as another bag for things:).

Order more than 1 complimentary drink. When they come around with their tray tables, I usually order a can or bottle of juice and a cup of water. Order another one (or 2) when they pass by again, like Alex did. <3

That's all for now.

Thank you, Keity (my wife), Bonnie & Hensleigh for all your hospitality!! It's very much appreciated. <333

Up in the air

Welcome to NYC, Alex!

We're here!

We were wearing the same shirt & didn't even plan it. That's why she's my wife!