NYU - the first 2 weeks

The first two weeks of classes at NYU have come and gone, and we wasted no time getting into the material.  All of the classes are great and have already provided so much valuable information, and have shown great promise for being very beneficial.  One class I started the semester almost dreading has quickly become one of my favorite classes – Environment of Arts Administration.  And obviously I love my ballet class.  It’s very exciting and such an honor to take class from some of these people – Franco de Vita and Raymond Lukens to start with.  The ABT classes will result in a certification of the ABT National Training Curriculum – a great tool for my resume, especially since I want to focus my career on ballet.  After all, that is such a foundation for all other dance techniques. 

I absolutely love my classmates – they are all so talented and smart and it is great to get to learn from them and with them.  Hearing everyone’s stories is really interesting, too.  The professional connections we are already making with one another will be such a benefit in the future. 

This weekend I started another new adventure – assisting with classes in the children’s division at the JKO School at ABT.  We are assisting in classes where the curriculum that we are being trained to teach is being taught – seeing it in action will be so valuable.  It is neat that some of the other teachers are graduates or second-year students in the NYU/ABT program.   It has been interesting to see the difference in the students here versus students I’ve taught in the past.  I could list so many differences but I’m not going to for fear of anyone being offended or feelings being hurt.  I could work at someplace like ABT/JKO forever – it is a dream for everything I’d ever want in a school. 

Washington Square Park

Outside of school, I took a few hours to wander around the city some more.  The adventure was sparked by the need for another leotard and a few ballet skirts, so I headed to the Capezio flagship store.  From there I wandered around Rockefeller Plaza, up and down 5^th Ave. a little bit, and ended up walking through Times Square and back home.  From Rockefeller it is about a 30 block walk – not too bad.  One thing spoiling me big time about the city is the closeness of everything.  Within a 10 minute time frame I can go to the bank and get Starbucks and be back home to switch laundry.  If I need a few groceries, it’s a round trip time of about 20-30 minutes, half of which is typically spent in the checkout line.  At West Liberty, it took that just to get to a store, much less make purchases and drive back.  

Anyway – the other neat thing I had the opportunity to see was the Memorial Lights for the World Trade Center on September 11.  The atmosphere around the entire city seemed different that day.  That night I spent a few minutes on my roof reflecting as I took in the lights of the World Trade Center as well as the patriotic red, white, and blue lights of the Empire State Building.

Empire State Building on 9/11/13

WTC memorial lights on 9/11/13

Well, enough for now as homework is calling my name.  Thanks again for everyone who actually reads this – your support means the world to me!  I love and miss everyone so much!

Until next time…

Enjoy Being…

The First Month

My new home

The first month of life as an NYC resident is coming to a close.  It has been quite an adjustment getting used to the hustle and bustle of the city.  There’s always so much going on – car horns, sirens, people, lights, and pretty much anything else that will cause one to be over stimulated.  In all, the first month has been great.  I’ve gotten settled into my new dorm-sized apartment, figured out where the nearest stores are, and settled into a routine.  I’ve taken advantage of the peace and quiet of the park to get some reading done for school, and just enjoy the semi-quietness. 

Since the last post, several fun things have happened.  I met up with a very dear childhood friend (friends since preschool) for dinner and we chatted about city life and anything else Bluefield related. It’s nice to have someone I’ve known for so long in the city and just a 15-minute walk away.   I also went back home to Wheeling for a week to visit some of my favorite people.  It was a very much-needed trip to help my transition to city life.  After losing the last week being in Wheeling due to doctors appointments and surgery, I was thankful to have the week to catch up with friends and visit some of the awesome RAs at West Liberty, as well as my former boss and co-workers, who will always hold a special place in my heart.  I rode MegaBus into Pittsburgh then had a rental car for my time in WV.  The first night I was in town, a friend introduced me to the restaurant Later Alligator.  How in the world had I never been there before?!  It is by far my new favorite restaurant in Wheeling.  I mean come on, crepes for meal AND dessert?  No argument here!  When I went to West Liberty to visit my housing buddies, it was very strange not having to answer the phone and deal with the kids coming in with complaints and issues.  What a relief that was!  The end of the trip was a follow up doctor appointment – got the a-ok on everything and was cleared to dance again.  When a dancer is told not to dance for an extended amount of time, it’s like telling someone they can’t breathe for a month.

The following day upon returning to Manhattan, I had orientation for school.  It was wonderful to meet my cohort of classmates before classes start, and to get a better idea of what we were in for.  We got more insight into the program, got to speak with second-year students in the program, as well as got a quick tour of the building our classes will be in and some important points on campus.  For those of us in the American Ballet Theatre track, we finished our tour at ABT Studios, where we met with some administrative folks and got a tour of the studios.  Since the company was on break, we got to see their lounge, studios, and pass by their locker rooms.  Pretty neat to be in the space where people like Gillian Murphy, Julie Kent, and Misty Copeland spend their time between rehearsals.  We ended the tour in the studio where our classes will take place, met with one of our professors, and got our ABT Training Curriculum binders.  Oh, and our lockers.  We have our own lockers at ABT studios!  It’s pretty surreal to think about. 

Our seats in Grandstand

Leaving the BJK National Tennis Center

This past weekend I got a phone call from my dad’s best friend, my tennis coach, saying they were coming to town for the US Open!  I met up with them Saturday morning and spent the day with them at the Open watching some pretty awesome tennis.  It was very nice to see some familiar faces and get to be a “tourist” for a day.

So as I head into my 5^th week as a New Yorker, I begin classes at NYU tomorrow.  I’m very excited for this journey to finally begin – one I’ve been dreaming of and working hard to achieve since childhood.  It’s the next chapter in this book called life, and I’m ready to tackle it with full force. 

My advice to anyone that has made it this far in the post – don’t ever give up on your dreams.  If you’re willing to work hard, take risks, and be patient, those dreams will be within your reach.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. 

Until next time…

Enjoy Being…

Empire State Building from Hudson River Park

NYC sunset over the Hudson