Life in a new city

Someone once told me that I was a bleeding heart in a way that it was more of a criticism rather than a fact. Today I am glad I am a bleeding heart because it always gets me to help others.

Living in a big city I see a lot of homeless people. Actually, growing up in a developing country I saw a lot of homeless people, and I thought that maybe by now I would be desensitized. I was wrong. If anything I have become more aware and it upsets me a lot more than it used to. On the bright side it gets me to do something about it.

Exhibit A, I was coming back home with my boyfriend on an early fall afternoon when I spotted someone sleeping on cardboard on the street right next to my building. I thought, he must be thirsty, hungry and would probably love a change of clothes. So I got a bag ready with some granola bars, water bottles and a fresh t-shirt. We were heading back out to run an errand, but he was still asleep so we decided to drop the bag off next to him. I was really hoping he’d wake up soon so that no one would grab it. On our way back, not only was the bag still there, but he had changed into the bright orange shirt we gave him, and had drank the water! It was a very exciting sight and for that moment I felt happy to have been able to help someone less fortunate than me.

Exhibit B, on our way to do laundry tonight, we caught sight of someone under a comforter laying on the street. It broke my hear because it is bitterly cold outside. I came home while the clothes were drying and tried to figure out what to do. I looked up shelters online and what to do in this kind of situation. All I found was that we should pass the shelters’ information along to anyone who might need to spend the night somewhere. How are they supposed to get there?? Apparently NYC shelters used to pick people up, but they don’t anymore. All I could think of was to once again get a bag ready with some clothes, and this time I wrote directions to a shelter onto an index card. On our way to pick up the clothes, I was glad to see that some cops were talking to this person. We left the bag with him and were told by the cops that he would go somewhere on his own, since it’s not legal to sleep on the street. I was really hoping they would give him a ride to a place so he could spend the night warm and safe, but that didn’t happen. I had to walk away hoping that he would be alright and trying to think that I had done what I could. It still sucked.

I will try very hard not to complain about meaningless things anymore. We are very lucky to have a roof over our heads, food, and clothes. 

This year October had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. I heard this doesn’t happen very often, (something like every 800 years or so?). Halloween happens to be on the last Sunday of the month this year, but being that people work on Monday we decided to celebrate it on Saturday, as most of NYC adults did (and some babies that were party animals!).

This year we had limited resources and procrastinated a lot to come up with costumes, but once again we were a total hit: a boxer (athletic gear, towel, cigar and black eye included) and a flash/80’s dancer. We went out with two deranged clowns and a soccer fan. Our festivities consisted of a house party and then an attempt to enter a few bars that resulted in some of us getting pushed and shoved by drunk people who didn’t want to give up the little corners they had conquered at the bar (we are in NYC and nothing surprises me anymore!)

The streets of East Village were filled with lot of cats, cookie monster, rockers, clowns, zombies, the green man, the blue man group (at least one member), Harry Potter, the mad hatter, among other undecipherable characters, but no shower curtain in sight!

Today, the little ones got their turn to dress up and celebrate. We went out for a walk with a mission of drinking some pumpkin spice latte and saw cute little fairies and magicians, a dog in a tinker bell outfit, children that were too old to be wearing fury animal costumes and more adults dressed up getting ready for the big Halloween parade. Although we missed the parade, we caught sight of some very disturbing costumes, an army of cops ready to attack, Mario and Luigi break dancing in Union Square, Chewbacca taking pictues with people, a sketchy drunk magician yelling out “Hocus Pocus!” out of his apartment balcony, and the occasional couple trying to be in the right Halloween spirit by wearing little antenas but not really succeeding. Unlike my childhood, where children went out at night trick or treating and got candy from our neighbors, kids in NYC were getting their candy not from the neighbors but from Subway, Taco Bell, and Starbucks.

As we returned from our interesting but entertaining walk, we noticed that the glass of the door in the back of our building is being held together by duck tape. Our neighbor had some crazy party last night and it seems as though someone was too excited about candy or something and either kicked or ran full speed into the door. We could smell the bleach that our neighbor was using today to clean all the evidence of his hard core party through our air vents, but no matter how hard he scrubs he can’t get away from that big bill that is coming his way! (there is a surveillance camera right next to the duck taped glass door, ouch!).

To end our Halloween night, we are going to watch a zombie movie suggested by me (I can’t believe myself right now) and not open the door if anyone knocks because we did not get any candy to give out… mwahahahaha! (actually, we would have to be a fast food place to get any candy seeking costumers) ;)

Why is getting health insurance such a horrible experience? It’s not only expensive, but it’s so complicated!!

I have been researching different health insurance options, since BCPS is covering me until the end of the month in which I left which is…TOMORROW! (and no one tells you these things, you have to find out for yourself after having to go to the doctor due to a small emergency). I actually spoke with someone from HR and she told me that AFTER the insurance drops you, then you get a letter informing you that you can pay for COBRA, hahahahh nice huh?

It looks like insurance in the city is more expensive not only for cars, but also for health, I guess they assume that you can lose your mind very easily and need to see the doctor more often. However, that’s not the worse problem because like I mentioned before, we all know that insurance is expensive.

When you search online on major insurance companies, you know the big names, the ones you can sort of trust, they redirect you to some other website, because buying insurance for one teeny tiny person isn’t good enough for them I guess. So then, you get all these weird insurance company names that you have never heard of which makes it that much more nerve wracking. Then, my phone rings because they can see that I’m entering my information online (creepy!!) and Lisa; a very friendly lady takes down my personal information. Then she transfers me to Tammy and this is where things get crazy. Tammy is in the middle of chewing something, she is screaming into the phone, laughing by herself, trying to figure out with another person why her computer is broken and my information that Lisa took-who was so nice, did I mention that already?-isn’t showing up. She is doing all that while she is trying to talk to me.

 (probably Tammy)

Tammy reviews the whole plan, and gives me examples of each benefit and insists in saying over and over that they are just examples (like I am complaining about the examples or something). To any question I have she has a ridiculous answer and when I ask her if I’m covered to see a doctor in a different state she says to me “of course, because there are some doctors you just don’t wanna switch like an obgyn right? Don’t worry I won’t say nothing else out loud!” what?? So after some more Tammy nonsense, I start sensing that it’s time for me to say, “look, I need to consult this plan with someone so can I call you back?” and right after I say it, the situation turns into a shark attack from Shark week on discovery channel; why am I letting go such a good deal? I just want to make sure you secure the price, who else do you have to talk to?  Oh my goodness!! so now, it’s not just Tammy, but Andy is on the phone too and they both want me to consult with this other person on a three way!!! the second I became stern and said “I will need to call back” their attitude changes like a little boy who gets tired of a new toy.

So after this horrible 60 minute long experience, I get another call from another insurance company but this time it’s Robin! and she is soft spoken and so nice! Than God for Robin, because right before she called my dad had just told me that Obama’s wonderful reform of having young people covered under their parents insurance up to age 26, doesn’t start until 2011.

I still don’t have a new insurance, but I am pretty sure I am going to go with whatever Robin suggests!

I have watched “Under the tuscan sun” many times, and each time it makes me smile, laugh, cry, sigh and completely forget anything that might be troubling me.

I love this movie because I absolutely adore DIane Lane; she is beautiful! I love her portrayal of a woman whose heart has been broken, but manages to create a new life for herself. She is strong, brave and manages to make herself essential for all of those that surround her.

This movie reiterates something that I have always known (but forget at times), which is that simplicity of life guarantees happiness. I believe in this idea because of how I was raised and our life style, and to throw a little example out there; its funny to me that I become more indecisive about what to wear when I have more clothes than when I don’t! ironic right?

FInally I enjoy the symbolism and the images in the movie. It makes me feel like I’m reading a book. The old water faucet in the beginning doesn’t have any water running through it, and at the end it’s bursting with water. And the ladybugs! her friend Sylvia tells her a childhood anecdote of hers in which she was always trying to catch ladybugs when she was a little girl. She would get so tired of trying and not succeeding that she would fall asleep on the grass. At last when she would wake up she would find that she was all covered in ladybugs. Well, in the end of the movie, after she has tried her luck at love a few times, her true love arrives at her villa and removes a ladybug from her arm as he introduces himself. So exciting!! 

This movie is absolutely refreshing and inspiring, and I wish that every minute of everyday I felt like I always feel right after I watch it: light, refreshed and inspired!

After coming home today to visit my parents, I decided to go through some old pictures and found my senior yearbook! class of 02! wow.

It’s really funny to read all those posts that my classmates wrote. Some I can’t read the handwriting or it takes me a few minutes to remember who they were. Others are really random, and there are just some that were nice things to say we would do, like have a cross country sleepover, or a dance company reunion but we just never got to it. There were others who thought it was funny to mention something about me being a Colombian drug trafficker, something that nowadays I find very offensive, but back then it just seemed silly. There were other posts in which the adjectives “sweet” and “cute” were used excessively! but I guess it has to do with the fact that I got “class cutie”. That’s funny because I always hated being called cute! I guess its my Napoleon complex acting out ;). And finally there are some posts written by friends who thanked me. They were thanking me for listening to their problems, making them smile and encouraging them in one way or another. Those posts warmed my heart.

Where I come from, thinking that everyone disperses after graduating is a silly notion, because my first and original home is such a small city and we all know each other! but here in the U.S it really does happen. People that I thought to be good friends when I was in high school, are just not around and I don’t realize it until every time I look at my yearbook, and each time I am surprised!

I know we all change, we grow, we move, we come and we go. However, it would be nice to see (aside from my best friend who I have kept since high school) if any of those friendships could be rekindled, if I were ever to see any of those girls that thanked for being a good friend. I’m pretty sure they would. :)

As I was sitting in the laundromat with my boyfriend, waiting for our clothes to be washed, I started talking about how badly I felt that I am 25 years old and still do not have a defined career.

I went to a school for five years and graduated with a double degree, but it feels like someone should have told me not to major in dance! as dancers that don’t become performers don’t make much as teachers either. 

I was trying really hard not to cry as we walked back to our place, and I managed to keep the waterworks under control until it was safe to let them flow. My boyfriend said to me: “if you look back you will feel that you have run out of time, so look forward instead” how wise of him. It’s absolutely true, so now I am happy to say that after some tears and a glass of wine I am planning my next move.

Fortunately for me I speak two languages fluently and I’ve acquired a third one, so I plan to put those to use and become a translator. I’ve always known I love languages, but didn’t realize that translation was the track I wanted to follow until recently.

So here I go, quarter life crisis left behind (hopefully!) laundry done and ready to become a translator! I still love dance and don’t really regret majoring in it-that was just my crisis speaking for me ;).