The Two Year Tourist
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I created this blog in the spring of 2011 as a way "for me to share my experiences with the outside world i.e. friends and family". At that time, I was writing all my entries from the highlands of Guatemala and my day to day routine was very different, if not foreign, from those of my audience. So, I wonder if my audience will still find my day to day as captivating as it once was when I was writing from the mountains of Guatemala or the coast of Colombia. I guess we'll just have to find out. However, as I write you from my apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, one thing is for sure. While I've returned to the United States of America, I wonder, especially as I'm now a part of the "melting pot of the melting pot", whether I'll ever stop feeling like a tourist?
New York City - Where to begin? As James Shimer so delicately put it - it's the "melting pot of the melting pot". It's a city whose inhabitants have come from all over the world. In the New York City public school system alone there are more than a 180 languages spoken. It's a place where hearing foreign languages on the subway is the rule and not the exception. New York City is a breeding ground for a new dialect that has and will only continue to flourish among Latin/Hispanic communities in the US - spanglish. The photo below is an example of how even the major beer companies are incorporating this dialect into their advertising. The city's promise of success through hard work has made it into a beacon for those seeking the American dream. It's this notion of reward through dedicated hard work, or "hustle" as my roommate Lusmaia refers to it, that is an omnipresent and often times suffocating feeling that the city emits. A feeling that is almost Darwinian in nature. A feeling that there's always someone out there who is working harder than you and for that you should never rest. This gives way to the reason that this city never sleeps. However, I don't live in New York City. I live in Brooklyn.
I currently live in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Bushwick is one of the many neighborhoods that comprise Brooklyn. Brooklyn, if it were its own city, would be the third largest city in the US behind New York City and Los Angeles respectively. Brooklyn was actually its own city until the late 1900s. In truth, I live in New York City as Brooklyn is a part of the US' largest metropolis but Brooklyn simply isn't part of the "Sex and the City" NYC that one might think of when they envision The Big Apple. Brooklyn has its own unique cultural identity which, these days, is an infusion of alternative fashion, varied genres of music, and art.
There are many nights I fall asleep to the clashing sounds of Hector Lavoe, a Puerto Rican salsa legend, and Drake, a popular Toronto hip-hop artist. The neighbors to my left are Puerto Rican and thus enjoy the sounds of Hector Lavoe while my neighbors to the right prefer a more urban feel like that of Drake. While I must admit that these are my two favorite genres of music, I can also say that I never enjoy them being played simultaneously. One of my favorite parts about living in Brooklyn is the amount of free and public music events that are always going on. About a month ago, I went to an outdoor hip-hop block party where I was fortunate enough to see one of the god-fathers of the genre - Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Ali is most known for his work with the group A Tribe Called Quest. I've been listening to "A Tribe" since I was a junior in High School and so finally seeing him on the turntables was unforgettable. The pictures below are from the event.
As far as fashion goes, please watch this video. It describes the lifestyle of a "hipster" which I find almost impossible to define. I can say that in Brooklyn, you're never out of style. I promise you anything goes. Last week, while waiting for my local train to take me to school in Manhattan, a woman walked past me on the platform wearing an entire see-through white spandex dress thing. It looked very similar to this costume the lead singer from the Darkness wears in this music video. While you may think I'm joking, I honestly wonder if she bought it at an online celebrity "Darkness the band" charitable auction. The only thing that made this moment more priceless was the mutterings of a couple sitting on the bench waiting for the train - " Uuuuh, doesn't she know it's past Labor Day".
Art can be seen in many ways in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Museum is supposed to be great and I look forward to visiting it. Many artists live here and work in Manhattan as rent is, on the whole, cheaper. However, it's the street art that I love. Graffiti is everywhere. World renown street artist Banksy is currently in New York City and so his art is popping up all over the city but especially in Brooklyn. The pictures below are a personal sampling of the kind of street-art I've encountered in my short time in Brooklyn.
I created this blog in the spring of 2011 as a way "for me to share my experiences with the outside world i.e. friends and family". At that time, I was writing all my entries from the highlands of Guatemala and my day to day routine was very different, if not foreign, from those of my audience. So, I wonder if my audience will still find my day to day as captivating as it once was when I was writing from the mountains of Guatemala or the coast of Colombia. I guess we'll just have to find out. However, as I write you from my apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, one thing is for sure. While I've returned to the United States of America, I wonder, especially as I'm now a part of the "melting pot of the melting pot", whether I'll ever stop feeling like a tourist?
* * * * *
New York City - Where to begin? As James Shimer so delicately put it - it's the "melting pot of the melting pot". It's a city whose inhabitants have come from all over the world. In the New York City public school system alone there are more than a 180 languages spoken. It's a place where hearing foreign languages on the subway is the rule and not the exception. New York City is a breeding ground for a new dialect that has and will only continue to flourish among Latin/Hispanic communities in the US - spanglish. The photo below is an example of how even the major beer companies are incorporating this dialect into their advertising. The city's promise of success through hard work has made it into a beacon for those seeking the American dream. It's this notion of reward through dedicated hard work, or "hustle" as my roommate Lusmaia refers to it, that is an omnipresent and often times suffocating feeling that the city emits. A feeling that is almost Darwinian in nature. A feeling that there's always someone out there who is working harder than you and for that you should never rest. This gives way to the reason that this city never sleeps. However, I don't live in New York City. I live in Brooklyn.
I currently live in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Bushwick is one of the many neighborhoods that comprise Brooklyn. Brooklyn, if it were its own city, would be the third largest city in the US behind New York City and Los Angeles respectively. Brooklyn was actually its own city until the late 1900s. In truth, I live in New York City as Brooklyn is a part of the US' largest metropolis but Brooklyn simply isn't part of the "Sex and the City" NYC that one might think of when they envision The Big Apple. Brooklyn has its own unique cultural identity which, these days, is an infusion of alternative fashion, varied genres of music, and art.
Ali Shaheed Muhammad on the turntables.
Dance Circle.
Lusmaia, Tuxedo T-shirt, Luz Karime and Luis' happy face!
People playing Ping-Pong in the street and enjoying Ali's beats.
As far as fashion goes, please watch this video. It describes the lifestyle of a "hipster" which I find almost impossible to define. I can say that in Brooklyn, you're never out of style. I promise you anything goes. Last week, while waiting for my local train to take me to school in Manhattan, a woman walked past me on the platform wearing an entire see-through white spandex dress thing. It looked very similar to this costume the lead singer from the Darkness wears in this music video. While you may think I'm joking, I honestly wonder if she bought it at an online celebrity "Darkness the band" charitable auction. The only thing that made this moment more priceless was the mutterings of a couple sitting on the bench waiting for the train - " Uuuuh, doesn't she know it's past Labor Day".
Art can be seen in many ways in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Museum is supposed to be great and I look forward to visiting it. Many artists live here and work in Manhattan as rent is, on the whole, cheaper. However, it's the street art that I love. Graffiti is everywhere. World renown street artist Banksy is currently in New York City and so his art is popping up all over the city but especially in Brooklyn. The pictures below are a personal sampling of the kind of street-art I've encountered in my short time in Brooklyn.
Lusmaia and BUSHWICK.
Doctored up version of LOVE ME which I see everyday before I cross the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan.
There was an office chair . . . just sitting there.
* * * * *
I'd like to now step-back and talk about why I moved to Brooklyn. I arrived to Brooklyn on August the 16th and on that following Monday, the 19th, I began orientation for Graduate School at The New School. The New School is located in Manhattan between Union Square and Washington Square Park. My particular program is out of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy. Yes, I know it's a mouth full. I'm currently pursuing an International Affairs Master with, at this point, an undefined concentration. I'm leaning towards either Development or Governance and Rights.
I'm currently enrolled in three classes which is a normal course load for a first-semester graduate student. I'm taking an introductory course for my particular program, International Affairs, called Global Flows, a required economic class, and an elective entitled "Health, Inequality, and Development". My classes are engaging and I have classmates from all over the world. It's this dynamic classroom atmosphere and the school's location in New York City that are giving a real international feel to my graduate school experience. It's this sentiment coupled with the school's dedication to thinking about "global" affairs, both from a theory and practice standpoint, that are making me very satisfied with my decision to have come to The New School!
* * * * *
I've now been living here for almost eight weeks. It's been an adventure, to say the least. I decided to entitle this entry the "two year tourist" because I don't think I'll ever completely understand New York City. Like a tourist, each day has been an adventure;I've gone somewhere new; I've met new people; I'm overwhelmed by something in the aesthetic that the city has to offer me; I've gotten lost or overly relied on the Google Maps App on my phone. Could this be a temporary phase tied into the "honeymoon period" associated with just having moved here? I don't think it is. I'll never consider myself a "New Yorker" no matter how long I live here. So, I think that that lends itself to the idea that I'll always be an outsider. An outsider who enjoys living and studying in the greatest city on earth.
Please leave a comment if you'd like me to talk about a certain aspect of my experience in the city. The food, the rent, the subway, the weather, etc.
I've heard many NYC "two year tourists" share the same sentiment that they never get to know the city... Its good you have that heads up already... Keep it up buddy - New School sounds cool!
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