by Katherine SantanaThis summer, was a summer full of new experiences and adventures that I never thought I would have. It was a summer that brought new memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life, even if they are simple. My summer started off with the UniverSoul Circus which was located in Mount Vernon, NY, and I have to say that it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It was my first time ever at a circus and upon arriving, I felt the upbeat atmosphere even before the start time. What was so amazing about this circus, was that they incorporated the current trends popular with the young generation. You could tell that the kids were enjoying it so much because they could relate to it. The circus performers made sure that every single person in the audience was having a good time, even stepping out of the stage and onto the seating areas just to dance and have fun with the audience. During each break period before the next performance, music would be played in order to keep the people entertained while they waited for the next performance. In fact, they had special performers during this time to keep the crowd elevated and filled with smiles. Even my sister, who is usually very uptight, was having an incredible time. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the entire performance, and the best part was that she was off her phone which signaled that she was having a blast. My next trip was to the Madame Tussaud Wax Museum. Located in W42nd St. the wax museum was somewhere I had been dying to see for a long time. Accompanied by a friend, we purchased the celebrity package which comes with the Ghostbusters and Kong: Skull Island Experience. Upon stepping in, I was shocked by how grand and beautiful it was. Everything was adorned in red, it looked so elegant and regal. The first wax figure we encountered was Pink, who surprisingly was dangling from the ceiling upon going up the steps to see the wax figures. It was followed by the wax figures of Jenna Marbles, Kim Kardashian and so much more. The wax figures were all arranged in sections. For example, singers such as Selena Gomez, Rhianna, Prince and Whitney Houston were all in a section dedicated to singers. There was also a sports section, a section dedicated to the movie ET, the Ghostbusters section and Kong Section. Then there was the television program section which featured programs like Live with Kelly and Ryan. There was a section which included important figures, such as the presidents, Pope Francis, Martin Luther King Jr. etc. I have to say though, that the wax figures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Selena Gomez were not well done and unrecognizable. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience and incredibly fun, the atmosphere created in each section was superb and fit perfectly with the theme of each section. I then went to the Central Park Zoo, located in Central Park. I was accompanied by the same friend who came with me to the wax museum and it was great. I was apprehensive at first about going to the zoo, as I have been to the Bronx Zoo several times and didn’t want to see any other zoo out of boredom. However, I am glad I went to the Central Park Zoo. It was a great experience filled with smiles, the first animal we saw was the sea lion. It was in a beautiful, almost fountain like pool, we only saw small glimpses of the sea lion so we moved on to the other exhibits. What I loved the most about this zoo, was that everything was open. For example, the bird exhibit did not restrict the birds from flying over the top of our heads. They were free to fly around the entire room, and occasionally we would get sprayed with water. We then moved on to the tropic zone, which contained bats, snakes, turtles, lizards etc. We also went into the temperate territory which included snow leopards, red pandas and even snow monkeys. Before the zoo closed, my friend and I had to see the children’s zoo not too far from the regular zoo. Here, there were pigs and cows and goats. We were even allowed to feed them and pet them, as long as we paid attention to the signs stating if it was safe to do so. I have to say, that I spent more time and fun at the children’s zoo than the regular zoo. My next trip was to a Prince Royce concert which took place in Madison Square Garden on July 26th. Prince Royce, is an American singer and song writer who focuses on bachata and Latin pop music. Upon entering the location, me, my mother and a couple of friends immediately had to go through security check points to ensure that we were carrying nothing dangerous. The process was quick, and once that was over we continued up the steps and into the theater. All of the staff were very helpful, and we were able to find our seats with no problems. The concert was set for 7:30pm, however, it didn’t start until ten minutes later. The first hour of the concert, was dedicated to the singer Luis Coronel who focuses on regional Mexican music. He sang for the first hour, which I found to be quite boring. Most people didn’t look interested, after an hour, we had to wait more than twenty minutes for Prince Royce to go on. I found this twenty minute period to be very boring. However, after the time passed, Prince Royce finally arrived and the concert was amazing. He played all of his hit songs, both old and new. He interacted with the crowd very nicely, and I have to say that he does a very good job at engaging his audience. Overall, it was amazing, exciting and hilarious. But most importantly, I gained a new experience.
I am grateful for the experiences that I have attained this summer, it felt great to go out and do something for myself and have the chance to experience this with others. These are memories that while simple, hold a special place in my heart.
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by Debbie ChanA typical summer before college started consisted of me going to SAT preparation classes and just studying throughout the entire two thirds of my “summer vacation.” After these classes, I would have two to three weeks to myself; a kind of freedom that is short lived before the new school year started. This became a normal activity that I developed over the years. I started my freshman year going to summer classes because I was accustomed to always going to school in some way, shape, and form. I would travel with my family but, usually traveling was for educational purposes. Just recently over the winter break of 2017, we went to the middle of nowhere near Maryland and we went on an Amish tour and learned about ice sculpting and the history of Maryland. I made my sophomore year more lenient because I started to focus on both my major but more importantly finishing my premed prerequisites. I volunteered at a hospital and worked at different jobs for pocket money but, that soon ended. After the end of my fall semester of that following year, I found myself focusing on writing, taking pictures, and documenting everything around me. Everything came back to me in a full circle, all the things I enjoyed when I was in high school came back to me, and I found my passion and what I enjoyed doing the most. This led to a “self-crisis” because it forced me to start on a new slate to develop myself again. The typical road to becoming a doctor or any profession that includes a specific degree requires one to going to a graduate program. For medicine, after finishing an undergrad degree, I would then go to medical school followed by my residency and hopefully get into a fellowship program. It was after removing myself from this very organized plan, that I found myself lost. I didn’t know what to do. And so, for this summer, I made a goal to make it a summer where I will start enjoying my time by doing what I’ve always loved: learning, writing, taking pictures, and documenting the world around me. I began my summer working on both my photography and writing portfolio. In between, I looked for internships and job opportunities related to writing and photography or digital media, but those plans didn’t work out. I made plans on traveling and going to China for the whole month of June. The majority of the internships I looked into required me to start either at the beginning or the middle of June, which conflicted with my summer internship. During my one long month stay in China, I was on a social media cleanse and at first I didn’t mind not going on my social media apps, but soon the withdrawal symptoms hit me like a tsunami wave. I didn’t realize that I was consumed in the social media world and this was my life. I wasn’t able to contact my friends and simple things like not being able to share pictures of what I was doing made me feel anxious. While living in China it helped me gain back my consciousness of how to separate my personal life from my social media accounts. The constant pressures I gave myself subconsciously on wanting more likes or even planning when to upload pictures to gain more likes showed me the shallowness in my life. During my time in China, I socialized with locals and students from different college campuses and the interactions and conversations we had, aside from the environment, was a culture shock I didn’t think I would experience. Growing up as an Asian-American from a family who emigrated from China, there were some similarities, but even with the similarities, there were a lot of differences. I was born and raised in New York and I was always taught to be independent but the friends I’ve met from China view the family and themselves as a whole unit. I found myself whenever I ask questions that were self-related or self-reflected, they would answer with “Well, we think that” or “What we think is.” Another culture shock for me was that bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles were everywhere. As old as New York is in equivalent to this city with its high density of human population, it surprised me that the best way to travel is to ride one of these vehicles. It’s like in New York, instead of using the MTA due to their consistent train delays or taking an Uber or taxi due to heavy traffic, walking is the most practical way of traveling.
This was the summer I started to have an actual taste of what “growing up,” learning, and having a sense of the world around me feels like. And I would not trade this for anything. If I didn’t go away for a month and just stayed in New York, I don’t think any of the “self-conflicted feelings” or “self–struggles” while I was in China would ever happen to me and so this is the summer where I am starting to finally live my life. To live a life where I can actually say that I am experiencing a once in a life time experience, brings me joy. by Joesph "Joey" ButtsA short recap of this offseason for our New York Knickerbockers and what we hope comes next Finally, things seem to be clearing up in New York. Well, at least to some degree. Our unicorn of a player, in Kristaps Porzingis, says he wants to be a “king” here. The trade rumors around him have ceased. Carmelo is still hanging around, for better or worse, and is being dangled in front of every playoff team in every major city. But that is not such a bad thing. As soon as Phil Jackson was fired, the Knickerbockers remained silent. For once, there was no drama. Phil isn’t out yelling inconceivable things about his players and the organization that make you wonder how in the world did this guy win 11 championships and be dubbed ‘Zen Master’. But that’s all over now. The biggest splash that we have made this offseason is signing the once-a-Knick, Tim Hardaway Jr. It was an incredibly high contract for the young man. Many believe he did not deserve that $72 mil over four years. But hey, let’s just wait and see right? That is all we can do. He has a lot to live up to. While he was working in Atlanta, he was solid. Averaging about 18 points per game as a starter and ended the season at about 14 points per game. Not bad, right? But also not $72 mil. Now, assuming Melo is dished out before the season starts, the three top paid players on the Knicks would be Hardaway, Joakim Noah, and Courtney Lee. None of whom should be in the top three on any team in the league. Along with Hardaway, our blue and orange signed a veteran 6’3’’ point guard, Ramon Sessions. I haven’t heard that name in a long time, so I have no idea what to expect. The only thing I know is that he will be a guy out there with a ton of experience. Perfect for helping to mold our new young stud Frank Ntilikina, the very tall and young rookie point guard out from France. all culture. Now we just wait and see how these guys will get along. How well can they mesh together? Will Courtney Lee and Hardaway be able to play on the court together? How will Willy Hernangomez be in his second season? People are already saying he will be a double-double machine. I don’t know if it’s fair to sell that yet. He’s great, no doubt. Great rebounder, has good footwork in the post, and is an excellent passer for a big man. The comparisons to the Spaniard Marc Gasol are completely justified. But as a long time Knicks fan, I know it is not smart to get your hopes up (even though I always do). Carmelo and Amar were supposed to bring us to the Eastern Conference Finals. When that didn’t work, it was the latter's fault. Jeremy Lin was a huge surprise for New York. Those were some great days and amazing stories, but now it doesn’t even feel like that happened. Then, there were the years of utter destruction for the franchise which including tanked seasons. That 17 win season in 2014 hurt more than when my ex broke up with me via text 3,000 miles away. Then, it all changed. We hired Phil to bring New York back. He drafted New York City’s new hope, being Kristaps Porzingis, who we all know and now love. We are finally committed to the rebuild phase. Which I thought we had been doing from 2003 - 2012 and again in 2014 but clearly not, I was wrong. Phil’s replacement, Steve Mills, is now in control. He is steering the ship in the direction he thinks is best. Avoiding huge icebergs and playing it safe with smaller catches, but while spending a little more money. I love it. The Knicks aren’t the laughing stock of the NBA anymore. Well sort of. But it is all I can ask for. We should be patient, because our time is approaching! Porzingis is heading into his third season. We should expect him to be an all-star. He has clearly been putting in the work, just check out his instagram. Man, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to bring it back to how it was in 2013...Kidd, Sheed, Artest, Melo, Prigioni, Shump, JR, Tyson, Felton, fifty-something wins, and of course Spike on the sidelines. What a team. That’s what the fans are looking for, that real New York basketball culture. by Samantha SheetsRather than experiencing endless summer nights alongside friends creating unforgettable memories, I spent the entirety of my break at my office job in downtown Manhattan. At the beginning of last summer, I was given the opportunity to work for the New York City Department of Probation. While I began my term there under the title “Summer College Intern”, I slowly found my footing within the maze of cubicles and was promoted to the permanent position of “College Aide” in August of 2016. Since then, I have continued to contribute - as much as one can at the bottom of the totem pole - into the summer of 2017. While the hours are demanding for a twenty year old, every paycheck is saved towards my future travels in Japan. Therefore, working a nine-to-five job with a commute that is an hour and a half long each way has led to a majority of my summer to revolve around my work. That being said, as I worked, I held the knowledge that committing my time is worth the loss of late night adventures. Luckily, aside from being a city employee and all the perks one gets with that title, my job has pushed me to see many different aspects within the criminal justice field. Thus, being at work forty hours a week does not feel effortful. Whether I am in the office handling “Pre-Sentence Investigation” paperwork, or being invited to attend trips, my job is fruitful and can help me with my future endeavors. Speaking of trips, in the summer of 2016, I was given an exclusive tour of both Rikers Island and the Coast Guard. Both were very different and eye opening experiences and I established the reality of prison life at Rikers in my first article. As we dived into the summer of 2017, it was assumed the same trips would be attended, as they are offered yearly. However, with the potential closing of Rikers Island looming overhead, we embarked on new, exclusive, once-in-your-lifetime tours. This included a tour of the Federal Metropolitan Correctional Center, as well as going to a New York Police Department certification gun range. During the trip to the range, I was given the opportunity to practice my shooting. The range itself was repulsive, and the bathrooms equated to the ones at Rikers. And while shooting a real gun for the first time, as tiny as I am, was exhilarating, I have to say I preferred seeing the Federal Metropolitan Correctional Center. Unlike the inmates being detained at Rikers Island, those at the Federal Metropolitan Correctional Center are considered low-risk felons. The entire atmosphere was different from that of Rikers and it appeared more humane. Not only were the inmates allowed to walk freely around my fellow colleagues and I, but they were permitted to acknowledge our existence. This contrasted with those within Rikers who were not even allowed to make eye contact with my department. Overall, seeing the level of politeness received by the inmates to my fellow employees was refreshing in comparison to being cat-called at Rikers. Even with less security, I somehow felt safer at the Federal Metropolitan Correctional Center and felt glimmers of hope exude from those incarcerated. This was evident in the simple interactions that took place between the guards and their inmates. The inmates at the Federal Metropolitan Correctional Center were seen as humans, and were treated as such by guards and staff. That being said, the power dynamics expected were still at play and a level of respect was valued and warranted by those incarcerated and the enforcers within the prison. As we were led down muted colored halls, we learned of the type of offenses that led to these inmates being detained. Most of the crimes committed revolved around drugs or were “white collar” crimes; explaining the lack of stiff security. On our tour, we were permitted to see all aspects within the facility. This ranged from the facility’s education center, to their psychology department, all the way to the inside of inmate’s cells. As they discussed the living conditions of these inmates, we were able to witness firsthand all that was described to us by our tour officials. Overall, the experience was eye opening and I am delighted I got to witness the lives of those I do paperwork for. While most of my summer I was surrounded by paperwork about inmates, or with the inmates themselves and not my peers, I do not regret basically living at my office in downtown Manhattan. I value everyday being pushed slightly outside of my comfort zone and being forced to tackle new aspects within the criminal justice field. Because of my job, I got workplace experience and money to afford my hobbies outside of the office, like seeing the Broadway musicals I write reviews on. I was able to begin planning my inevitable trip outside of the country and study the Japanese language during my lunch hour. Essentially, my summer was spent planning for future endeavors and gaining as much knowledge as one can outside of the classroom. For many, summer is the time to slow down and finally relax, but I detest idle time. For me, summer is the time to finally pick up the pace as summer is never actually a break. by Michelle BravoThis summer, I spent working, reading, and rekindling friendships with my old high school friends. After my last final, I went into hibernation for about 3 days. I proudly aced 4 out of 5 finals. I deserved the grades I got because I studied my butt off for each exam. I had made a 34 page study guide for one of my cumulative finals, so telling you how tired I was is an understatement. This school year really took it out of me, and my first year at John Jay did not go how I expected it to go. After a whole school year of being socially deprived I decided my summer would be better used growing a social life and networking. I wanted to be very productive this summer so I tried to never say no to anything. If someone wanted to hang out, I was there. If I was called into work at the very last minute, I’d clock in. If I was invited to an event, I’d show up. Whatever it was I tried not to say no. I took some initiative and took a trip to the DMV after I came out of my 3 day hiatus. I decided to finally get my permit. I attempted getting my permit once before, when I was 16 but sadly I failed the written exam. After passing the written exam the second time many years later, I started on my driving lessons the very next day. I can now confidently say I can drive, but I still need to work on my parking. I also threw a little get together with my high school group of friends in my backyard. We were all finally able to drink legally so we had the best time over glasses of wine and shots of tequila. This summer I was finally approached by my neighbor, who I went to middle school and elementary school with. He introduced me to a bunch of my former classmates and we all reconnected. It felt great to make friends after a year of minimal human interaction. My backyard has a small deck and a patio so I used that to hang out with friends over this summer. This summer I found a job without even trying. I got very lucky and ended up getting a higher pay grade than my previous summer job. I got a job as a hostess at a fancy sushi restaurant in midtown Manhattan. My job is very easy and my only complaint is standing for 10 hours straight in uncomfortable shoes. I took a small one week vacation very recently and went on a cruise. My family usually goes on vacation 2-3 times a year. This year we took a cruise on MSC Divina that stopped in Puerto Rico and Bahamas. As someone who has been on 8 cruises before, this particular ship was highly disappointing. The quality of service and food were subpar but on the upside the social life was great, the disco was always busy and crowded and I made some acquaintances on the ship. But the level of attention and charisma in the employees just wasn’t there, not compared to the 8 other ships I’ve been on. To anyone who has not been on a cruise, I highly recommend it. It's an inexpensive and fun way to travel and see different pieces of the world. This summer I basically made new friendships through mutual friends, hung out with old ones, I lost some friends as well. I expanded my vocabulary, made some money, treated myself to shopping sprees, and grew just a little bit more as a person. It was a highly successful and productive summer and the only thing left for me to do is to prepare myself for the upcoming semester. by Connor GilliganWe stayed up too late We played cards till four We drank some days And we drank some more We took a trip to get a grip On the life we are a-livin’ We sailed a ship And took a dip In the ocean, unforgiving We ate great food And when in the mood We rode on rollercoasters We laughed and joked We’re nearly broke But at least we all enjoyed it We slept till noon We drank harpoon On the right nights We stared at the moon We lived like lords Spent time on boogie boards and braved the hoards Of the 97th Street concession. When the sun did shine We took some time To frolic on the beach And may the memories of summer ‘17 forever be in reach. Sand Bars, Big Waves, Boogies Boards Ferry, fishing trips, beach bums Long days on the beach Beautiful bright sunsets of pink and purple Court parties The moon over the ocean’s cold and still dark water The pink and red sunset over the glistening bay Sailboats and cruise ships sail over the never-ending sea We hiked
And swam We biked And ran Ate at the concessions Trotted on the boardwalk Explored the old army buildings and bunkers of Fort Tilden Swam in the ocean for hours on end Ignored responsibilities Blew money in Las Vegas And probably ate a few hundred bagels The good times had Have left me glad To be a part of all the fun And once again With pad and pen We can bask in the sun The sun, salt air, and camaraderie makes the summer a special time for me The days are longer The sun is stronger No longer/any longer/wronger |
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