So I'm finally semi-settled in my new place, after battling the powers
that be for escape from my initial move-in place, a crummy one bedroom on the first floor with a lovely view of barbed wire, green mold carpeting a slab of cement, lead paint on the walls, silverfish crawling through the cracks (and onto my bed during sleepy time... yay), and big black toxic mold of sludge inside my closet with the kind of smell that smacks you in the face with sheer acridity and the branches in your lungs melt at its tips, smoking into your organs.
I called the super and told him to open the closet door and acknowledge the rank of black moldy crud, to which he sniffed and responded quizzically - What smell? I smell nothing. Followed with a comment muttered under his breath, "That's strange we just painted it." Ah, the elusive spores had made it through a half-ass attempt to cover up toxins. After a series of phone calls with only the slightest indication of veiled threats, I was allowed to move to the 3rd floor, schleping all of my crap for the second time. I was told this was a temporary allowance and that eventually I might have to move back. HELL NO. I'm nailing my shit to this new room.
The pics are the views from outside my first place, and then the new place - same building; what a difference a few flights of stairs make.
Anyhoo, on a lighter note, I'm getting to meet TONS of great people and unlike many academic programs focused on competition and pwning the other student to get the higher grade, the environment is extremely supportive, community-focused, and pretty cool to be around people who also want to pursue a career that doesn't pay crud, but offers those little emotional rewards that we sometimes get to have.
Currently at the start of a week long orientation with full days just learning about the school, the community, the program. I think on the last day we go on some kind of boat ride. Today we visited Harlem and had to write notes on the city of what appeared to be its assets and needs. A girl who lived in the area commented, "Oh heeeellll no, this is some rude ass shit, what are we visiting a zoo?" She has a point, but at the same time, it could also be fairly innocuous, don't we usually observe things when we're walking around anyway? Either way, let the learning begin.
