Gods Love we Deliver

My job has community service projects all year round for employees to participate in all around the city. Over the summer they have the same opportunity for the interns. This summer I signed up for Gods Love we Deliver. In the project Gods Love we Deliver we packed food for people who are sick and homebound.  When I was there with a group of seven other employees from my job we met this lady named Ms. Anne. Ms. Anne is an older lady who volunteers at Gods Love we Deliver every Tuesday and Thursday. She has been volunteering at this organization for almost five years now. Ms. Anne has one daughter who lives in Philadelphia and has lupus. She told me how they don't know how her daughter got lupus because it doesn't run in their family; it was something she just got. Ms. Anne described her daughter with such love and are. She told me how they used to travel around the world together when her daughter was doing consulting. They way Ms. Anne talked about he daughter reminded me of my mother when she talks to people about me. I usually hate when my mom talks to people about me because it makes it sound like she's bragging, and it makes me always feel like I have standards to live up to because she speaks so highly of me. Ms. Anne and I talked about our lives, our travels, and the people we were packing food for. Ms. Anne made an impression on me because she got me to open up and talk to her and it made me realize the amount of similarities I could have with a lady in her 70's. She helped me to appreciate how much my mother talks about and realize it's not that she's bragging she's just very proud of me. Ms. Anne hoped to see me again volunteering and I hope to volunteer again with her by my side. 

Going to Gods Love we Deliver made my day because it reminded me why I would love to work in non-profit as a career. The joy that came to my heart every time I sealed a package of food, put a label on a meal as to when the expiration date would be, every time I wrapped a roll, etc is indescribable. I felt the same joy during a hard job that I did during one of he easier jobs like wrapping the rolls. All the work touched my heart. When I walked into the kitchen, scrubbed my hand like I was going into surgery, all I could smell is fresh garlic, parley, etc. The freshness and wonderful tasting air let me know that all this food was being made with love. This food wasn't any old food that was donated already made or already packaged, all this food was being made on the spot, and handed off to volunteers to deliver to the home-bound sick.

Volunteering at this place and meeting Ms. Anne was one of the highlights of my summer. Although I gave up my time to pack some food for people I don't know, the experience is what leaves a lasting impression on me. I cherish these moments because not only do I feel like I'm impacting people in this world, but they are also impacting me. I feel like most times I volunteer, I take away more from the people then what they take away from me. In other words their faith and appreciation for life and the people around them is something I truly admire and hope to imitate. 

Long Beach

Today will be my first time going to the beach for the summer. I was excited to be going to the beach for the first time this summer. When I think of summer I think of beaches and pools, therefore I was feeling a little left out since I hadn't gone to the beach yet. The idea to go to the beach was a spur of the moment idea. An idea that involved an invitation to my roommate who is living in New York to tag along. I thought inviting my roommate with me would be a great experience for her since this is her first time living in New York and every time I take her somewhere it's always an adventure. When I told her we were going to the beach in Long Island she was super excited. Her response through text sounded like a child jumping for joy in excitement. Her excitement towards traveling to Long Island for the first time and going to the beach for the first time in New York got me super pumped for our Sunday adventure.

I gave my friend the task of coming from Manhattan on the subway to meet me in Brooklyn to catch the Long Island Railroad. Seeing her successfully meet up with me on time at Atlantic Avenue gave me the confidence that she was getting the hang of living in New York alone. After she arrived, we went on to buy our tickets for  the beach and train, and waited for it to arrive. An hour later we were walking towards Long Beach with a pep in our step and excitement in our faces. The sand was hot and the sun was beaming, it was perfect weather for the beach. We got into our bathing suits and went to hit the water. One foot in the water and we ran out. The water was too cold to put both feet in or even one foot. One more step into the water, again its too cold so my roommate and I try to inch into the water little by little until it was op to our knees. Of course the water never touched my roommates knees, but touched mine, but that is only up to my thigh area. The waves were hitting us so hard, making us fall to the ground. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the waved pulling them into shore, and ripping them left and right. My roommate and I just liked for the water to go a little pass our knees and that be it. TOday the waves were very rough but I was feeling a little adventurous and  decided to walk out further to wear the water reached the middle of my torso. I nervously creeped to a further spot in the water but was bought back by the wave. The roughness of the wave put a little fear in my life, therefore I stayed in a place where I felt most comfortable, which was having the water at knee level.
Although my roommate and I might seem like punks for not going out further into the water, but we were comfortable where we were. Our day at the beach was amazing. We caught some waves like the surfers would say and caught some color. We were able to just relax in the water, talk, watch other people and enjoy life, I think those things are all very important.

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower seems to be one of the biggest attractions of Paris. Its the one place all the tourists always go to when traveling to Paris. When going to the Eiffel Tower, it was on the day of the Paris's Jordan Classic, therefore my excitement of seeing the Eiffel Tower disappeared and focused on what was right before my eyes. Crowds of people in the stands with a great view of the Eiffel Tower, watching possibly their countries' next NBA stars or European Basketball stars. I was filled with excitement. The speakers roared DJ Khaled's song "All I do is Win" and for a second I thought I was back in the states. To hear this music, watch this game, I was in heaven, I was in total awe. 

To be around people who enjoyed the game of basketball as much as I did was an amazing feeling. Being in a foreign country and being able to find the same enjoyment amongst people from different cultures is always amazing. After cooling down my excitement of seeing basketball being for the first time in the nine days I had been in Paris already was an highlight of my trip. The group and I continued onward to setting up a little picnic area by the Eiffel Tower. Herds of people scurried around the Eiffel Tower looking for their groups, a place to eat or trying to rush to the long line of people waiting to get up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Luckily prior to our last Saturday in Paris I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately many people in my group who didn't go prior to our last day in Paris were disappointed because the line was so long that they weren't able to go up. Long lines and tourists are two things that I can not deal with. My patience is too limited to deal with both of them. Although this was my first time in Paris after about three days of being there I no longer felt like a tourist. I learned the subway station and how to read a map. Reading the maps in Paris was something i did everyday and it helped me to become more aware of my surroundings and the stops I was getting off at. I became more familiar with the streets, where to transfer at certain stops, etc. You can always tell when there is a tourist in the street because they always have a camera in their hand and a confused/amazed look on their face. At the Eiffel Tower there were so may people, and it was a little unbearable. The fact that I felt comfortable in Paris helped me to navigate the streets better. Going to a place like the Eiffel Tower is something I only need to do one because I don't like going to to many touristy places. I rather be in the heart of Paris, where the natives live, that is how you get the first hand experience of what it means to be French.

People and Food of France

Paris has to be the home of the most chocolaty, delicious, fresh, hot chocolate in the world. This cup of warm, melted chocolate is so rich in flavor and in texture. When presented with this cup of chocolat chaud I immediately saw the difference. On a little white plate I was given the tiniest spoon I had ever seen, a cube of sugar and a cup of what looked like melted Hershey Kisses.
When I dipped my spoon in the cub to mix the cube of sugar that was given to me in it, the chocolate stuck onto the spoon, that is how I knew this was the real stuff, and not the fake powdered sugar hot chocolate that I usually make at home. The man who gave me the cup of chocolat chaud was very friendly. He spoke pretty good english, which amazed me. I am always so amazed by people that speak better english then me even though it is their second language. They take the time to make sure they are using proper grammar, where as I might use some slang because english is my first language. Everyone in Paris seemed to be always sitting outside smoking a cigarette, drinking a beer or a cup of coffee at a cafe at least once in their day. In order to fully immerse myself into the culture I thought it was only right to sit outside at a cafe, drink a cup of hot chocolate, talk to a friend and watch the people walk by. There is something very calming about jut sitting and watching people walk by, it is something I don't get to do at home very often. Sitting outside the cafe was an amazing experience, I tried to do it as much as I could and each time I tried to have something different off the menu, in terms of drinks and dessert.

Tea and Coconut Pastries

Chocolat Chaud

Creme- Brule

       

Paris Pick Pocketers

Walking out to see Dr. Nell was such a relief. Someone familiar to this foreign place was a relief. Taking the train here was a new experience. Dr. Nell said to hold on tight to our bags, but I'm used to keeping my bag close to me, I think that is anywhere you are in the world you should be aware of your bag. But in France it is much more serious. I saw a guy almost get pick pocketed. I saw the scene get set up. There were two boys, one acting like he was reading a map and the other was looking around as if he was very lost. One of the boys attempted to bump into this lady but she grabbed hold of her purse before they could get anything out of it. The boys continued on seeing that they were unsuccessful in their first pick pocketing attempt. The old lady scurried after them to warn the rest of the people in my group and in the group of people ahead of us that there were pick pocketers. At first I wasn't sure if she was helping them to distract us or if she was serious. The two boys carried  on with their plan to grab someones wallet. They tried to grab the wallet out of the back of this mans pocket but he caught their hand while it was digging in his pocket. Two unsuccessful attempts to steal and they failed. I would've never thought this was such a serious thing in Paris. I am always aware of my surroundings and my belongings  but I have to be especially careful in Paris.

Pre-Paris =/

Going through security is never something fun when traveling, especially when there is a possibility you will miss your boarding time while waiting on that long line. Security will make a person late, tired, and irritated by the time you actually get to your gate. By the time you get to your gate your exhausted and fed up with how long it took you to get to this point. Tired and irritated is exactly how I was feeling at Newark Airport. Irritated is not how I should've been feeling pre-Paris. Excited should've been my feelings for this great experience I was about to encounter, but it wasn't. Security took forever, because not only was there a long line but there was also this one lady who kept beeping when going through security. She forgot to take off her waist band, then she forgot to take off her jewelry, and then finally she remembered she had her cell phone in her bra. Again, like my previous post my patience was running on empty. It was 8:20 pm and I was just getting through security when I was supposed to be boarding at 8:35 pm. After sprinting, ditching and dodging through people who clearly had more time then me to be wandering around the airport looking at random shops that were going to charge them so much more money then any story outside of the airport, I finally made it to my gate. My gate filled with people, this was definitely the biggest group of people I had ever been on a plane with. This was also my first time traveling to Europe alone. I felt like one of those students straight out of college who back pack through Europe. So now that finally made it to my gate I felt a little more relaxed and at ease. 8:35 pm finally came and we didn't board as yet. 8:45pm came and I still wasn't on the plane, so now I'm saying to myself what could be taking them so long. While I waited I noticed a small child in his stroller next to me who also looked impatient and ready to get on the plane. He was a french child because he said "we, we" to his mother. I said to myself that it is so amazing that at such a young age he's getting to see America. 9:05 pm and they finally allowed us on the plane. A plane that was supposed to take off at 9:20pm took off at 9:45 pm. Oh how I hate waiting.

I was getting ready to be on the plane for 6 hours!!! My first overnight trip to Europe. The plane was huge, line with rows and rows of seats fairly close to one another. My seat, 24D was being occupied by a man holding the hands of this woman next to him. I asked him if he was in the correct seat and he said "Yes," when it actually wasn't his seat. Out of frustration he moved because being a bulky guy he preferred the  isle seat and his wife looked uncomfortable sitting by the window. I volunteered to move but neither of them too my offer. I actually would've preferred the window and she preferred the middle, but she seemed to think she was asking of too much. I decided to suck it up, read a book, eat the best meal I've ever had on a plane, which included chicken parm, pasta, and bread with a salad, go back to sleep, wake up, eat breakfast, which included more bread and fruit, go back to sleep and get off the plane. In that exact order is how I spent six hours on the plane, while having neck cramps, getting hit in the head by people walking by and the guy in the middle spilling over into my seat, it was a fairly successful ride to Paris. When the plane finally landed safely it was such a relief, I wasn't as yet excited because I began to got nervous about what they might ask me in customs. My mind went back to a time when I traveled to Jamaica and they asked me a bunch of questions like, why was I there, where I was staying, how long was I staying, who I was staying with, etc. For that trip I was prepared with a write-up of answers, for this trip my mind was empty. After following the crowd from my plane to baggage claim, I waited 30-40 minutes for my bad=NOT FUN! But while I waited I took a picture of this:

The bags finally started to peel out of the shoot and the one thing I kept thinking is "what if my bag didn't make it?" If my bag didn't make it to Paris I would be doomed. I tried to shake that thought that I tend to have every time I travel on a plane out of my head. 20 minutes later and a couple of "be patient" pep talks later my bag finally came and I walked toward the exit expecting to go through customs, but no one was there to check me so I continued to walk and there was Dr. Nell!

The Pizza that made Brooklyn Famous

Grimaldi's Pizzeria is one of Brooklyn's most famous Pizza places. A little place located on 19 Old Fulton Street right under the Brooklyn Bridge that does pizza like no other pizzeria. This place is no Papa John's or Dominoes, it a pizzeria with brick oven, thin crusted pizza with real cheese. The line for this place is always down the block because the place is small but popular amongst the residents and tourists. I usually hate coming to this place because I have no patience for the long wait. The wait usually ranges from 30-45 minutes depending on the night and the number of people in your group, which is too long for my likings. On this paticular night I had two other people with me, one who was a big fan of the pizzeria and the other who was trying it for the first time. As my patience wore off, we started to creep closer to the entrance and was finally seated. I ordered extra cheese pizza which is shown in the picture above and antipassto. Afer devouring the pizza which is by the way only sold in pies, no slices, I remembered why that wait is always worth it. Gri,aldis pizza is amazing. The freshness of the cheese and sauce is so delightful, it makes you never want to eat Papa Johns or Dominoes again.