Getting it all started

Email sent:Oct. 15
Hello from one of the newer residents of New York's Morningside Heights/Upper West Side,

If you don't have time to read this, know this one thing...i'm doing great and loving it here in New York!

School is amazing! The basics: I'm at Bank Street College of Education doing my MSc in Child Life. I'm so happy to be doing what i really want as the longer goal. My program is pretty small (16 fabulous women...not a lot of men in Child Life overall). I have 3 masters classes a week, medical aspects of illness, child development and my core Child Life class. All really interesting and setting lots of ground work for the next two years and the future. There is quite the mix of people in my classes, from all over the U.S. (i'm the only canadian) and a bunch from New York area (originally). I get along really well with them and i'm really glad to have such a great network of people because there is no doubt that what i'm pursuing is going to be emotionally challenging...these ladies will be an immense support to me.

Surprisingly school hasn't been as busy as i expected (although i've been told that it's just a break before next year!), so i've started working as a nanny. I take care of a 22 month old, E, and her 2 week old brother N. It's been a while since i did the baby thing, but i'm loving it. They are such good kids! She listens so well, makes me laugh till i cry and is really trying to get my very long name down in one mouthfull. So far i'm Shamman. She'll get it! I also find it so fascinating to see them develop along with my child development textbook (is that crazy of me, haha).

So i've been doing a lot of exploring of the city, and the city night life as well...kinda feel like i'm back in undergrad again (getting a redo??). This is a very crazy city...tons of people and it's NEVER quiet out. I have found this city to be very safe and people are very very friendly. There are so many people around and all of them (so far) have been so nice! A lot of people have said it's the 911 thing, but i think that people are inherently nice and New yorkers get a bad rap. This is not to say that i'm not keeping my wits about me. I'm being smart about where i'm walking and who i'm with...i'm a smart girl (this is a message to my family if you're not noticing :) I love your concern for me, i'm okay!

New York is hard to explain. It's very easy to get around and generally very fast thanks to their amazing transit system which is overall pretty reliable. But it's a vast city...incredibly vast. I realized this last night when it took my friend and I an hour and a half to get to the Lower East side (SoHo) from Upper West side (Oh and just so you get a bet of a better idea of the distance...it's over 130 block trip) for $2 dollars via the subway, but then a cab home was only $25 (and 25 minute ride)...not so much but that would be $50 to go both ways...would have been a very pricey night for us. It's alllll worth it though. New York is so much fun!! Always something to do and people to do it with.

Interesting things to note about the big apple
1) lots of delicious apples in the city...farmers markets take place all over the place
2)First and only celebrity sightings (that i know of)...Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler. For those not obsessed with Law and Order Special Victims Unit those names will mean nothing. I may have taken E. walking towards the set just to see if i could see anything, which i did! I am a horrible nanny! BUT if Elmo or Dora were filming anything i would have walked her that way too...am i redeemed?
2a) Brad pitt was filming his newest film a few blocks away, but i didn't get to see him, just lots of trucks
Also Lucy Lui in the Cashmere Mafia...check it out to see my 'hood...lots of filming around my area!
2b) if you've watched You've Got Mail know that i live a few blocks from basically every shot in that movie...they love the upper west side...so beautiful!!
2c) Seinfeld's "Tom's Restaurant" is just up the street...such good brunch and open 24 hours...and they milk the seinfeld thing for all it's worth (way to go them!).
3) great street meat/food. I never thought i'd ever say this because generally i don't eat that stuff...but here it's just so great, you can't help yourself! Lebanese, greek, new york...name it it's sold on the street...so yummy!
4)Rodents...yes i see them all the time. NEVER in my apartment thank god. Two days ago i experienced both a rat and mouse within a few seconds of the other. I couldn't believe it but mice are actually very very small in comparison. Rats are ginormous here!!! sick sick sick...seriously not joking the size of a small chihuahua...BAH GAG yuck!
5)New york accent i believe is actually a spanish accent. I have had to use my spanish so much since i've arrived...mostly listening to know i'm not getting ripped off, but occasionally to be clear about misunderstandings. English is not even close to being the most commonly used primary language.

Time has flown by! I've had so many visitors (Thanks guys, you've made the past few weeks fabulous!!) and i'll have a few more in the next few months i'm glad people are coming to see the city before it turns to ice. I can't believe that Halloween is in a few weeks and then American thanksgiving, yikes! And fall just really hit the city last week...the 28/90ish degree temperatures were getting a bit ridiculous, even for a summer girl like me.
Anyhoo, this has grown to a great length, but i wanted to update you all.

keep in touch
xo