I apologize for not posting an update last night, I don't have a laptop so I have to type this on my phone and iPod.
February18Th:
My mother and I went to the Vassar College tour and informational session. I learned so much! I was the only senior out of all the students who were taking the tour and not surprising the only Mexican there. It was a little uncomfortable but I understood why that was that way. I learned that Vassar like Brown has an open curriculum where students can choose whatever classes they want. Something that I like.
I also visited the ALANA cultural center, which stands for African American, Latino/a, Asian American, and Native American. There I spoke with three girls Kristen, Indiana and Dronile. They told me about their situation there. They told me that they too came from schools that have 99% Latinos, 1% black and 0% white. They told me that now they are the minority and that it's difficult to talk about race with others in their school but that they still managed to make strong bonds with people there. What they like the most about being there is that they are going to graduate debt less and that financial aid is always willing to help as well as the fact that they have built strong bonds with their profesors. What they don't like is that it was hard to adjust but they are glad they are attending Vassar.
What I liked about the ALANA center was that everyone was so close, they were a community.
This was really helpful since I could relate to them.
Today:
My mother and I were tourists today! We went to Central Park, saw the Statue of Liberty, walked china town, and saw where the World Trade Center was. We walked a lot, used public transportation, and we didn't get lost! I like New York, it's very impressing.
Tomorrow my mom and I will be going to NYU!
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1 comment:
Adriana,
It doesn't matter whether it's race, religion, breeding, economic background, color of skin, gender or anything else⎯as we go through life we’re going to find that people are different. Even in your own community, once you step outside of your comfort zone, you’re going to find yourself in a different world. Go out to Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Antioch or even Marin County and you’ll find that the way they do things and the way they look at things are vastly different than what you’re sued to.
You have a choice, though, about whether you’re willing to open your mind to new ideas or whether you want to close that mind and settle in on 23rd Street in Richmond.
We all have faith that you’re capable and willing to choose the former and not the latter.
Just a suggestion, if you decide to choose the former, NOW is the time to start branching out. NOW is the time to take field trips outside of your own small community to see what’s out there. NOW is the time to expand your comfort zone so when you go away in the fall to a new and different world, you’ll be ready to blend in and absorb your surroundings.
Something else that you might consider, of all of those things I mentioned in the first paragraph, do you think that you should be defined by them? We can never forget our background or our heritage or how we were brought up but should we structure our life around that all the while limiting our growth?
Glad you got a chance to play the tourist even if it was just for a few hours. Sometimes we get ourselves all worked up about the business at hand that we forget to take a look around us and appreciate what’s being offered.
I hope that you and your mother both enjoy your time at NYU. They have a great history and reputation.
Don
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