I suppose NYC is a good place to turn 23...

Well, it is not quite my birthday yet and I have already experienced how much love this city and the individuals I am surrounded by have to offer.

Anna, the woman whom I work at the Siena thrift shop with once a week found out it was my birthday and bought me lunch. She is an absolute doll and I had an amazing first day of officially working with her - I'll talk about that later.

Tonight the priests next door had us over for a delicious dinner, made me a cake and gave me a card with $50 in it. Absolutely unnecessary especially considering the nature of their lifestyle, but their generosity warmed my heart! They are also taking us to a Yankees game Friday evening - the first game of the last series in the old stadium... hollllla.

And lastly, my roommates are already planning a birthday dinner for both Kendra and I cause we have the same birthday which I LOVE!!

The rest of this past week had both ups and downs. On Sunday I found out that one of my good friends fathers had passed away from Lou Gehrig's disease. He had been sick most of senior year, but I was in total shock. Tuesday I worked a half day at the thrift shop with Anna and then as trying as it was, I managed to navigated my way through not only a massive rain storm thanks to the hurricane, but also NYC's overly huge subway system to catch a greyhound bus to Boston.

The trip was long, uncomfortable and freezing. I spilled a large coffee on myself, my bag, and my seat, but I eventually made it to Boston. The wake and funeral were heartbreaking. He was so young and his disease was so devastating. The strength that his wife Mary, son Phil and my friend Kristin had was so inspirational. My heart goes out to the three of them. Although the two days were so sad, it was comforting to know that my roommates, as well as the Sisters at Siena House were praying for the family.

The only positive that came from my whirlwind 24 hour trip to MA was my ability to squeeze in visiting with a large majority of the individuals I have been missing so so so much. Numerous members of my graduating class showed up for the wake and funeral and then afterwords I was able to spend the night at Merrimack with my Friend Meg in our other friend James' room. He ironically is an RA in the building which I lived in last year which was major deja vu. I was also able to see all of my freshman (which are now sophomores ehhh), friends from orientation, my boss, the 3rd floor SAK crew- Res Life, Student Activities, the Dean, Joni as well as Hannah another AV who is living in Lawrence and working at Merrimack.

Despite the terrible circumstance which brought me to Massachusetts being with all of my friends was something I was in need of. I returned back to my NYC greeted and comforted by my three amazing roommates, and I realized that although this place is still semi unfamiliar it is starting to feel a lot more like home. Below I included a picture of my room... starting to look like an actual functioning place. Behind where I am standing is my own bathroom.



The rest of the week was fairly uneventful - work at Siena House was slow due to the large amount of mothers who have started either GED classes or parenting classes so I was left to play with the babies numerous times throughout the day, which was sooooo miserable :)

One of the babies at Siena


Three of the kids at Andreas after school program which I helped out at after work.


SUCH BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN.

This weekend I was able to see one of my best friends from Vermont, Brian as well as a whole crew of Camp Daybreak friends which again was a much needed taste of home. I unfortunately got a 24 hour bug and spent all of Sunday day and night either sleeping or getting sick. Being sick away from home, not having a Mom or a Nana to take care of you is terrible no matter how old you are. My roommates were sweethearts and brought me crackers and ginger ale and this morning I felt back to normal.

Which brings me to the Thrift Shop. The shop is run by Siena House and although the initial goal of opening it was to make profits which would benefit the shelter - the extremely low selling prices that are put on everything does not make for much of a profit. There are only a select few items that exceed $3 and I am sure Anna or Sister Lauria could easily be talked into selling them for cheaper. Today we gave out bread to homeless individuals who came into the store and I had the pleasure of hanging out with a man named Johnny Five - decorating the two store windows for fall with him.

Johnny Five is a man who has struggled with homelessness much of his adult life. In a city full of lights Johnny has called a cave under a roadway home. He has had his bout with drugs and alcohol and unfortunately to this day still slips into his old habits quite frequently. Although is lifestyle is one which I can't even begin to imagine or understand, today he proved that he is one of the most sincere, to the point, wild, courageous individuals I have ever met.

His story is so hard to believe, as is his friendly demeanor and upbeat attitude considering his struggles. I honestly could not stop listening to him. He went between talking about how he has had to keep clean by using rubbing alcohol in place of a shower, to joking around about how Irish I am and how he should start calling me a Leprechaun and make me dance.

He falters between wanting to have an apartment and design clothing and slipping back under the streets to the place he calls home. He has nothing. Literally nothing, and yet he is so giving. I am in awe of his spirit and his pure determination. Offering his time to help Anna and Sister Lauria at the Thrift Store doing any medial task they ask him to (helping me decorate the windows, going to cash checks for a considerable amount of money... and bringing that money back or moving heavy boxes.)

He totally changed the stereotypical view of the homeless that had previously infiltrated my life. He is not dirty in fact he told me how he loves Cologne and dressing up nice. He not unfriendly nor is he untrustworthy. I honestly am at a loss of words - his life is so far removed from anything that I have ever experienced, yet I was able to completely relate to him. I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to push my personal boundaries and learn from someone like him.

This year is proving to be so much more rewarding then I ever could have imagined. Here's to turning 23 in this crazy city, and all that it has to offer.