My internship in NYC started this week! I’m working with the YAI/NIPD (National Institute for People with Disabilities) Network. We are a not for profit organization that works with people with disabilities and help provide services (group housing, jobs, medical, etc.) for them and their families throughout the city and surrounding states. But let’s rewind a minute. My trip started on Monday. Mom and Haley came in town to take me to the airport in New Orleans. While I was finishing packing up my apartment and packing for 3 months in the Big Apple, they shopped and such. That evening I said my goodbyes to my roommate, Carly, and The Love Shack, the oh-so-fitting nickname for our apartment, and we made our way to NOLA. Mom has a friend with a condo in downtown New Orleans who offered it to us for the night. We were staying in “C.” When we got there we saw an “A” and two empty doors, so we assumed the last one was “C.” The key unlocked the door, confirming our assumption (or so we thought). It was a very small, narrow place. It once was a brothel. The place was basically separated into 3 rooms, each with a door leading outside (including the door marked “A”). We went and ate sushi at Horinoya (very good) and came back for an early morning. About 12:30 we get a knock on our door. We hesitate to answer as Mom returns the missed call from the guy who owned the place. I opened the door to see a young man who informed us that we were, in fact, staying in the wrong apartment. “C” was located upstairs. We were breaking and entering!! Even thought the key unlocked the door…We loaded up, and made it upstairs to apartment “C” and settled in for a very brief sleep, my flight to NYC left at 6 am.
Mom dropped me off at the airport at 4:30 am Tuesday morning. Everything was pretty uneventful after that. I was in and out of sleep on the flights. When we landed for my layover in DC, I flipped out for ½ a second because, in my slumber, I thought the plane touching the ground was major turbulence. I landed in NYC and took a taxi to Amanda’s (my friend from college). I’m staying at their place for a few days. I called work shortly after and was going to go visit around 4, so I could meet everybody. It was 2 pm at this time, and I decided to lie down for a nap. Well, I guess I was more tired than I thought, because I ignored my alarm and woke up at 4 pm! I jumped out of bad and RAN down the block to the subway station, in the rain. I had to stop at a little store to get an umbrella before I soaked myself. Took the train downtown and got to the building at about 4:40. I made sure to be extra early the next morning.
Amanda’s sister and her friend were in town, so we all went and watched Next to Normal on Broadway that night. I didn’t really think I would like it, but it was great! Next morning, I was at work before 8:45 am. Beat my boss. I was thrown right in. Our big event is the Central Park Challenge (a 5K run/3K walk raising money for people with disabilities) is just over two weeks away, so the office is buzzing! More about that later though. Immediately after I arrived, we had a department staff meeting, where I got to meet everyone that I didn’t meet on Tuesday afternoon. These people are incredible! Everyone is so friendly, constantly laughing. No one was stuffy or seemed to hate their job. I guess when your job has a positive impact on society and you are working to help people, it’s pretty hard to be miserable. A woman in the office was very elated because they had just enrolled their first student for a school in the fall, specifically for children with developmental disabilities. She’s played every role in setting this school up: lawyer, receptionist, recruiter, admissions officer, the list goes on. This is what these people do!
My first day was filled with new faces, new names, more meetings, IT problems, more names I can’t remember, taking the wrong subway. I loved it. I got back to Amanda’s about 5:45 that evening and we trekked downtown to eat at a famous Ethiopian place. The food was…interesting. I’m really glad I had that opportunity and got to try it, but if I never have it again, I think I’ll live. Today brought yet another wonderful day at work, and almost another wrong train. It’s weird, because I never have trouble in the mornings. I really like what I’m doing and am looking forward to taking on more responsibility and bigger projects in the months to come!
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