Hello again!
    I'm so happy it's almost Friday!  It's a long weekend here because of Columbus Day so I can't wait to take advantage of the extra time off.  The last two days have been busy but beautiful days in the city.  The rain is gone (woohoo!) and the sun has been shining.
    So yesterday was another long day.  I had four classes in a row-Spanish, international politics, criminology, and my international politics discussion. 

    Somewhere in between there I had a quick lunch, and finished an assignment.  Then I headed off to meet my friend for a spin class.  I had extra time so I decided to walk instead of take the train and I am awfully glad that I did because I made a few discoveries.

     I found a Le Pain Quotidien, which has delicious food and coffee, and a J. Crew, my favorite clothing store, very close to campus!  I also found a 7$ manicure on 5th avenue which I have plans to hit up tomorrow with my roommate.  Again, I love what I can find on a daily basis just by roaming the streets. 
     I eventually made it to spin class where I could barely sit on the bike because I was so sore from the last few days of exercise.  After a few minutes of considering leaving, I became numb enough that I was able to make it through.  Unfortunately, the teacher and her music choices were not nearly as good as the class I took last Sunday so I'll have to keep trying different teachers at this studio.  I've learned that people take spinning in NYC very seriously.  The class is held in a small studio crammed with about 50 bikes that calculate your RPM's, power and torq.  They give you biking shoes that clip in to the bike, which I still don't understand how to do on my own, and everyone in the class is able to spin about 20 RPM's faster than I can.  Oh well, hopefully I'll get better.
    After the class I headed to a Relay for Life meeting, sweaty clothes and all.  One thing about college is you have to fit in workouts whenever you can.  I am very excited about working with Relay to raise money for the American Cancer Society and plan on making my own team to participate in the spring.
  By then I was exhausted but I met my friend for dinner at a little cafe in NoHo, then took the train home, where I almost missed my stop once again (thanks cell phone for distracting me).  After narrowly avoiding a trip out to Brooklyn, I came home to sleep.
    Today has not been particularly exciting.  I cleaned and did some cooking in the morning after my one class.  I had a pretty salad of spinach, tomatoes, avocado, chicken, and goat cheese (yum mom!) on my cool New York Times crossword plate.

    I then headed to PS 140 on the lower east side, where I have just started volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club.  I am working with the 1st graders and to describe it in one word...crazy.  Most of the time I am there it is pure chaos with kids running around, teachers yelling, and me somewhere in between not quite sure what to do with myself.  For part of the day, I did help some students with some homework on writing the alphabet, so at least I felt like I made some kind of contribution.

   By the time the day was over, I could barely move.  I was considering applying for an internship but after how busy I have been the last few days, I am quickly reconsidering.  I am now home on the couch, watching the Jersey Shore with my roommates and a few friends, which has become a kind of tradition in our apartment.
   Thanks for reading about my not so excited past few days. Hopefully I will have some more exciting adventures to report on throughout the weekend.  I am also getting very excited about Thanksgiving break.  It has been over a month since I've seen any family or friends from home.  I'll be home in 46 days!  Miss you all!

much <3 from NYC