Author Archives: anniesabaldeo

Posts by anniesabaldeo

Comments by anniesabaldeo

"I remember Super Storm Sandy like it was yesterday. The evening before the storm hit, my family and I gathered in our living room, watching ABC 7. Sade Baderinwa was in the middle of reading the list of zone A regions of New York. Far Rockaway was one of them. We were mandated to evacuate. Not long ago, my entire extended family traveled to my aunt’s house in New Jersey in fear of Hurricane Irene. However, this time the rush to flee was absent. My dad was on the phone with my uncle discussing whether they would leave. They would not. My dad knew though that we had to leave. In the next half hour, my sisters and I packed a week’s worth of clothes along with all of our books, textbooks, and laptops. With the graciousness of my aunt, we were able to wait out the storm in Belleville, New Jersey. The only thing we lost there was power. To help with this, my aunt had a generator. For a few hours a day, we would have some electricity to shower and make the meals for the day. To pay for this, however, we would have to stand on the gas line every morning and some nights. After the storm had passed and it was cleared to go back, my father took a trip back to our home. Thankfully, he suggested my mother, sisters, and I stay until he assessed the situation. At the end of that day, he came back with a camera full of pictures of our town. As we scrolled through the pictures, my basement was filled with water to the ceiling. It was one foot away from hitting the floor of the first floor. In the water, there was everything we stored in our basement: my books from pre-school through tenth grade, my childhood books, my childhood toys, my mother’s pots and pans, and other things we sentimentally valued. Overwhelmed, I excused myself to the restroom and began to cry. I gathered myself and went back outside. Although my emotions were in control and I began to cry again, this time my family hugged me and began to cry as well. When we were able to turn on the television, I realized that in comparison, we were lucky. After a week of staying with my aunt and other family members in Far Rockaway who were not affected, we went back to our home. There was no electricity and no heat. Honestly, our house was unlivable. Yet we had nowhere else to go. We had overstayed at all of our family’s homes. My dad, uncle, and cousin cleaned out the basement and we made our living room a five-person bedroom. We isolated the entire living room in heavy-duty plastic and placed space heaters all around. We used the generator my father bought and had electricity for a few hours everyday. School would begin on Monday. However, my high school, Scholars’ Academy, suffered major damages. Instead we were relocated to Maxwell High School in Brooklyn. For the next two months until the middle of January of 2013, I would wake up two hours earlier than normal every morning to get the shuttle buses that took the Rockaway peninsula residents from our school to Maxwell. It was on the first day of school post-Sandy, I was able to relate to others who went through similar and worst things. My friends and classmates were much more unlucky than we were had their entire homes damaged and some even burned down in the Breezy Point fire. Again, in comparison, we were lucky. There were many times where school was the only normal thing for many of us, the only structure to the chaos. We were encouraged by our principal and teachers to be “Rockaway Resilient,” and that we were. When we went back to school the following year and many of us began to recover at home, we saw every recovery as a blessing. Super Storm Sandy, despite all its damage, made a community of people stronger than ever. Personally, this storm validated that there are always people that have it worse than I do, and that I should be grateful for everything and everyday. The Rockaway peninsula will never be the same, but we are stronger because of the storm."
--( posted on Mar 16, 2016, commenting on the post Assignment 4 )
 
"As a child who grew up traveling in and out of the city, I have used a fair share of public spaces including the city sidewalks, the subway system, and the iconic parks. However, as a college student, the public space I have most sentiment about is the area outside of the west Building of Hunter College. On the corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, the space is home to a subway entrance and therefore lots of foot traffic. For me, this subway entrance to the six train is convenient and practical. The stairs leading down to the train are wide and gradual. It is easy for commuters, students, workers, and tourists alike, to split the stairs for those going into the station and those coming out of the station. On a good day, commuters abide by the social contract and stay to the right of the stairs in either direction. However, all too often, there is that student or tourist who is unaware of the social contract, that comes down the wrong side of the stairs forcing you to change direction in the flow of commuters. Not only does this person put me at risk of falling, but increases my chances of bumping into someone. Thankfully, the staircase is wide and open, allowing for these encounters to be a nuisance more so than an actual hazard. Around the perimeter of the subway entrance, there is seating. The benches are built against the walls of the subway entrance allowing people to sit with the subway entrance as a brace for their backs. Although I have never used this seating area, it is a hot commodity. I have seen people, especially during the summer, prop themselves up on the bench with their lunch, a book, or a computer and get to work. The 68th street bench is significantly lower than the other two sides. For many, this is not a problem. People sit there anyway, as it serves as an exclusive view to a busy sidewalk. However, I would prefer one of the other benches, seeing that getting up from such a low bench could strain my back and in all honesty would be very awkward. The bench facing Lexington Avenue is particularly special in that it is elevated above the sidewalk such that for shorter people, their feet dangle. Because of this elevation, many people find it comfortable to fold their feet becoming one with the subway station. The view of Lexington Avenue is clear, despite when the buses pile up, allowing the sitters to have a great view of all the traffic and commuter interaction. Other circular benches accompany the 67th street bench. For me, these circular benches are too close together. It is awkward to see complete strangers face each other while eating or enjoying conversation with friends, while looking at a face they do not know. I guess this is the reason I do not sit here. I love to embrace the city but I avoid at all costs the awkward interaction of speaking to people I do not know or people who are just creepy. In front of the subway entrance, there is a huge, black structure that is an art form in itself. For me, it is a conversation piece that aesthetically breaks up the monotony of the buildings. Unfortunately, it propagates conversation in the middle of foot traffic. It divides the space such that people do not know where to stand to have conversation or forces people to stand in plain sight for the friend that is looking for them. To my annoyance, this diverts the foot traffic and slows down my commute. Moreover, this propagates even more people’s tendency to have conversation right in front of the subway entrance. This is probably one of the most frustrating things about this public space. There are many other places that would serve a conversation well but to every commuter’s irritation, these conversations are the reason for missing the train by those five crucial seconds. Finally, there is the area under the west building toward 67th street. This area is great for people like me who like to admire the chaos but not be in the way. There are stairs and a bench that are attached to the west building. For students, this is a great spot to wait for a friend, take a phone call, or have lunch. Unfortunately, smokers also use this area as their personal smoke spot. Although, there is a clear sign stating the area is a “no-smoke” zone, smokers disregard it. Also, this area is under the west building and as a result is not well lit. For those who want to read or finish an assignment, it is not ideal for this reason. Nevertheless, this public space is one that I use often as a means of getting to school or the six train. I appreciate its uses and design that makes it a popular sitting, studying, and snacking area."
--( posted on Mar 3, 2016, commenting on the post Assignment 3 )
 
"Growing up in Far Rockaway, an inner-city neighborhood, I have seen my fair share of the NYPD. Far Rockaway is filled with lots of drug and gang-related activity. There are cop cars strategically stationed around our neighborhood to patrol any unlawful behavior and activity. Specifically, Redfern and the Hammel Houses are places you are almost always guaranteed to see the familiar blue and white car. In fact, a few years ago, an NYPD Sky Watch was permanently stationed at the intersection of Beach 66st and Beach Channel Drive, an area notorious for crime activity. Despite the city’s downward trend in crime, Far Rockaway’s has increased. According to records, crime has spiked 20 percent over the last five years and has gone up by 42 percent in the 100th Precinct. Nevertheless, I am more than grateful for the work that the NYPD does on a daily basis. Specifically, in the neighborhood I grew up in, I feel as though without their presence, the crime rate would be even worse. Personally, one situation I am exceptionally grateful for the NYPD is this past summer. The house next to mine was evicted of its residents due to illegal housing. The previous owner tried to rent a one-family house to about five families. Now, the house is completely abandoned. However, the neighborhood kids broke in one day. My neighbor across the street saw them and called 911. In less than two minutes, the cops were at the house but the sirens scared off the kids. Unfortunately, this pattern continued until the weather got cold. Each time the police were called, however, I felt more safe and more at ease that they were aware of the situation. Their presence offered reassurance of our safety. A year or two back, my other neighbor’s house was broken into. Thankfully, they have an alarm system that alerts the police. Once again, I was comforted by the presence of the police in a time we all felt so vulnerable to falling victim to a burglary. As for the scene on the streets, I have seen plenty of NYPD activity. On one late night trip back home, driving down Beach Channel Drive, my family and I were stopped by police, along with all the other cars heading in that direction, because the cops were looking for someone. The officers had flashlights and shined them at each of our faces in the car and around the seats and in the trunk. After their search, they let us continue on our journey home. As much as I was scared that someone was out there, I was comforted by the fact that the police were doing their job and actively looking for the criminal. Similarly, it is not unusual for us to see and hear periodically, search helicopters flying over looking for something or someone. Again, the presence is reassuring that the criminals will be caught. In light of the recent events and the evident racial tensions in the world and my neighborhood, I think that as a society, we must remember that cops, although they are rightfully held to higher standards, are human as well. In that, I mean, that they are susceptible to having flawed characteristics and making mistakes. There are good people and bad people, just as there are good cops and bad cops. Overall, I am personally so grateful for the work that they do everyday."
--( posted on Feb 17, 2016, commenting on the post Assignment 2 )
 
"There are many interesting transit experiences I could detail but I chose this one because of the impact it has on me every time I travel using public transit. One summer night during my high school years, my father and I were traveling home from Manhattan. I was taking an SAT class through the Let’s Get Ready program. My father, being the over-protective parent he is, insisted on traveling with me every night. We got on the 1 train and then transferred to the A train taking the two seat-er meant for those with disabilities. I took the seat closest to the door and my dad the one closer to the conductor’s door. We had stopped at the candy store and I began to indulge in some chocolate rocks. We talked about my day and what he did for the three-hour duration of my class. Then I began reading my book and he rested his eyes. As we got closer and closer to our stop, the train began to empty. Around Broad Channel, I looked up from my book to find an older man staring at me. I made eye contact thinking it would make him aware that I knew he was looking and hopefully he would look away, but that seemed to intrigue him more. My dad at this point was deep in his meditation, he insists that he never actually sleeps. I realized from the way I was hunched over and how my dad was slouching, the man could not see my father and thought I was alone. I looked again at the last sentence I was reading in my book giving the man the benefit of the doubt and some time to look away. Yet, when I looked up again, he was looking. The next stop was approaching and he began to walk towards me. He had a creepy smirk on his face. I leaned back purposefully to reveal that I was not alone, keeping my eyes on his expression. As I did, almost immediately, he stopped and swayed into the space right before the doors. When the next stop had finally come, he exited. I had not realized but I was holding my breath in fear of what he could have said or done. I am sure that if I had been alone that night, this story would have had a very different ending. Now, as I take the subway alone on a daily basis, I am constantly reminded of that night. I am grateful for the services the transit system provides, but that night taught me that though we may come from the same place or even live in each other’s neighborhoods, we are strangers. That being said I still believe in and have great faith in humanity, but I also try to be realistic. I try to use great caution and practice great awareness anytime I travel, especially when I travel alone."
--( posted on Feb 9, 2016, commenting on the post Assignment 1 )