Second Homes

by Juliana Maronilla

My father is from the Philippines (Manila). When he was in high school, he applied to several Ivy-League schools as a confident bright student. He got accepted into University of Pennsylvania and moved to America to study there for 4 years. Once he had completed four years at UPenn, he moved again to California, to work.There he met my mother*, who was studying at a California university, and they soon married. It wasn’t long though, before my father decided to go to graduate school, this time in Michigan at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Eventually, after having my sister and me, my father and mother moved to Scarsdale, NY (for work). We have been living there ever since.

I was born in Los Angeles, California, lived in Michigan for a short period and resided  in Scarsdale for 15 years. I grew up reading a lot of novels, swimming on several swim teams and attending a lot of church events. In particular, I went to a Christian camp with my family every year. I was a quiet child with braces, glasses and black hair. I played the cello in school and classical piano outside of school in the midst of a busy life. I enjoyed cooking and baking and eating healthy.

Now I am a student at Hunter College. I am a chemistry major on the pre-med track. I still am involved in the Christian and music community and travel back and forth from Scarsdale to the city. Moreover, I have been met with so much diversity at Hunter. I know only a handful of Hunter students from Westchester, as most are from the city. One of these students is in Hunter’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a club which I regularly attend. Another is an Afghan immigrant with ties to the Scarsdale High School orchestra, which I was part of in high school. Another is from my high school (we don’t talk). Another is a member of my home church, Ridgeway Alliance Church and a recent transfer to Hunter.

Several things I hate about the city involve people. I hate how isolated it can feel. I hate how normal diversity appears. And I hate how crowded the subways and Hunter halls can be.

Several things that I love about the city also involve people. I love how people exist on every block, and one never is alone when walking long distances. I love seeing the diversity at Hunter College. I believe it’s beautiful, because it’s a reality I never saw in my hometown. Moreover, I love the relative space amongst people-the fact that people can be friendly strangers and don’t necessarily have to be in each other’s business.

My parents came to America and at first viewed it like a foreign land. Unfamiliar and strange with different buildings and landscapes. Lacking their immediate family and hometown friends. Although I do not know what their experience was necessarily like, I feel like living in a city environment instead of the suburb community that I was part of for 15 years has provided me with a glimpse. The distance between Scarsdale and Grand Central via the Bronx River Parkway is only 23.5 miles, but the scenery, vibe and people are different. Coming to Hunter was mentally a nauseating experience, but over time it became my second home.

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My Thoughts On the Subway (+MetroNorth train)

When I first came to the city in Fall 2015, I was very confused with the subway maps. The different colored lines and letters confused me, and I only recognized the green 6 line (between the 23rd/28th station and Hunter’s station). At the end of freshman year, I got the hang of the subway system. This year, like many Hunter students, I have relied heavily on the subway for transportation. Even more, I am using it to travel between Westchester and Manhattan. When I was a freshman, I always utilized the MetroNorth Railroad to go home, but I now take the Woodlawn 4 subway almost as frequently as the Grand-Central/North White Plains train. The Woodlawn 4-subway and the MetroNorth train are both boring trips to me as I travel without friends or family and don’t talk with anyone.

The Woodlawn 4-subway is more crowded than the MetroNorth, and provides a more awkward orientation as passengers face each other in a close arena. The Woodlawn-4 subway is also a longer trip; while the MetroNorth train takes 45 minutes, the subway can take up to an hour. Nevertheless, I believe the differences balances out. Even though the MetroNorth is a more comfortable and roomy trip, it often leaves me feeling isolated (unless I am taking a crowded 7:10 AM train on a Monday morning). And, the MetroNorth is pricier than the Woodlawn subway, $5-$9 more expensive. Moreover, the coziness in the Woodlawn subway makes it pleasurable to someone from a mostly empty-feeling suburb area. In general, I enjoy the subway rides, and believe it is a very unique experience.