Day 29-6/25/14 Stephen and Harriet Myers House and Cherry Hill

Inside the Stephen Myers House

Today we went to the Stephen and Harriet Myers House which is located on Livingston Avenue in Albany. This is a Greek revival style building built during the mid 19th century. This building is important because it was part of the Underground railroad. When we first arrived we were brought into a room and sat in chairs in a room where many decisions were made for the railroad. I did not really like this tour because there was not much to see in the house. As you can see in the picture to the left, the building is really run down and to me looked like it could fall apart at any moment. The presentation from the guy was really short and I kept losing my attention. I think we were only there for about a half hour. The best part of this short visit is looking at the garden. It was really nice and cool how the different things planted represented different objects that would be found in the house.




Next we went to Cherry Hill, I did not find this tour interesting either. There was not anything on display in the house because it was undergoing renovations to make the house more stable. While on the tour I questioned the safety of being in that building too because of the issues the tour guide was telling us about.The tour guide explained that the house was kept in one family through the time period people lived in this home. With this in mind it is really hard for the group to decide how to decorate the house. They came up with the conclusion that the house would be restored to the time when Catherine, the person in the family that occupied the home the longest.

Inside Cherry Hill

I am very happy that today is my last day because I really want to be home with my family. This program was an amazing opportunity that I would choose again if I could. Going back to my first blog, my prediction was right, this program has allowed me grow as a person. I did so many things I wouldn't have done such as touching a snake, walking on high walkways such as the walkway over the Hudson and the Brooklyn Bridge, learned the subway system and so much more. I also spent a lot of time making friends I never would have if it wasn't for this program. I even was able to ride in a convertible for the first time thanks to Precious and I am now on the hunt for one! I am really going to miss spending time with everyone and the professors. I just wanted to say a special thank you to you guys. It must have been really hard taking care of your families and being with us all day everyday. It must have been really frustrating when we were tired and did not want to do much and had to deal with our sarcastic remarks. Thank you for supporting us and encouraging us to try new things. I would recommend anyone to do this program.

Day 28- Onrust Community Service

Onrust Boat

Today I woke up and did not feel good from the start, and it probably didn't help that I couldn't sleep the night before. I am not sure why I just kept tossing and turning all night and didn't fall asleep until around 3. I felt so sick to my stomach and I think it might have been because I ate at friendly's the night before, maybe something in the food got me sick you never know. When we first arrived to the Onrust boat we were given a tour of the lower deck and told information about the boat. This boat is a model of a Dutch ship that was made over 400 years ago. To get the design of the boat it took many years of research because the Dutch did not make blueprints they just thought about everything in their head. This boat is amazing because while we were on the boat you could hardly tell we were in the water and couldn't feel it moving. This boat is made out of white oak wood because it does not absorb water that well. The lower part of the boat was really cool, there were little cubbyholes for everyone to sleep although they did not look that comfortable,a  stove, microwave, and toilet. They were discussing how they want to turn the boat into a learning classroom because in school we are not taught about the Dutch. This is really true I only remember learning about Peter Stuyvesant in school, however, by doing this program I have been able to learn so much more about the Dutch. All though I wasn't feeling well I did my best to try to participate with the rest of the group in the community service. Personally it surprised me how much work it takes to maintain a boat like this. We did a lot of work for the three hours we were there but there still was so much more to do. I forgot the woman's name of who was telling us what we needed to do but she was really nice. I first helped her bring stuff to her car. After this I swept the deck of the boat so it can be oiled. I was going to help oil the flooring of the boat but like I stated I felt nauseous and the smell of the oil made me feel so much worse. The rest of the class kept asking if I was okay because I wasn't my normal self and they said I looked green. I felt bad because I really wanted to help but I really needed to sit down because I was feeling weak. The worst part is, the woman gave us waffles for our hard work and I just took it and stuffed it in my bag. I couldn't eat it, this killed me because as you guys know I love waffles and they looked so good. I guess I will have something good for breakfast as long as I am feeling better.

Day 27- 6/23/14 Schodack Island State Park

Cement Factory

Toby with a Turtle

Today we went to Schodack Island, today was relaxing which was reliving after spending all last week in the city. Schodack Island was established in 2002 and contains 10 miles of walking trails. This island was originally a bunch of small islands that were joined together by Hudson river dredging in the 1920s. When we first got there we found a turtle crawling, he was harmless and really cute. Once again I am in love with turtles so of course I thought he was so cute. One thing we noticed is that the turtle peed on Toby when he picked the little guy up. (haha) This is because he was nervous and we all learned this is a natural response. Then we went down the the docks to talk about the river current and a cement factory that you can see in the picture above. Toby explained that Cement factories create a lot of pollution, and and is one of the main sources of mercury. Mercury is a major concern because it can be harmful to the human body in huge qualities. It can also effect the environment around the factory. By the factory releasing mercury more animals such as birds and fish will be high in mercury. Toby also discussed how the current and tidal in the Hudson River is unique. The Native Americans referred to the river as Muhheakantuck or the river that flows two ways, however, today we just refer to this as a tidal estuary. I like this name better because it is so much easier to say. The Hudson current changes four times a day as ocean tides pulse upriver 150 miles to the Troy dam. During our half hour to explore the island I saw a sign that explained this concept. It said if you drop a stick in at Troy it will reach the ocean in about 126 days. An estuary is a place where salt water and fresh water come together. Estuaries are really good ecosystems and swimming below the Hudson is over 200 types of fish. The river has recently been threatened because of the destruction of wetlands which we saw in many places such as Lake George.

After this we walked on a trail through the woods to get to a launching dock for people who kayak. On the way, the trail was awful because there were so many bugs, they would fly in my face and all around my head. They are so annoying but Toby had an important point that if it were not for bugs we would not be a live. Insects are responsible for pollinating flowers and plants, the plants are then eaten by other animals on the food chain that we eat, this just shows how important these annoying creatures are. When we arrived at the site I was surprised it was not what I was expecting at all. The water looked really dirty and to me it looked like a pond. Toby was not shy and jumped right in, I soon after went into the water and freaked out because of the mud I sunk into on the bottom and it smelled so bad. Well I didn't really have a choice going into the water because Toby pulled me into the water before I had the chance to back out. Once again the professors were encouraging us to try things we have never done before which is something I like about this program. I get to try so many new things and from my first blog it is allowing me to grow as a person and opening my horizon more. I then helped Toby with the netting as we tried to fight the current and catch fish. I was so surprised how strong the current was and sinking into the mud didn't help either when we were trying to move. Toby was doing a great job while I am very week so I really messed it up and in the end we only caught one fish. This was one more fish than the other groups though so I can't complain. While the other groups were going I was just relaxing in the water until mud was thrown at me. This was really disrespectful. I did not mind people having a mud fight, I just did not want to be part of it so I specifically told everyone I did not want to be involved and moved out of their way. Then some people decided to throw mud at me anyway even though I asked them nicely not to. Like I stated above this is really disrespectful. Even when they began throwing it I screamed at them to stop and they wouldn't. It just goes back to a basic concept we learned in kindergarten, treat others how you would want to be treated. The worst part of it is when I was a child I had an OCD with my hair and when anything got into it I would freak. I am still like that, with my hair being down I got so many clumps in my hair. The others that were participating in the mud fight WILLINGLY, had their hair up. I was already upset over personal problems from the night before and being disrespected made me feel even worse. Some people were saying it was just mud that I shouldn't be mad. It was just mud but having long thick hair it is really annoying to go home at the end of the day and shampooing your hair 4 times and still having clumps of mud. Others were laughing at me being upset which wasn't right either and made me feel worse, you should put yourself into a situation of where you don't like something and people do it anyway. Don't just judge people before you put yourself in their situation. For your professors think of it as when you would tell your child to specifically not do something and they did it anyway. Don't you get upset and feel disrespected? After the mud situation I got right out of the water and was ready to just leave. Today was really fun other than the experience I had, however, some people just do not have respect for others and never will, and I will encounter this in everyday life. 

NYC Blog 3- Liberty Island and Ellis Island

NYC Skyline

The Statue of Liberty

Today we had to get up early which I was not happy about, we had to start the day at 7:45 to load the van. Naturally I am not going to mention any names (cough cough Rose) one of us was late. After this we took the Subway down to South Ferry, the very last stop. When we got there we rushed to get onto the ferry to go to Liberty Island. It was amazing being on this boat and seeing the amazing view of the skyline, from the boat everything looked so beautiful. The Buildings looked absolutely gorgeous which to me seemed to look like Legos. Being far away you can see this city is really beautiful. It's when you are up close walking the streets that the city seems so dirty because of the garbage, It's a shame that people do not have respect for the world around them. You would think they would want to keep their city clean. Approaching Liberty Island was really incredible, as you got closer to the island you can see the true beauty. I have always seen the statue from the far, but never really up close. When I was walking around the island and looking at this incredible monument I just had this feeling inside like I was so touched, it's hard to put into words. While walking around I read a lot of the information located on the island. I learned that the French sculptor, Fedreic Auguste bartholdi designed the statue of liberty as a three dimensional puzzle. Over 300 thin sheets of copper was used to form the satues outer skin, then the finished pieces were sent to the United States to be assembled. The granite pedestal was paid for by private funds from within the United States. It was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and engineered by a civil war general Charles P. Stone. The statue is a great symbol of freedom and is what immigrants would first see coming over on their journey to the United States. Their next stop would then be Ellis Island, which was our next stop. I really like how we visited these places in the same order as the immigrants would.

Registry Room

Ellis Island

 Going to Ellis Island was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. It was amazing to think that my great-grandparents went through the process so many years ago. It really hit me when I was in the registry room because I was seeing it as they were since it was restored to it's original design. When we got to the island, the professors naturally give us an assignment. (haha) The section I was assigned  I enjoyed but I found another exhibit a lot more interesting so I am going to talk about that in my blog since you will hear all about my assigned section in my presentation this week. (thanks again professors lol) The exhibit discussed the process of coming to the island and what they had to go through to become an American Citizen. After the long journey to America they often had to wait to be assessed. The worst was the spring to fall ship system. During this time many would have to wait on a ferry for days until being ferried to Ellis Island. They often did not have food or water on these ferries and were overcrowded. They also lacked adequate toilets and lifesaving equipment. In winters when people were waiting on ships they were cold and in summers it was extremely hot. The next step when they got onto the island was medical inspection. The would put the people in lines and examine the people. If there was something visibly wrong with a person they had different chalk symbols they would mark on them. Medical Inspection was as soon as they were on their way up the stairs to the registry room. Service doctors would watch for people with heart trouble, shortness of breath, or physical disabilities. Other doctors were in the registry room and would watch for people with contagious diseases and mental disabilities. After this they were then piled into the registry room to finally be told whether or not if they could enter the country. They were asked so many questions like if they were married or single and how much money do you have. I found this exhibit incredibly interesting and can go on forever but I think I have explained enough.

Toby and Rose on the Subway 

Being in New York City was an amazing experience. I liked the city and it was a nice place to visit but I do not think I could live their because it is so expensive and I love living in the country like I do now. I am so happy I learned how to use the subway because on school trips I can travel where ever I want to go. On this trip I learned that New York City is more than just Times Square. Whenever I would go on a trip this is all I would see. I saw how each section of the city operates differently, sometimes traveling one block makes a difference. For example in Harlem everyone seemed so friendly and seemed to know each other. The city is not all just big fancy lights and signs that are in Time Square. I really enjoyed this week and was sad when it was over. The only reason I wanted to go home was to see my family. I really wish I could have gone to the subway museum but I couldn't because it was only open 10 am to 4 pm. I guess I can save that experience for another day. In the picture above you can see princess Rose sleeping away on the subway. When I got back I had some time to unpack but then I was off again for my hour and a half ride home. This was just awful after the long van ride but it was worth it to see my siblings. All I can say is this program has allowed me to experience things I have never done before and allow me to grow as a person. This program lets me get over this fear of the unknown that I wrote about in my first blog. I really like this program and I am really sad that we are approaching our last week.

NYC Blog 2- A day in China Town

Art Work in Chinese Museum

 Today we went to a Chinese museum that was located in Chinatown. I liked the town because it is mostly populated by Chinese, a culture that I had no clue about until today. The best part of the  museum because was the areas to sit and watch videos. This was so nice because by this point in the week my feet are killing me! After sitting down for my own personal comfort I began to watch a film about how Chinese Americans were treated during the cold war. It surprised me how cruel we were to them. To me this is very similar to the holocaust and what the Germans did to the Jews. We forced many to leave the country and one women in the video said when she tried to gain citizenship in a couple years she was not able to. They kept a close eye on the Chinese Americans and even bugged their phones. The FBI knew what they were doing at all times. After this video I went to look at paintings. The picture above was displayed in the art gallery. I really liked it because I saw it as a painting that informed people of what we are doing to our environment. The buildings represent our wants, such as shopping malls, tall buildings and factories. The tree stumps represent the damage that we are doing in the process. This is how I interpreted the image anyway. The poster below was also very interesting to me. Chinese men would fight in the wars but they were not always given the same rights as everyone else. This is surprising because he is fighting for freedom, something he does not have himself.

Poster Found in Museum

After looking around the museum for an hour or so we went on a walking tour around Chinatown. Sadly I did not get a lot out of this tour. It was so hot and humid out it was so hard to focus. Also in the city there is so much going on around you. I think my ADD kicked in and I noticed everything else except what the tour guide was saying. After the tour we went to eat lunch and a the Golden Unicorn restaurant. The style of the restaurant was totally different and was called Dim Sun. Inside the building was really amazing. There were a lot of colors and it was well decorated. I did not eat any of the food because I am very picky, but I enjoyed being there. It was interesting to see all the people pushing their carts asking if we want the food they have. I laughed at the facial expressions of those around me as they tried new foods with different tastes. I thought this was a great experience. The last stop of the day was to the Tenement Museum. This was not what I expected at all. I really liked being up in the tenement houses and seeing what it was like but it seemed like the tour was only about the families who lived there. I wanted to know more about the life of people in this type of housing in general. A lot of things they had set up were incorrect also. They thought it was correctly set up at the time but they realized with greater research that is not how some objects were. Lets just say it was a disappointment. One thing that we did get to experience is how hot it was in these buildings during this time period. The heat was so awful and I could not imagine staying in that building during the summer time without even a fan. This just makes me appreciate air conditioning a lot more.

 I was so excited to get dinner tonight because I planned to get dinner with Michelle, Precious and Sharmise a girl who goes to Sage with us that is from Manhattan. I was excited to see Shar and to go to out because this is my all time favorite restaurant. The restaurant is based off the movie Forest Gump. I mostly go for the atmosphere not the food. In the picture I am sitting on the bench just like Forest did. This was a new addition to the restaurant and I was very excited to take a picture. Also I bought a pair of shorts and shirt from the gift shop which I was so excited about. This was a great end to a hot and humid day because I got my favorite dessert, an ice cream sundae on a warm chocolate chip cookie. Well it is almost 2 am and I am just finishing this blog. I really need some sleep and I am going to regret being out late with my friend Shar but how often do you get to spend a whole week in New York City? Sleep is for the weak! or weekend whichever comes first.

NYC Blog 1- The Met/ Indian Museum

Oxbow Painting by Thomas Cole

I have not posted a blog in a few days because for once the professors are giving us a break! The whole time we are in New York City we only have to do three blogs! I think this is a pretty good deal doing only 3 blogs out of 7 days. I have gotten so sick of blogs I am happy to have this break. The first stop of the day was the Metropolitan Museum or the Met. To get there we had to take the subway. I am sure you all know this by now, but I want to take the time to talk about how obsessed I am with the subway. It amazes me because it is like its own little world under the world and the tile art is so beautiful. You can really tell that the people building and designing the subway were trying to impress the public. Each stop has something different on the walls so you never know what to expect. Another aspect that impresses me is the graffiti on the tunnels throughout the subway. How did those people get down there to do that to the walls? I mean the trains are constantly running. At some stops there are even stores and shopping centers attached. I mean if people can have stores and huge transportation systems underground why couldn't they live underground. What if we stop trying to go to mars and start to use more of the earth. I know this idea seems crazy but it could always be a possibility. Obviously there would be many things to think about like ecosystems and other environmental issues but I am really surprised people have not given much thought to this idea. After we traveled on the subway we then had to take a bus to our destination, the Met. I thought this place was huge! It was definitely the biggest museum I have ever been in. Our assignment was to explore the American Wing which was really tricky to get to. After getting lost Precious and Michelle had to come to where I was and help me because I had no idea how to navigate my way through that building. In the museum the professors asked us to search for certain objects that relate to what we have seen and done before. It is nice seeing these objects again and relating them but I really wanted to see new things so I finished the American wing as soon as I could so I could wander off. One of our tasks was to find the Oxbow painting that was donated to the Met by Mrs. Russell Sage. This painting was done by Thomas Cole and this picture was one of my favorite to find because it stuck out to me. I loved the beauty and it looked a lot better in person then in the classroom on the power point screen. I also liked the fact that it was given to the museum by Mrs. Sage. It was nice to see this painting because weeks earlier we were able to see Thomas Cole's house and learn about the Hudson river school. 

Office Board Painting

There were so many things in the museum that stood out to me. This painting above was really cool because the papers and wrappers in the painting seem like they are actually there and you can touch them, however, this is really just a painting. I was so tempted to tough the painting to make sure, but there was a guard standing near me at the time and I didn't want to harm the painting from the oils on my skin. This was painted by John F. Peto and many of the objects in the painting contained clues to the identity of the original owner. The envelope and post card is addressed to Dr. Bernard Goldberg who was a chiropodist and a neighbor of Peto's in Philadelphia. I thought this made the painting even more personal to the artist. 

Clarinet Display

The last exhibit that I enjoyed was the musical instruments exhibit because I played clarinet in high school and was part of my school band. I participated in almost every activity the band offered.  I learned that in 1700 Johann Christoph Denner invented the clarinet. He was a well known instrument maker and musician in Nuremburg. In about 1760 the clarinet was included in the classical orchestra. In the 19th and 20th century the clarinet the clarinet spread to all forms of music.

Iron Industry and the Native Americans

Next we went to the Native American Museum. This was a little disappointing because the exhibits were so small, I was done looking in about a half hour. One thing I found fascinating was how the Native Americans played an important role in iron and Building railroads. In the early 1900s Mohawks became well known in the iron industry. The would travel from upstate New York to Canada to find sites to work on. It is the Mohawk men that are responsible for working on New York's major projects such as; the George Washington Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the World Trade Center. This was really cool to see because a building such as the Empire State Building which I saw the other day on the architecture walk was built by these natives. Also this just shows that the iron industry was a growing industry throughout the area not just in Troy. A few weeks ago we were able to visit the Burden Iron Works Museum and the information given to us made it seem like Troy was the only place successful in this business in this time period. 

Corn Husk Dolls

Another part of the Museum I liked was the corn husk dolls because of the story. The story is one women was extremely beautiful and she took advantage of it. All the woman would do is look at her reflection in a pond because there were not any mirrors in that time period. When it came to work such as cleaning, harvesting or cooking dinner she was nowhere to be found but she was always the one to eat first. Then one day the creator lectured her on how she has misused her beauty so he took her face and hide it. This is why the corn husk doll does not have a face. This story just shows how the natives passed down this and many stories from generation to generation. Story telling was a huge part of their culture because not much was documented during this time period. After this stop we all rushed back to the dorm to get ready for the Alumni dinner and rush back. We went to a nice Italian restaurant and sat in the patio section of the restaurant. I thought the plants and fountain were pretty but when I looked up I did not like the view of the skyscraper. I think this is because I grew up in the country and prefer the view of the clouds and the stars. I really liked being able to talk to others who went to sage and hearing their stories. I like to know how sage was different back then. Like usual it was a very long day and I was so tired. I think at the end of this program I will sleep for weeks straight. 

Day 19- 6/12/14 Exploring the Roosevelt Family

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt

 Today we started early packing the van at 8:15. I tried to get Toby to compromise and have our day start at 8:20 but he refused and gave me props for trying. We left Mount Saint Mary's and arrived to the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This house originally belong to his mother Sarah. His mother gave birth to Franklin in this house and died in the same room later in life. During his life time FDR contracted polio which is a serious disease that often left people paralyzed. After this disease Roosevelt never walked again. One thing that surprised me was during this time period, many people associated a physical impairment with mental impairments. This caused Roosevelt to try to hide that he couldn't walk. When he would have guests he would have himself set up in a chair in his library with his legs crossed to make it look like he could move his legs.  Eleanor did not like staying in her room and in the house because it reminded her of her mother in-law Sarah. She then later built Val-Kill as her get away. One room I really liked in the house was the pink room because it was decorated in pink. Two important guests who stayed in this room were Winston Churchill and King George VI of Great Britain. The servants wing in this house included 8 bedrooms, a trunk room, a sewing room and two bathrooms. The amount of servants in the house would change based on how many people were staying in the home. Outside of the house Sarah had a garden in which Fredrick Roosevelt was buried in later. He died of a cerebral vascular accident and his wife Elanor was buried in front of Franklin D. Roosevelt when she died much later. I really enjoyed looking at the garden because ut was beautiful and contained the same types of flowers as it did when the Roosevelt family was

alive.

Sarah's Garden

Vanderbilt Mansion

The picture above is of the Vanderbilt Mansion that was built by Fredrick and Louise built Vanderbilt. They did not have any children so this big house with 54 rooms was used for themselves. They used this as a spring and fall home. It was a 700 acre estate and most of the property was used for farming. When the Vanderbilt family died they did not have any children so they left the mansion and farm to their niece. She did not have any interest in owning the farm so she tried to sell the place. She was trying to sell the house during the great depression so she did not have any luck. She was originally asking 350 thousand for the home and farm. A year later she lowered the price to 250 thousand and she still did not have any luck. Down the road Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to donate his home to the national park and  convinced the niece to do the same. This house was a lot different than the Roosevelt home. It was a lot bigger in size and had more rooms. It also was a lot more elegant inside. There was fancy tile and a fuzzy hand rail for the stair case. I really liked this because for once the tour guide encouraged us to touch something. This was unusual because most objects are not allowed to be touched because of the oils on our skin.

Dinning Room Inside Val-Kill

The last place we went to today was Val-Kill, where Eleanor Roosevelt spent a lot of time. When arriving I can see why she really liked this place. It was so peaceful outside, there were beautiful plants and some animals including cute chipmunks. It was cool to learn that the house we toured through was once a factory that was later converted into a house when the factory went out of business. Another important fact to bring up is after Eleanor's death all the artifacts were auctioned off. The historical site has been working to get these artifacts back. When we first walked into the house there was an apartment for her servant. Eleanor kept her desk inside of this apartment. As we continued through the house we went into my favorite room the dinning room. The first cook Roosevelt had did not last very long because of communication issues. She would tell the cook to cook a small meal because she was only having a few guests over but then invite a lot more people then what she told the cook. The next cook she hired always prepared a meal for 20 people each night no matter what. She would also scatter her guests throughout the table and have her grand children sit with the guests. This was to get her grand children to hear different views on politics and create their own view. After this tour we headed back to Troy. In the words of Katie " I don't think I have ever been this happy to go back to Troy."