Across the Pond

Now that the break has long been over and we are well in the New Year, I am back in a routine here in Albany. I can finally take a moment to reflect on my visit across the pond.

Right before Christmas break, I took a trip to London to visit David during his break from LSE. The flight went quite well, although there were some delays due to the crazy weather Europe was having; well it wasn't that crazy, but the UK isn't used to dealing with massive snowstorms like we are in the blizzard-filled Northeast US. Regardless, we arrive with no major issues and I was even able to sleep quite a bit so I didn't have to worry too much about the jet-lag.

This trip was a great time to catch up with David, meet all his friends, and see what it is like to be a grad student in London. The most interesting aspect of LSE were the students. It seemed that everyone was from a different part of the world with a unique story to tell and fluency in at least two languages seemed to be the norm. I met a Ukrainian who spent time in the US and Russia, an Afghani who lived in Canada and an Argentine who studied in the US. To me, the majority of these students could certainly be characterized as 'Global Citizens.'

The activities were nice, but mainly this break offered me a good chance to catch up with David and relax. We did have a nice pot-luck Christmas dinner with students from his residence, walked the streets of the ghost-town that was London on Christmas day, and had the chance to visit both the Tate Modern and the British National Museum.

After Christmas, David and I took a trip to the Netherlands. We made a mad rush through the airport in London as we realized we arrived about 40 minutes late for our flight. After literally running back and forth through security and talking with the extremely helpful airline staff we still managed to catch our flight as it had been delayed. What a relief!

We stayed in Amsterdam for a few days exploring the streets of this amazing city. Many of the Pleins, or squares were filled with people, festive lights and vendor stalls selling traditional holiday snacks and meals. We spent the night in the Flying Pig Hostel which had a nice party vibe to it with really cheap beers. Staying at this hostel allowed us to gain inside information about procuring cheap tickets to the Van Gogh museum, allowing us to pass the enormous line that seemed to stretch for miles. We were also fortunate enough to stay at a Couchsurfer's house right in Dam Square. David stayed with her on a separate trip to Amsterdam and due to the great experience they had, she trusted us to stay in her apartment while she was away with her family for a couple of days. We even took a day trip to Albany's sister city in the Netherlands: Nijmegen. It was quite a lovely city and hopefully a new destination for Siena's study abroad students!

Upon arrival to London, we started making plans for New Year's. It seemed that no one had a clear idea of what they were doing. Some folks were going to a low-key club, others were planning on spending the night in a bar, but everyone kept asking everyone else what the plans were. Luckily, David got in touch with a British friend of his who was looking into the options of several bar/clubs that were not too pricey on Old Street. After a dinner with David's friends from Mayorca, we took the tube to the area and had no problems meeting up with the British friends. They even bought our tickets in advance! We entered the bar and were greeted by several burlesque dancers who were smiling and welcoming us in while remaining silent. This entrance, with the music in the background, the lights illuminating the several bars and huge dancing area, gave me the feeling that I was in a movie or part of a VIP New Year's party! There was dancing, drinks, great live music (where we even jumped on stage and sang with the lead singer) and even fireworks. I must have wished a few dozen people happy New Year's while roaming the streets to see the fireworks.

But all things must come to an end, as did my little sojourn to London. David got up early with me to walk me to the train station and I was off back to New York. It would have been great to spend some more time, but all in all it was a good trip.

Rediscovering Albany Music

On Monday I had a great time exploring an old gem (under new management!) of Albany formerly known as the Muddy Cup. This café has a new name, the Drama Cup, but it still has a similar feel as its former self.

Although they are redoing much of the place, I was immediately excited after entering. Chris and I have been looking for a place to play some music and this is definitely it. Every Monday night, the Drama Cup hosts an open mic, where all sorts of musicians, artists, poets, comics showcase their material. The wide range of music and the friendly nature of the folks in attendance, offered a very welcoming environment. Although it was indeed a bit cold inside, the hot and tasty coffee resolved that problem.

In between sets, Chris and I discussed which songs we were going to play for the upcoming competition that has needs to contain a political element to the ensemble. It's as if the planets were aligning since politics are involved in almost everything we do.

This visit surely sparked something in me that has been lying dormant for a bit. I have been in a bit of a funk with school and work and this is just the revitalization I needed to start discovering things in Albany once again. I checked out the stepuppresents website for upcoming shows and looked into Valentines site. Now, I certainly want to make this a spot to grab some beers and listen to some live music.

http://www.albanyopenarts.com/

Green Party 'Victory' in NY

Although the Democrat won the governor's seat, the election did prove that people are getting fed up with the traditional two parties. The efforts of the Green Party have certainly been fruitful as they secured more than the 50,000 votes needed to gain permanent ballot status in NY State. Congrats Greens!

Party's Over...Two Party System that is

After watching the NYS gubernatorial debates, I have been becoming more anxious about the elections. Although the event at Hofstra was described as a "circus" or a "farse," it certainly allowed for some of the third party candidates to bring up important issues that our traditional two-parties have tended to ignore during this election season. The Green Party candidate, Howie Hawkins, addressed serious issues like the environment, health care, and even the state of our 'democratic' system.

Paladino has no hope of recovering, especially after revealing his anti-gay sentiments. Perhaps now that Cuomo has such a large lead over his homophobic opponent, real progressives will think twice about voting for the Democrat. It's time people who call themselves progressives got over this mentality where voting for a third party is considered a "waste of a vote" and vote for candidates who actually represent progressive views like Hawkins.

This would be a welcome change considering the large amount of Corporate Democrats in office who would really be part of the Republican party if it weren't for their liberal social views...that is to say that they aren't bigots, racists, xenophobes or sexists. Isn't it time we embraced other parties, or candidates, who represent real progressive change? The Dems say they want to change the status quo, but in fact, they are the status quo.

Couchsurfing - Hosting in Albany

As many of my friends will tell you, I am more than a little obsessed with the CouchSurfing Project. Every time an unsuspecting person asks me "What's Couchsurfing?" my friends will give me a look knowing that I am about to blurt out all of my anecdotes, experiences and my philosophy regarding Couchsurfing. It's good to be passionate, isn't it?

After receiving more than a dozen messages from travelers who mistakenly believe that Albany is NYC ("Is Albany in Manhattan?") I finally heard from not one, but two couchsurfers interested in surfing my couch in Albany. Finally, I have the opportunity to give back to the CS community after crashing at about a dozen different couches in the New England region last year.

The first request came from a Quebecois bicyclist from Montréal. Steve was planning a bike trip from Montréal to D.C. as he just finished his studies and wanted to do some traveling. Steve arrived at our place and Converse and I took him for burritos and booze at Bomber's. What better way to end a long day of biking from Lake George to Albany then chowing down on some tasty burritos? Steve was only planning on staying one night, but due to the crappy weather I invited him to stay another night. The following night he made a great veggie dinner of acorn squash and tofu topped off with some vin.

The second request was from a very interesting fellow from Massachusetts who was finishing a trek across the country where he walked the entire way. Fran carried all his belongings in a stroller and has been either couchsurfing or setting up his tent for the entire journey. Once I met him I knew we were going to get along just fine. Fran is as obsessed as I am about the CS Project. It was great to have another ally to speak with all my friends about how sane CS really is as most of my friends think I am at least a little crazy for being a couchsurfer. Fran met all sorts of interesting and amazing people who took care of him and helped him along his way. It just goes to show that we really are part of a larger community that isn't confined to the area in which we live.

ESL Summer Program

It's really gratifying to know that the hard work you put into something doesn't always go unnoticed. This article is the first of the Siena news headlines for all who peruse the Siena website to see.

http://www.siena.edu/pages/179.asp?item=2962

Up in the Air

I accompanied Lainy to the Albany Airport to pick up a friend of hers from her time in grad school in Boston. I had the day off and had met this friend before so I was happy to go along. We hear that the plane has been delayed so we take our time.

We arrive with plenty of time to spare so we grab some coffees and check out the art gallery. Since I'm usually the one getting picked up, I've never had the time to browse this; I never even knew there was a gallery in Albany International. I liked the calmness of it all, however the fact there were nearby offices turned me off a bit. Who wants to think about work when they are perusing artwork?

We head back downstairs to wait for Lainy's friend to arrive.

I'm one of those types that really enjoy being in airports. Usually, this is associated with the fact that I will be traveling to some far off destination and I feel completely excited because of this, but I also like being there as a non-traveler. It fills me with the urge to travel, to jump on a plane heading anywhere and escape for a bit. But I'm content now. I don't want to escape.

Sitting in the waiting area, I see all the non-travelers excitedly waiting for some significant person to stroll through the gate. Respectively, the expressions of the travelers are intriguing as well . Their eyes dart back and forth looking for whoever is supposed to meet them. Their eyes light up and they smile as if they're the only ones in the room. In a sense they are for that moment; everyone else vanishes. Even the lone travelers who know that no one is there to meet them glance around for familiar faces, wanting for someone to be on the other side of that gate. I know I've been there.

Lainy's friend arrives and we excitedly greet her. After the first few moments it's back to normal as if time hasn't passed between the two friends. I like that; that time is irrelevant.