Walk With Me for Haiti

As a third grade teacher at Community Roots, we finish up the year with our World Communities Study. For a lot of schools, this might mean studying one place and learning some new facts, maybe a few fun field trips, and calling it a day.

But of course, to us, it means more. so much more.

By the end of third grade, most 8 and

9 year olds are now fascinated by those around them. This can be both good and bad. They want to know about others and the world around them, but it can cause a lot of insecurity, since their mind is full of questions like: Who am I? What am I good at? Who are my real friends? ( side note: does this ever really end?) So, we try to give them at least one good answer: you are a member of the World Community. Since we teach them that being a good community member means to stick to and practice our core values such as helping each other, it is our responsibility to extend these core values beyond our school, neighborhood, even our city, and out into the world.

Last year, our kids decided to do this by responding to the horrible earthquake in Haiti by hosting a walk a thon. We raised over $10,000 dollars, thanks to our hardworking 3rd graders and amazing families. This year, we decided to do it again. After all, Haiti still needs our help, and our 3rd graders know a friendly, meaningful, helpful relationship takes more work and means more than a one-time event. Also, our 3rd graders really understand that the best way to feel lucky and comfortable and content in in your own home is to make sure you are doing your best to share what you have with others.

Hopefully, my 3rd graders will be able to answer those nagging, life-long questions with: I am a good person, a helpful person, and an important member of my community.

That's the thing with helping others, right? It is kind of like a walk-a-thon. It's fun, you make new friends, and in the end, everyone wins.

photos courtesy of our amazing para, Alex.

The new place

As I said in my last post, Matt and I moved in together a little over a year ago. Living with Matt is no problem, he is kind and clean. It was our first place that was a bit of a downer.

We found a little place in the Graham Avenue section of Williamsburg, neighborhood I am in love with. It makes me so happy to step out of the L on to Graham Ave, and wave hello to the ladies in the nail salon, the dry cleaner, even the guy who hangs out on the corner named Paul with his cute dog, Charlie. People are friendly and keep you safe, the avenue has everything you need and only one chain shop (dunkin Donuts), and it is 15 minutes from Union Square and a 10 minute drive to work in Ft. Greene. Williamsburg itself should pay me for how much I talk it up...I have found my home here and I feel so lucky to be surrounded by some of the best places to eat, drink and play in the whole city. My best friend from college lives down the street. Sounds, great, right?

Well, we were very rushed to find a place and I wouldn't budge from the neighborhood, where I have been since I graduated form NYU. So, we settled with the first place we could find: an apartment on a great street, steps from my old place, on the third level of a single family home. Again, sound great, right? Well, it also featured:

-renovations from 1992.

-carpeting in the hallway.

-living above our landlord's elderly mother.

Our landlord fancied himself a macho, old-school BK,"connected" type, not uncommon in the neighborhood. Usually, I don't mind this...these guys generally just sit on their stoops for hours, laughing at you while they watch you try to parallel park. But for this guy, it meant something just short of spying. We should have known something was wrong when he threatened at the lease signing, "you wouldn't want to meet my friend Red" if we failed to pay our rent on time. Long story short, this turned in to a year of tiptoeing around our own apartment, never having a party, and breaking down our own boxes and salting our own stoop when it snowed. Not to mention the somewhat exotic varieties of mold that came with the bathroom and the oven you had to risk gas poisoning to use. Matt and I are nice people, and we don't want to upset anyone, so we stuck it out, happy to be with each other and trying to make a first home the best we could (also, the landlord threatened to sue us if we broke our lease). But after almost a year, we couldn't take it!

So, last week we moved in to a place, still in the neighborhood, that to us is nothing short of perfect. This one features:

-Brand new appliances, including our own washer and dryer and central heat and air

-bamboo floors

-a dual flush toilet!! What!!?

While our first apartment was just a starter and worked for what it was (I guess it wasn't that bad...), I feel so lucky to finally have a home with Matt and Violet that matches us: happy, functional, perfect.

Princess Violet

Matt and I have a 10 month old Boston Terrier puppy named Violet, and she is the absolute love of our lives. We moved in together last June, and shortly thereafter we wanted to adopt a dog. After months of planning, a stubborn landlord, and heartbreaking searches through shelter after shelter, we almost gave up. Late one Friday night in early November 2010, we found a classified ad on ebay for a 3 month old Boston Terrier Puppy. I love these dogs, but I had no intention or need for a pure bread pup. However, seeing her little face peer up with us above her sad story (she was bought by a family with other dogs, and was terrorized by one of them, and so they needed to get rid of her), we decided to wake up early the next morning and make the drive to Staten Island. It was instant, knock you on your butt, overwhelmingly unconditional love at first sight. (kind of like when I met Matt!) We were so nervous as we carried this shaking little bundle of love home, but we are convinced saving Violet from shelter life was the best thing we ever did. Just look at her! It was hard work shlepping her to puppy school and potty training her in the dead of winter, but she is now a well behaved, spunky, friendly, and totally completely awesome girl. We like to think that we gave her a "forever home," something that all rescued animals need.

But that is nothing compared to what she gives us. Every day is full of love and laughter with her. She truly makes our house (or apartment) a home.