My American Adventure: Dealing with unfriendliness

This was supposed to be a video post but I haven't had chance to sit down and record it. I am very busy this week, leaving early in the morning and arriving back at night, so I am writing this for you all instead. I hope I can express myself as well as I'd like to. 

I am a friendly person. I like to talk to people, get to know and learn from them. My city and where I work is quite friendly, with  exceptions of course! It's not difficult for me to make new friends  and interact with people because I am an open and approachable person person.

The first two weeks here in New York weren't easy because I noticed that in certain areas that I was sent to work and some of the people I met were not friendly at all. It's one thing if it's a cashier at the shop or a passer by on the street who ignores you when you ask for directions, because the likely hood of you seeing them again is minimal, but when it's someone you're expected to work with or you see day in, day out, it's very uncomfortable and even hurtful.

 I didn't understand it until two friends of mine helped me to see that unfortunately there are people who just don't see us worth getting to know. They do not notice us, we are insignificant to them and therefore they don't make any effort to talk to or befriend us, no matter how much we try. Some people are set in their ways and happy with the circle of friends they are used to.

However, this should not stop us from being ourselves and continue to be friendly and kind to others, regardless of how they respond to us. Later on, the same people that rejected our friendliness may need it (and they will remember us). Better still, we will find people out there who will appreciate us for who we are, people who will embrace our friendliness and accept a friendship with us. They may even turn out to be the best friends we ever had.

This experience helped to thicken my skin with situations like this. I have never been exposed to so much coldness, rudeness and indifference as I have since being here, but I am thankful for the experience because I would have never realized it was something that I had to deal with. I value myself much more, the unique qualities I have been gifted with and I now have this mindset of giving without expecting anything in return.

 Kindness is like a boomerang. When you give it, it will come back to you. Maybe not in the same way or by the same people who we showed kindness to, but it will come back to  us.

My American Adventure: Unique experience with a stranger

I discovered that there is a website called White Pages and also the 411 search directory that you can use to find someone. My friend Adriana helped me look for the lady who's purse I found at East River, based on the information on her driver's license.

We managed to get a telephone number for the address and her dad answered the phone. As her parents live upstate New York and the lady now lived in the city, he passed the message onto her and I was eventually given her number to contact her so we could arrange to meet.

I didn't carry the purse with me on Monday so we met today after work. We had originally planned to meet in the morning but because I overslept and missed the train, we had met around 6.30pm.

I was relieved for her and she was so grateful. She offered to buy me a drink at Starbucks as a "thank you". We had a nice chat before we departed ways. We have each other's numbers so I'm sure we'll meet again.

This was a unique experience for me.  I am so glad that I was the one that found her purse and not an opportunist with bad intentions.

My American Adventure: Weekend in Brooklyn part 2

The shop was nothing like what I had imagined. It was quite big and spacious with a lot of designer gear. I saw Dolce and Gabanna and Chloe items being sold for $395 then All Saints leather jackets being sold for $425. In my mind I honestly thought "are they really going to be interested in my H&M, New Look, River Island and even Primark clothes that I am selling?"

There is a sign in sheet and once you've signed it you wait for your name to be called. One of the sales assistants' will then go through all your stuff and price them individually. Whatever price they choose to sell the items for, we receive 50%.

I didn't carry any identification with me which I needed to sell the items, so they told me that I had to come back. By then it was only 2.30pm and the store closed at 7pm, so I decided to back to Long Island to get my passport plus additional items that came to my mind. I knew if I didn't do it today I wouldn't do it this week because I will be at the United Nations for two days and working the other days. This was really the only time I had free to sell the items.

I made the journey back to Long Island and returned to Williamsburg. By the time I arrived  so many people had been to sell their clothes. There were people in front of me with suitcases full of clothes and shoes that they wanted to sell. I had to wait a good 20-30 minutes before I was called.

I was impressed with the prices they gave me for my items and what I received as a total amount. Some of the items were priced at the same price that I actually paid for them.

I'm glad I found this place and didn't just flea them off at a market for a really low price.

I walked around the area and saw a lot of street art that my sister would be interested in. There were a lot of jewelry stands and people selling wooden carved items and personal items on the street.

The thing I didn't like about the area was the uncleanness of the streets. It was so untidy with garbage bags everywhere. I don't know if it's because they're a lot of bars and cafes around, but even on the residential side, it was was untidy. It reminded me of Hyson Green and I could only think how many rats infest this place lol.
The area is nice for those who like art, vintage clothes and want to try different bars and cafes, but I couldn't live in the area, no way!

I went to East River State Park and sat close to the rocks by the river. It was a beautiful atmosphere and as I looked across the river I could see Manhattan. I read my Bible, had a good moment to reflect and just chilled listening to music. I watched the sunset for a bit too.

I noticed a wallet had been left close to me. When I looked inside I noticed it belonged to the girl who had taken my photo for me earlier. I waited for 15 minutes in case she came back but she didn't so I took it home with me.

I searched on Facebook for her but couldn't find her......

My American Adventure: Weekend in Brooklyn part 1

Last year I came to the US during Thanksgiving which was cool. Now I got to see what it's like during the 4th of July, Independence Day. I had an awesome time in Brooklyn on Saturday, celebrating with good soul food which was delicious, beautiful weather, getting down to old school jams and dance routines. It was all good!

The people here really know how to dance! I really loved the company. I met some lovely people and we ended up sharing some of our personal battles and achievements with each other. I left inspired.

After church on Sunday, I went to the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. I've always heard good things about the area so I wanted to pay a visit. I saw online that they have vintage and second hand shops that buy and sell clothes.

A few weeks ago I set aside new clothes that I had bought several months ago for my trip to New York which no longer fit me. I have lost weight on my waist and hips so unfortunately they're too loose now. Rather than just give them away, I decided to try and sell them, especially because some were brand new, never been worn and good quality. I didn't want to go to a flea market and get pitons for them, but I wanted decent price.

 It took an hour to get to Williamsburg from Long Island. I had to get off at East New York and cross over the road to wait for the L train to Bedford Avenue. I really didn't feel comfortable in East New York. It  looks so rough. They're a lot of homeless people outside the station and because the area has empty warehouses and large buildings, it doesn't look safe to  walk around, especially at night time. It's like those abandoned buildings and areas you see when you're on the train, with broken windows, burnt-out cars etc. I was literally counting the minutes for the train to arrive and pretending like I knew where I was going so I wouldn't call attention to myself.

 I finally arrived at Williamsburg and straight away I thought about my sister. It has a real arty, vintage, hippy, ska feeling to the area; right up her street lol. At first, could only see white and South East Asian people in the area. Very different from the predominantly black and Latino areas I had been too so far.

While on the subject of ethnicity and race, I have noticed that New York has  different interracial relationships to what I see in my city and parts of England. In England, interracial relationships are mainly between black and white people, with some white and Middle Eastern Asians (Indian and Pakistan) or black and Indian but here I have seen much more white and South East Asian (Thai, Singapore, Chinese, Japanese) couples then any other; and I mean A LOT. I find it beautiful to be honest and the diverse ethnicity of our society keeps evolving.

 Anyway, so when I was walking around trying to find the shop, the men reminded me of rock bands like The Killers, The Beatles and Rolling Stones. Some of them even reminded me of Pete Doherty, because of how they were dressed and walked. People are quite fashionable over here but in their own way. No two people were dressed the same. It's a mix between indie, bohemian, vintage classic, hippie, rock, reggae styles. I think i just made reggae style up but you know what I'm trying to say right? Well I hope so.

My American Adventure: Week 5

Hello everyone. It's nice to be back writing again 😊. I've been quite busy this past week, but I have a lot of experiences to share with you all.

This is my fifth week here and I've grown a lot. I've become much more independent, I don't rely on people  like I used to, I'm more focused and becoming thick skinned. America is a tough country and you have to adapt to it otherwise you will break. If you're not prepared to role up your sleeves and work, forget it. However, the hard work opens doors and it's a place of many opportunities.

Being here by myself has shaped me into a new person. I'm grateful for both the good and bad experiences I've encountered so far.

Life here is really busy but enjoyable at the same time.  I spent a few days in Brooklyn last week. I really like Brooklyn. It's vibrant with an energy they attracts me to the place. On Sunday I was invited to attend the morning service at the Universal Church's New York headquarters and I'm glad I went because what was spoken in the service was for me. I needed to hear the messages.

During the service this little beauty (pictured with me below) Nakisha shared her moving testimony, which had me in tears. She was explaining her 7 year battle with a learning disabilities that affected her reading, writing and capacity to understand things, especially at school. Her grandmother spoke to the bishop about it and he advised them to use their faith in God and do a 7 week chain of prayer on Fridays. They followed the advise and today her mind is free. She can finally  spell her name, has started to do well at school  and is understanding things properly. She recently had a test at school and passed with flying colours, with the highest marks in the whole class! After the service I spoke to her for a while and she is such a bright girl. She impersonated my British accent quite well too lol.

Nothing is impossible to those who believe. With God there is a solution.

After the service I hung out with the Youth Power Group (YPG) in Fulton. I love how they welcome newbies into their group even if you're over 25. In fact I met quite a few helpers who are in their early 30s but are part of the youth group. Their maturity and life experience positively impacts and supports the youth.

They are a big group, very funny, lively and down to earth. We had a picnic  (which was so organised and nicely prepared) and I finally ate the famous American peanut butter and jelly sandwich - it's quite nice.

We all challenged ourselves to switch off our phones for 90 minutes. This was so that we could spend real time with real people, without the distractions of Facebook, Instragram, Whatsapp or someone calling us. I had fun. We played old school games like double-dutch, dominoes, uno and other card games.

We learned the importance of breaking away from technology for a while to connect with people face to face and audibly instead of just texting and messaging each other using emojis. It builds healthy relationships.

Many people's communication skills and intellectuality is deteriorating because they do not read books anymore. They don't use their spare time to educate themselves, learn a language or new skill. If we want to get far in life, we really need to invest ourselves and develop.

My American Adventure: Afternoon at the UN HQ

My American Adventure: Writer's block leads to video post

At Sea Cliff Beach, Long Island