English 173, Writing in the Community, is a course offered in the Writing and Rhetoric Concentration of the English Department at the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University. Students this semester investigated and wrote about communities outside the University, including neighborhoods, a block association, a historic church, the "party scene," public schools, a restaurant, and a non-profit organization. Their essays emerged from research into a particular community's character, history, uses, and social structures and relations. Utilizing a range of methods from oral history to interviews, close observation, and archival research, some writers explored their own communities while others discovered new, unexpected "homeplaces" or researched the impact of large scale development plans on existing neighborhoods.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Battalion’s Community * Anthony Welcome
English 173
Anthony Welcome
Essay #3: Site Specific
Battalion’s Community
The sale of a building, located at 661 Linden Blvd. in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, would blindly usher in a community landmark. In years the building would become known as ‘The God’s Battalion of Prayer Church.’ Founded in 1959 by Alva Clarke of Barbados, this church has been uplifting the hearts of its parishioners as well as the surrounding community for nearly half a century. The church is now over seen by its distinguished senior pastor Rev. Dr. Alfred Cockfield, who is paving the way for a new level of community service. His vision of “Building a healthy community” will be realized through the success of the church’s mission, which is “to transform the community by helping its members to grow in faith, fellowship, character and commitment, ministry and missions.”
Following the almost year long renovation of the church in 1996 there was a spike in church membership as well as a sigh of relief from existing parishioners at the marvel of the completed building. As it stands, the first and second floors are devoted to a private school for children ages 5-11 called the “Battalion Christian Academy.” I have personally been a witness to students who’ve graduated from Battalions program and have gone on to first-rate junior high and high school programs. Two of my younger cousins have been proud graduates of the Academy. They both credit their enrollment into gifted programs for junior high and high schools to the life lessons instilled into them by Battalion’s Academy.
Situated in the basement is the cafeteria, shared by the students on school days, and on Sunday mornings and afternoons by the attendees of the church’s 8, 11, and 5 o’clock services. Between the cafeteria and the ground floor is the church’s “Love Center.” The center distributes brand name food items and clothing to community members in need twice a week, all year round. The top floor is the Sanctuary, where church services are held, and it’s equipped with a balcony.
God’s Battalion not only benefits the surrounding community but also aids the international community through its association with a group of churches called “The Assemblies of God.” This organization has instituted missionary services in countries such as St. Vincent and Guyana of the Caribbean and South Africa to name a few.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, every year members, as well as anyone who is willing to provide, brings bags of rice, canned goods, flour and other items which is to be donated to the less fortunate members of the local and the international communities. This is all done on the Sunday preceding Thanksgiving. Piles of food items can be seen lined neatly across the front of the 30 to 40 ft stage by the attendees of the services, with growing numbers every year.
Thanksgiving Sunday would be the first time I’ve been back at church in 9 months. In the past, I’d always prefer to attend the 11:30 a.m. service so I made my way over to the church at 11 a.m. What struck me as strange were the faces of the parishioners because there were genuine smiles and not just the same old regular “I’m at church on Sunday” smiles. As I held the door open for an elderly women and what seemed like her granddaughter, I noticed something different about the lobby. There were four yellow cuts of a silk like fabric that were pinned under exposed vents which made them move in a wave like motion. The elevator behind me made a ping sound and the next group of people stepped on to take the ride up to the sanctuary.
I took a seat in the back to avoid disturbing anyone during the service which began with the “worship service” or the singing of psalms and hymns. After the conclusion of every song there was a brief period were everyone lifts theirs hands to “praise the name of the lord,” before the choir started the next one. During this portion of the service there is something or rather some form of harmonious force circulating amongst the worshippers that can only be described as supernatural. I felt encapsulated by the energy flowing to and through myself as well as everyone in attendance. As I looked on the faces of the congregation at the end of their worship, it was as if their prayer removed some form of emotional baggage. Everyone looked stress-free and attentive, readily awaiting the sermon.
Post worship service included a prayer for blessing, an acknowledgment of first time attendees and the collection of tides and offerings; the act of giving 10% of your monthly earnings to the church or sometimes just giving some of the money you have on you at the time to designated groups of the church such as the youth choir. With the collection aside it was time to hear the “reading of the word” or bible scriptures.
A special occasion called for a special speaker and the position was given to Rev. Prince Hampel, a Nigerian pastor from London. The name of his sermon was ‘Thankful and Grateful’ and it was taken from the 16th chapter of 1st Book of Samuel in the Old Testament portion of the King James Bible. This chapter was focused on the acknowledgment of the next king of Jerusalem by the Lord through his prophet Samuel. This king was chosen to rule because, as Rev. Hampel put it “God seen that he had a thankful heart.” The young man at the time was David who was made famous for killing the giant philistine Goliath with just a sling and a rock.
As Rev. Hampel read the passages aloud, faint whispers of “yes lord,” “preach,” and even some “uummm hhmmm’s” could be heard all around me. There were several other books and chapters read from the Old Testament and two books from the New Testament. All these passages were in context related to the idea of being thankful and grateful for what you have.
After the sermon there was a concluding prayer in which the non-baptized were invited up by pastor Cockfield to the altar to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives. With all heads bowed and all eyes closed, a few people went up and were prayed over. The ushers escorted them as well as the first time attendees to a room where they would be encouraged to pay another visit to the church and also be told the steps needed in order to become better Christians and how to change their lives and the lives of the people around them for the better. There was a final prayer and everyone stood up, clapped and made their way to the exits. Gods Battalion of Prayer Church offers to fill the whole that some people have in their lives, so when the members become whole they will help others do as well.
Anthony Welcome
Essay #3: Site Specific
Battalion’s Community
The sale of a building, located at 661 Linden Blvd. in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, would blindly usher in a community landmark. In years the building would become known as ‘The God’s Battalion of Prayer Church.’ Founded in 1959 by Alva Clarke of Barbados, this church has been uplifting the hearts of its parishioners as well as the surrounding community for nearly half a century. The church is now over seen by its distinguished senior pastor Rev. Dr. Alfred Cockfield, who is paving the way for a new level of community service. His vision of “Building a healthy community” will be realized through the success of the church’s mission, which is “to transform the community by helping its members to grow in faith, fellowship, character and commitment, ministry and missions.”
Following the almost year long renovation of the church in 1996 there was a spike in church membership as well as a sigh of relief from existing parishioners at the marvel of the completed building. As it stands, the first and second floors are devoted to a private school for children ages 5-11 called the “Battalion Christian Academy.” I have personally been a witness to students who’ve graduated from Battalions program and have gone on to first-rate junior high and high school programs. Two of my younger cousins have been proud graduates of the Academy. They both credit their enrollment into gifted programs for junior high and high schools to the life lessons instilled into them by Battalion’s Academy.
Situated in the basement is the cafeteria, shared by the students on school days, and on Sunday mornings and afternoons by the attendees of the church’s 8, 11, and 5 o’clock services. Between the cafeteria and the ground floor is the church’s “Love Center.” The center distributes brand name food items and clothing to community members in need twice a week, all year round. The top floor is the Sanctuary, where church services are held, and it’s equipped with a balcony.
God’s Battalion not only benefits the surrounding community but also aids the international community through its association with a group of churches called “The Assemblies of God.” This organization has instituted missionary services in countries such as St. Vincent and Guyana of the Caribbean and South Africa to name a few.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, every year members, as well as anyone who is willing to provide, brings bags of rice, canned goods, flour and other items which is to be donated to the less fortunate members of the local and the international communities. This is all done on the Sunday preceding Thanksgiving. Piles of food items can be seen lined neatly across the front of the 30 to 40 ft stage by the attendees of the services, with growing numbers every year.
Thanksgiving Sunday would be the first time I’ve been back at church in 9 months. In the past, I’d always prefer to attend the 11:30 a.m. service so I made my way over to the church at 11 a.m. What struck me as strange were the faces of the parishioners because there were genuine smiles and not just the same old regular “I’m at church on Sunday” smiles. As I held the door open for an elderly women and what seemed like her granddaughter, I noticed something different about the lobby. There were four yellow cuts of a silk like fabric that were pinned under exposed vents which made them move in a wave like motion. The elevator behind me made a ping sound and the next group of people stepped on to take the ride up to the sanctuary.
I took a seat in the back to avoid disturbing anyone during the service which began with the “worship service” or the singing of psalms and hymns. After the conclusion of every song there was a brief period were everyone lifts theirs hands to “praise the name of the lord,” before the choir started the next one. During this portion of the service there is something or rather some form of harmonious force circulating amongst the worshippers that can only be described as supernatural. I felt encapsulated by the energy flowing to and through myself as well as everyone in attendance. As I looked on the faces of the congregation at the end of their worship, it was as if their prayer removed some form of emotional baggage. Everyone looked stress-free and attentive, readily awaiting the sermon.
Post worship service included a prayer for blessing, an acknowledgment of first time attendees and the collection of tides and offerings; the act of giving 10% of your monthly earnings to the church or sometimes just giving some of the money you have on you at the time to designated groups of the church such as the youth choir. With the collection aside it was time to hear the “reading of the word” or bible scriptures.
A special occasion called for a special speaker and the position was given to Rev. Prince Hampel, a Nigerian pastor from London. The name of his sermon was ‘Thankful and Grateful’ and it was taken from the 16th chapter of 1st Book of Samuel in the Old Testament portion of the King James Bible. This chapter was focused on the acknowledgment of the next king of Jerusalem by the Lord through his prophet Samuel. This king was chosen to rule because, as Rev. Hampel put it “God seen that he had a thankful heart.” The young man at the time was David who was made famous for killing the giant philistine Goliath with just a sling and a rock.
As Rev. Hampel read the passages aloud, faint whispers of “yes lord,” “preach,” and even some “uummm hhmmm’s” could be heard all around me. There were several other books and chapters read from the Old Testament and two books from the New Testament. All these passages were in context related to the idea of being thankful and grateful for what you have.
After the sermon there was a concluding prayer in which the non-baptized were invited up by pastor Cockfield to the altar to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives. With all heads bowed and all eyes closed, a few people went up and were prayed over. The ushers escorted them as well as the first time attendees to a room where they would be encouraged to pay another visit to the church and also be told the steps needed in order to become better Christians and how to change their lives and the lives of the people around them for the better. There was a final prayer and everyone stood up, clapped and made their way to the exits. Gods Battalion of Prayer Church offers to fill the whole that some people have in their lives, so when the members become whole they will help others do as well.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A Home Away from Home * Sanum Saleem
Sanum Saleem
English 173
I always wondered why my parents had decided to live in Jackson Heights, Queens. My first years in the United States were spent there. I can remember Jackson Heights back to nineteen years ago and not much has changed. It is still dominated by the South Asian community, as it was nineteen years ago. I asked my father what Jackson Heights was like years ago and he said it has always been the same. My father said that it was always dominated by South Asians. I wanted to know how a few streets full of South Asian stores attracted so many immigrants and their families. After visiting Pakistan four years ago I was finally able to comprehend why my parents had decided to live in Jackson Heights. I was surprised to see how closely Jackson Heights resembled Pakistan. South Asians in New York had used Jackson Heights to preserve their culture. For my parents and other South Asian immigrants, Jackson Heights brought them closer to home in a foreign land.
English 173
I always wondered why my parents had decided to live in Jackson Heights, Queens. My first years in the United States were spent there. I can remember Jackson Heights back to nineteen years ago and not much has changed. It is still dominated by the South Asian community, as it was nineteen years ago. I asked my father what Jackson Heights was like years ago and he said it has always been the same. My father said that it was always dominated by South Asians. I wanted to know how a few streets full of South Asian stores attracted so many immigrants and their families. After visiting Pakistan four years ago I was finally able to comprehend why my parents had decided to live in Jackson Heights. I was surprised to see how closely Jackson Heights resembled Pakistan. South Asians in New York had used Jackson Heights to preserve their culture. For my parents and other South Asian immigrants, Jackson Heights brought them closer to home in a foreign land.
I remember visiting Jackson Heights numerous times, even after my family had moved out of the neighborhood. I never fully understood what the importance of this neighborhood was but as a teenager it occurred to me that every South Asian in New York had ties to it. It was easy to relate to other South Asian teenagers because we had Jackson Heights in common. At some point in our lives we had visited the area, and our parents went shopping there almost every weekend. Jackson Heights is usually known for its commercialized area. Johanna Lessinger, in Ganges to the Hudson states, "'The borough of Queens was home to 56,601 Indians in 1990-the single largest concentration of Indians in the city'"(Doyle and Khandelwal 1994:2)- so it is not surprising that the largest Indian shopping area is located there as well”(Lessinger,28). I rarely visit the area these days, but when I do I consider myself fortunate. I've grown to appreciate Jackson Heights because it identifies with me too. My family had introduced me to the South Asian culture and Jackson Heights helped me understand it better.
As I step off the F train, I am directly across the street from what I like to consider, "Desi Town." South Asians refer to themselves as desi. The term desi comes from the sanskrit word des or desh, which means native. Desis include people of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani origin. This term can be seen on many stores in Jackson Height, as well. I cross the street and I can already smell samosas. Samosas are fried patties that have spices with beef or vegetables in them. They are usually served as snacks. I am besides a snack shop, which also carries various sweets. Sweets we call "mithai" are generally sweeter than any cake, truffle or candy I've ever tasted. They are usually covered in syrup for a rich taste. This snack shop highlights a significant aspect of the South Asian culture, which is flavorful food.
Flavorful food can be found in numerous restaurants on the few streets Jackson Heights inhibits. A lot of them read "desi cuisine." Most of them carry various dishes that appeal to every South Asian. They vary from vegetarian to non vegetarian dishes. South Asian cuisines consist of food with many spices and herbs. Some of the famous dishes include biryani and kababs. Biryani is a dish that includes rice with beef, chicken, or mutton. The dish is rich with spices and usually very flavorful. Kababs are beef, lamb or chicken meat grilled on a skewer or stick. They have spices such as garlic, onions and green peppers in them. In my South Asian home having biryani or kababs for dinner was a privilege. These foods are considered very special and are served on special occasions. Even today when my friends and I desire some home-made spicy food, we immediately think of Jackson Heights. It reminds us of the food we have have grown up around.
Another South Asian concept I have grown up with is the significance of beauty. Beauty as defined by South Asians isn't simple. It deals with a lot of colors and gold. Jackson Heights does justice in displaying this as a significant factor. Many of the times that I visited Jackson Heights was to buy ethnic clothes and jewelry. I usually went shopping in Jackson Heights for special occasions, since that was the only time I wore traditional clothes. There are three types of traditional clothes South Asian women wear. The first is shalwar kameez, which is a pair of trousers and a long blouse. The blouse is usually up to the knees but the length can vary depending on preference. The next is the lengha. A lengha is usually a party wear. It is a long skirt that is paired with a blouse. The length of the blouse varies, although most blouses for lenghas don't exceed the waist. The last is a sari. A sari is a long piece of cloth that is wrapped around an under skirt and a short blouse. Sari blouses don't exceed the waist. There is a special art to wrapping a sari and takes a lot of practice. All three of these ethnic wears come in all types of colors and designs. There are a lot of sequences, beading and embroidery on them because detail defines beauty in South Asia. South Asians encourage their children and families to wear traditional wear, but very few South Asians wear it on a daily basis. The clothes on display in Jackson Heights are categorized as party wears, because most first generation South Asians wear traditional wears only on special occasions.
Gold is also seen worn on special occasions and defines beauty in South Asia. I learned this at a very young age. My parents would take me to Jackson Heights to pick out jewelry for my birthday gift. Most of the jewelry in Jackson Heights is 22 karat gold. 22 karat gold is about 90% pure gold and a deep yellow in color. It is the most expensive form of gold. I remember purchasing a pair of small hoops for my 15th birthday that cost over a hundred dollars. The South Asian culture believes the more gold a person has the higher in status they are. My mother always insists on buying gold for me, even though I personally dislike it. Women that wear the most gold are often considered the most beautiful, in the South Asian culture. This can be seen by looking at a South Asian bride. A South Asian bride is covered in gold. She wears a couple of gold necklaces, bracelets, bangles, earrings and rings. Her status and beauty is determined by the amount of gold she wears.
The South Asian culture is most clearly defined through Bollywood movies. Eagle Theater, that only plays Bollywood movies, is usually packed with eager South Asians desiring to view the new Bollywood release. Bollywood movies are in Hindi/Urdu language, which is the most common language among South Asians. This language can be heard at every corner in Jackson Heights. Majority of the people prefer to communicate in Hindi/Urdu in Jackson Heights. Bollywood movies are musicals. They are about two to three hours long and have at least five to six songs in them. Bollywood’s actors lip-sync and dance on the songs. The storyline of the movie commonly revolves around love. The actors wear traditional clothes and heavy jewelry during wedding and special occasion scenes. These movies show the significance of family and culture. Perhaps that's why Jackson Heights is always filled with families, eating, shopping and watching movies together. South Asians believe in keeping their families close. As a child I had developed a habit of watching these movies with my family. Most South Asians can relate to this and have found a special liking to Bollywood movies. Bollywood movies influenced me a lot, as well. The movies are in Hindi/Urdu, and that would encourage me to speak and understand the language more fluently. The movies would also display ethnic wears so beautifully; I started understanding how essential colors and gold is in the South Asian culture.
As I'm ready to leave, I notice a huge billboard across Eagle Theater, of Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan is a famous Bollywood actor. I know most people would love to see this because Shahrukh khan has a lot of fans. Walking to the subway station is always fun in Jackson Heights. I hear different sounds of music coming from stores and cars. A lot of these songs are from Bollywood movies. The sound of Indian drums or dhol is an important element in these songs. They sound beautiful. I walk down to the subway station feeling great. I experienced the South Asian culture in these few streets of Jackson Heights.
Works Cited
Lessinger, Johanna. Ganges to the Hudson: "Indian Immigrants in New York City", Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1995.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Midwood: Then and Now * Barbara Joseph
Barbara Joseph
Writing in the Community
Site Specific Project
Final Paper
Midwood: Then and Now
Walking to School
I live only 296 footsteps away from my alma mater, Midwood High School. It sounds like a journey when you simply focus on the number of footsteps. I walked this short, two-block distance every day (with the exception of holidays, and occasional sick days) for four years. Aside from the fact that it only took me five minutes or even less to get there, the walk to school was always a pleasant one. Occasionally, my sister and I would meet up with my close friend, Stephanie, on the corner of Ave H. and Ocean Avenue. From there, we would cross the street onto Campus Road, passing the Brooklyn College Heating Plant, and then the college’s track field. Since a majority of Midwood’s students were zoned kids, it was common for us to bump into someone from school. That was one of the special things about going to a school so near; we were able to form deeper relationships with the students living within the community. Looking back on my years in Midwood, one of the things that I remember most is the special bond I was able to create not simply with the students, but with the teachers.
Midwood Then
I remember the fall semester of my junior year in high school as if it were yesterday. I remember having to rush out of my bed at about six in the morning in order to prepare my things, to dress my younger brother, and to quickly drop him off to the elementary school directly across the street from Midwood before I headed to my 7:45am English class. As I hurried down the steps to class one morning, I remember being fearful of my teacher’s comment, afraid that he would once again announce my repeated lateness to the class, and remark how lateness was crucial to our overall performance. I was surprise to have come into class and have nothing said to me. At the end of the class, however, my teacher, Mr. Tupone, pulled me aside and said “Barbara, you need to see me during the week about your paper. It was very poor work” As my eyes fell on the C+ which was boldly written on the last page of my report paper, I remember a deep sadness coming over me. I thought to myself, “Wow Barbara, how can you say that you love to write but do such poor work?” Being too ashamed to confront him about my paper, I chose not to go see Mr. Tupone. Instead I vowed to myself that from that point on I would work extra harder. Indeed, I did. I became very punctual and very attentive and engaging in class discussions. I made sure to practice my vocabulary words, and to pay careful attention to grammar in all my papers. I began making outlines, paying attention also to both the structure and content of my paper. Eventually Mr. Tupone started complimenting me on my progress in the class, and he even started meeting me before class, helping me prepare for the NYS English regents exam. Mr.Tupone was amongst the many teachers at Midwood who genuinely cared about the progress of their students. He was amongst those who dedicated their time and resources in order to see their students succeed. Teachers like Mr. Tupone really encouraged me by giving me the confident that I needed to pursue my goals in life. In some sense I can say that it was at Midwood where I found my academic strengths, my desire to study English in college.
It has been three years since I last entered Midwood. However, as I now approach my final semester in college, I am reminded of my days there, the students I once knew, and the teachers who have pushed me to come thus far. I have realized how much I miss Midwood, how much I long to sit at those desks, and be taught by some of the most wonderful teachers that Brooklyn has to offer. As I leave my home now on some mornings to catch the Manhattan bound 2 train on the Flatbush junction, watching the teenage boys and girls make haste to school, I begin to remember my experiences there, and I am suddenly reminded of time; its power to create then and now, today and tomorrow.
Midwood’s History
I imagine Midwood High School when it was first built in the 1930s as being not too different from the school I attended. Perhaps then the off-white pillars were actually white, and the dirty red bricks, were a lighter shade. Developed under a project of the New Deal, the building was designed by Eric Kebbon, a government architect, who was instructed by Franklin D. Roosevelt to use Old Dutch structural blueprints. It was Roosevelt’s intent to build buildings that did not necessarily adapt to the “whims of the moment” but rather reflected” the historical background of the locality” and were essentially “very attractive to the eye [[1]].” One who passes by Midwood High School today cannot deny the fine quality of its architectural intricacy. As a student, I remember being proud to walk into the building. Walking past the six pillars, and then up the stairs leading to the main door, and then into the lobby on whose walls hung paintings of late principals, and whose shelves bore record of academic excellence through plaques and trophies, made me feel lucky to have had the opportunity to attend such a beautiful school, whose name highlighted intelligence and honor. The school which has been ranked as a “School of excellence,” and chosen as a “Blue Ribbon Secondary School of Excellence” by the U.S Department of Education, has always been acknowledged by both parents and students as a place which both focuses on higher learning, and on preparing its students to become better citizens for the real world [[2]].
One of the greatest things about Midwood High School is its diverse student body. Midwood’s population is made up of “25% W, 43% B, 9% H, 25% A [[3]]. “ The School has been known not simply for its dedication in increasing its student’s academic strength, but also for its ethnically diverse community, which has helped students to recognize and understand the different sets of ideas, values, cultures, and even social classes which are held by their classmates and the world around them. Jon Iuzzini remembered her interracial experience at Midwood as being very positive. “It was also at Midwood that I first experienced what it meant to be an ethnic minority. Until then I was able to hide behind my last name, but at Midwood I was truly in the minority: there was a significant population of African American, Latino, and Asian American students… My mind was suddenly opened to the experiences of people I never would have thought existed [[4]].” Iuzzini’s experience at Midwood represents that of countless students who left the school with a greater appreciation for the community that was provided.
Since I left Midwood in 2005, I can say that much has changed. While structurally nothing much has changed about the H-shaped building, and for the most part, most of the teachers that I had still remain, there is a different atmosphere. As I walk into the building for the first time in three years, I am instantly aware of this change. The place is the same, but the community is not.
Midwood Now
Asked what they think about the school, Emily Fortune and Jovelle Joseph had differing opinions.
Fortune, a sophomore at Midwood, explained, “I really think that Midwood High School is one of the better schools out there. It just has so much to offer. The teachers here are great! Plus the library is always open for you after school to do your homework.”
Joseph, a junior, disagreed with Fortune. He said that the school still needs to improve in certain areas. “The school is okay, but it still needs some changing. It’s a tight squeeze. The hallways still get crowded after each period. They got kids sneaking and hanging out in the north and south wings. I think our security needs to be tighter. These security guards just sit all day long in chairs and try to make friends with students. But aside from all that, I think Midwood is okay.”
While Midwood High School has been named “one of the better schools in the country” by the New York Times [[5]], there is no doubt that the issue of its overcrowded hallways has caused many to reconsider their former opinions about the school. In PTA (Parent Teacher Association) minutes, parents mentioned that while Midwood offered their children an opportunity to excel in both Math and Science, the “overcrowded classrooms [were] a detriment to both teachers and students [[6]].” According to a 1995 issue of the New York Metro, as many as 4,000 students are packed in a building designated for 2,300. Although time has elapsed from the time this article was written, the situation in Midwood now is still no different. About 1100 students are enrolled into the school each year; hence, if we add to this number the rest of the student body we will see that its population is quite large [[7]]. If that’s not a “tight squeeze” then what is? On the issue of overcrowded classrooms and hallways, Fortune agreed that it did pose a problem to the students. “Because the hallways get so crowded in between periods, it makes it hard for a lot of us to get to class on time. And because the cafeteria gets so crowded during lunch periods, it makes it easier for students to sneak out and hang out in the back staircases,” says Fortune.
Maintaining control over students congregating in the hallways has always been a challenge for Midwood. As more and more students enroll in the school each year, Midwood’s classrooms are becoming increasingly overcrowded, resources are becoming limited, and many more parents are beginning to realize that there are not enough staff to supervise and attend to their kids when needed. Nevertheless, each year parents continue to send their kids there. Why? Midwood offers a longstanding tradition of academic excellence. Moreover, its student population reflects the urban community which surrounds it; thus, for a lot of students, the school represents a place whereby they may familiarize themselves with, and appreciate, diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For them, Midwood High is their own community away from home.
In regards to her thoughts concerning Midwood’s community, Fortune stated that “one thing I like about this school is that you can meet people from all over. There’s Russian, Asians, Blacks, Whites. Basically you can meet all sorts of people here. I think that’s really cool because in Canarsie, where I live, you don’t get that kind of diversity. Since coming to this school, I’ve made many friends… I like coming here.” Like Fortune, many students are attracted to the school because it offers them the opportunity to be surrounded by an environment which is much different from the ones they are surrounded by at home. It gives them an opportunity to meet different people, to essentially appreciate human diversity, and “to grow in both mind and body [[8]],” preparing themselves to be major participants and contributors to their respective communities.
Looking back today on my experiences in Midwood, I realize that Midwood has functioned as the foreground to my development as not simply a student, but as a citizen as well. It is because of Midwood High School that I am now the person that I am today, a determined college student whose main goal is to grow in both mind and body.
[1] Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Presidential Library and Museum— http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/frdcsb1.html
[2] http://schools.nycenet.edu/region6/midwood/default.asp
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwood_High_School#Statistics
[4] http://web.utk.edu/~jiuzzini/joniuzziniautobio.html
[5] February 18, 1995—New York Times---“In America: Where Schools Come Last”
[6] http://schools.nycenet.edu/region6/midwood
[7] This information was provided by Dr. Ernest Pysher, Midwood’s Assistant Principal Administration
[8] http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/22/K405/AboutUs/Overview/Our+Mission.htm
Writing in the Community
Site Specific Project
Final Paper
Midwood: Then and Now
Walking to School
I live only 296 footsteps away from my alma mater, Midwood High School. It sounds like a journey when you simply focus on the number of footsteps. I walked this short, two-block distance every day (with the exception of holidays, and occasional sick days) for four years. Aside from the fact that it only took me five minutes or even less to get there, the walk to school was always a pleasant one. Occasionally, my sister and I would meet up with my close friend, Stephanie, on the corner of Ave H. and Ocean Avenue. From there, we would cross the street onto Campus Road, passing the Brooklyn College Heating Plant, and then the college’s track field. Since a majority of Midwood’s students were zoned kids, it was common for us to bump into someone from school. That was one of the special things about going to a school so near; we were able to form deeper relationships with the students living within the community. Looking back on my years in Midwood, one of the things that I remember most is the special bond I was able to create not simply with the students, but with the teachers.
Midwood Then
I remember the fall semester of my junior year in high school as if it were yesterday. I remember having to rush out of my bed at about six in the morning in order to prepare my things, to dress my younger brother, and to quickly drop him off to the elementary school directly across the street from Midwood before I headed to my 7:45am English class. As I hurried down the steps to class one morning, I remember being fearful of my teacher’s comment, afraid that he would once again announce my repeated lateness to the class, and remark how lateness was crucial to our overall performance. I was surprise to have come into class and have nothing said to me. At the end of the class, however, my teacher, Mr. Tupone, pulled me aside and said “Barbara, you need to see me during the week about your paper. It was very poor work” As my eyes fell on the C+ which was boldly written on the last page of my report paper, I remember a deep sadness coming over me. I thought to myself, “Wow Barbara, how can you say that you love to write but do such poor work?” Being too ashamed to confront him about my paper, I chose not to go see Mr. Tupone. Instead I vowed to myself that from that point on I would work extra harder. Indeed, I did. I became very punctual and very attentive and engaging in class discussions. I made sure to practice my vocabulary words, and to pay careful attention to grammar in all my papers. I began making outlines, paying attention also to both the structure and content of my paper. Eventually Mr. Tupone started complimenting me on my progress in the class, and he even started meeting me before class, helping me prepare for the NYS English regents exam. Mr.Tupone was amongst the many teachers at Midwood who genuinely cared about the progress of their students. He was amongst those who dedicated their time and resources in order to see their students succeed. Teachers like Mr. Tupone really encouraged me by giving me the confident that I needed to pursue my goals in life. In some sense I can say that it was at Midwood where I found my academic strengths, my desire to study English in college.
It has been three years since I last entered Midwood. However, as I now approach my final semester in college, I am reminded of my days there, the students I once knew, and the teachers who have pushed me to come thus far. I have realized how much I miss Midwood, how much I long to sit at those desks, and be taught by some of the most wonderful teachers that Brooklyn has to offer. As I leave my home now on some mornings to catch the Manhattan bound 2 train on the Flatbush junction, watching the teenage boys and girls make haste to school, I begin to remember my experiences there, and I am suddenly reminded of time; its power to create then and now, today and tomorrow.
Midwood’s History
I imagine Midwood High School when it was first built in the 1930s as being not too different from the school I attended. Perhaps then the off-white pillars were actually white, and the dirty red bricks, were a lighter shade. Developed under a project of the New Deal, the building was designed by Eric Kebbon, a government architect, who was instructed by Franklin D. Roosevelt to use Old Dutch structural blueprints. It was Roosevelt’s intent to build buildings that did not necessarily adapt to the “whims of the moment” but rather reflected” the historical background of the locality” and were essentially “very attractive to the eye [[1]].” One who passes by Midwood High School today cannot deny the fine quality of its architectural intricacy. As a student, I remember being proud to walk into the building. Walking past the six pillars, and then up the stairs leading to the main door, and then into the lobby on whose walls hung paintings of late principals, and whose shelves bore record of academic excellence through plaques and trophies, made me feel lucky to have had the opportunity to attend such a beautiful school, whose name highlighted intelligence and honor. The school which has been ranked as a “School of excellence,” and chosen as a “Blue Ribbon Secondary School of Excellence” by the U.S Department of Education, has always been acknowledged by both parents and students as a place which both focuses on higher learning, and on preparing its students to become better citizens for the real world [[2]].
One of the greatest things about Midwood High School is its diverse student body. Midwood’s population is made up of “25% W, 43% B, 9% H, 25% A [[3]]. “ The School has been known not simply for its dedication in increasing its student’s academic strength, but also for its ethnically diverse community, which has helped students to recognize and understand the different sets of ideas, values, cultures, and even social classes which are held by their classmates and the world around them. Jon Iuzzini remembered her interracial experience at Midwood as being very positive. “It was also at Midwood that I first experienced what it meant to be an ethnic minority. Until then I was able to hide behind my last name, but at Midwood I was truly in the minority: there was a significant population of African American, Latino, and Asian American students… My mind was suddenly opened to the experiences of people I never would have thought existed [[4]].” Iuzzini’s experience at Midwood represents that of countless students who left the school with a greater appreciation for the community that was provided.
Since I left Midwood in 2005, I can say that much has changed. While structurally nothing much has changed about the H-shaped building, and for the most part, most of the teachers that I had still remain, there is a different atmosphere. As I walk into the building for the first time in three years, I am instantly aware of this change. The place is the same, but the community is not.
Midwood Now
Asked what they think about the school, Emily Fortune and Jovelle Joseph had differing opinions.
Fortune, a sophomore at Midwood, explained, “I really think that Midwood High School is one of the better schools out there. It just has so much to offer. The teachers here are great! Plus the library is always open for you after school to do your homework.”
Joseph, a junior, disagreed with Fortune. He said that the school still needs to improve in certain areas. “The school is okay, but it still needs some changing. It’s a tight squeeze. The hallways still get crowded after each period. They got kids sneaking and hanging out in the north and south wings. I think our security needs to be tighter. These security guards just sit all day long in chairs and try to make friends with students. But aside from all that, I think Midwood is okay.”
While Midwood High School has been named “one of the better schools in the country” by the New York Times [[5]], there is no doubt that the issue of its overcrowded hallways has caused many to reconsider their former opinions about the school. In PTA (Parent Teacher Association) minutes, parents mentioned that while Midwood offered their children an opportunity to excel in both Math and Science, the “overcrowded classrooms [were] a detriment to both teachers and students [[6]].” According to a 1995 issue of the New York Metro, as many as 4,000 students are packed in a building designated for 2,300. Although time has elapsed from the time this article was written, the situation in Midwood now is still no different. About 1100 students are enrolled into the school each year; hence, if we add to this number the rest of the student body we will see that its population is quite large [[7]]. If that’s not a “tight squeeze” then what is? On the issue of overcrowded classrooms and hallways, Fortune agreed that it did pose a problem to the students. “Because the hallways get so crowded in between periods, it makes it hard for a lot of us to get to class on time. And because the cafeteria gets so crowded during lunch periods, it makes it easier for students to sneak out and hang out in the back staircases,” says Fortune.
Maintaining control over students congregating in the hallways has always been a challenge for Midwood. As more and more students enroll in the school each year, Midwood’s classrooms are becoming increasingly overcrowded, resources are becoming limited, and many more parents are beginning to realize that there are not enough staff to supervise and attend to their kids when needed. Nevertheless, each year parents continue to send their kids there. Why? Midwood offers a longstanding tradition of academic excellence. Moreover, its student population reflects the urban community which surrounds it; thus, for a lot of students, the school represents a place whereby they may familiarize themselves with, and appreciate, diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For them, Midwood High is their own community away from home.
In regards to her thoughts concerning Midwood’s community, Fortune stated that “one thing I like about this school is that you can meet people from all over. There’s Russian, Asians, Blacks, Whites. Basically you can meet all sorts of people here. I think that’s really cool because in Canarsie, where I live, you don’t get that kind of diversity. Since coming to this school, I’ve made many friends… I like coming here.” Like Fortune, many students are attracted to the school because it offers them the opportunity to be surrounded by an environment which is much different from the ones they are surrounded by at home. It gives them an opportunity to meet different people, to essentially appreciate human diversity, and “to grow in both mind and body [[8]],” preparing themselves to be major participants and contributors to their respective communities.
Looking back today on my experiences in Midwood, I realize that Midwood has functioned as the foreground to my development as not simply a student, but as a citizen as well. It is because of Midwood High School that I am now the person that I am today, a determined college student whose main goal is to grow in both mind and body.
[1] Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Presidential Library and Museum— http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/frdcsb1.html
[2] http://schools.nycenet.edu/region6/midwood/default.asp
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwood_High_School#Statistics
[4] http://web.utk.edu/~jiuzzini/joniuzziniautobio.html
[5] February 18, 1995—New York Times---“In America: Where Schools Come Last”
[6] http://schools.nycenet.edu/region6/midwood
[7] This information was provided by Dr. Ernest Pysher, Midwood’s Assistant Principal Administration
[8] http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/22/K405/AboutUs/Overview/Our+Mission.htm
A Community Grows in Brooklyn * Carmelle Momperousse
Carmelle Momperousse
December 1, 2008
English 173
A Community Grows in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded in 1910 by Dr. Charles Gager. The garden contains 52 acres of more than 10,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world. Within these 52 acres are various gardens to display each class of plants. There’s the rose garden which has 1600 kinds of roses such as Gallicas, Portlands, and Noisettes. The fragrance garden which was added for the visually impaired, there are plants where you can rub on your wrist that it leaves you smelling like lavender or peppermint geranium. There is also the Japanese garden which people find tranquil because of the lake and Japanese architecture. The best feature of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to me is the Children’s Garden Program. It is very special to me because I used to be a Junior and paid instructor when I was in high school. I was involved with the garden for two years and it was a great experience.
The actual name for the children’s garden is “Miss Shaw’s Garden,” named after its founder Ellen Shaw in 1914. Ellen Shaw was a strong minded school teacher who wanted all children in Brooklyn to have a garden. From the beginning the program goal has been to expose city children and teens to the environment. The program teaches them plant-care techniques, pollution reduction, composting and other forms of recycling. Almost everything in the garden is done by the children. Each group gets its own flower bed where the children can plant seeds, take care of them and eventually harvest them. I was able to speak with director of the children’s garden and learn that the program varies depending on the season. During the Spring the program runs for 8-10 weeks, summer is
Momperousse 2
3 times per week in July and August, fall is 6 weeks and during the winter it’s 4 weeks. The sessions are 1 ½ hours for the 4-6 year olds and 3 ½ hours for the 7-13 year olds. There is also the kinder gardeners program, which is an expansion of the children garden program for younger kids between the ages of four to six. These are the youngest gardeners who are usually in pre-school. They learn basic gardening skills, simple arts & crafts, how to share and work in groups.
The garden offers volunteer and employment opportunities for high school and college students. It accepts 50- 65 students. I’ve learned that the volunteering program has now changed in the last five years. It is no longer called the Junior Instructor’s program it is called he Garden Apprentice program. Teens now start volunteering as 8th or 9th graders. There are apprentices who work in different departments of the garden, like in horticulture or science research. Other apprentices create discovery cart activity stations about plants in the garden and lead activities for visitors. The garden is able to recruit students by sending out fliers to Brooklyn and lower Manhattan public and private middle and high schools. Brooklyn Botanic Garden also holds an open house so families can learn more about the program.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is across Prospect Park and near Grand Army Plaza. I always enter through the main entrance where you pay admissions on Empire Blvd. Upon entering, there is a brick pathway, a wooden seat that can fit three people and the Discovery garden to your right. The discovery garden is where kids can hike through nature trails under the weeping willow tree, and find hidden animals placed in corners. Next to the discovery garden is the children’s garden. The garden hasn’t changed much
Momperousse 3
of its features since I was there. The children’s house is still beige with a green roof top. It is storage for the arts & crafts and garden supplies. The large compost bin remains at the far end of the garden. The planting area has signs made by the children; signs for lettuce, basil, and tomatoes. There’s the pavilion next to the children’s house, which is mostly used for shade during the summer but also as a snack area for the kids.
As a junior instructor, along with my head instructor, I was in charge of 10-12 children in the program for the summer. Three days out of the week we had to come up with different activities to do with the kids. We would take walks to various sections of the garden like the cherry esplanade, the rock garden, and the conservatory, and have the kids look around themselves. These walks allowed the kids to experience the many sections that the garden has to offer. They would mostly run around at first because to the walk time was “play time”. After a while the kids would eventually ask questions about the section they were in. For example if we were in the fragrance garden one child would ask “what is peppermint for”? or “can I eat these plants”? I’d tell them that peppermint is used to make tea and not all plants in the fragrance garden are edible. Sometimes on rainy days there are worms or slugs on the ground and the bravest child would pick it up and ask me “why are the worms out now”? I would tell them that worms live beneath the soil and come out on rainy days because they like wet and moist areas. They would put the worm down and continue walking. All of the children learned that it is important to respect the garden because we share it with animals as well.
In the children’s house we would create dishes with ingredients that came from the garden. For example, my instructor made pasta with pesto that consisted of basil and
Momperousse 4
thyme. The most important activity that had to be done everyday was to have the kids walk around the flower beds and decide what kind of seeds they wanted to grow. They could plant sunflower or tomato seeds. They also had the choice to plant mint or rosemary in the herb garden .The kids were taught how to cultivate their seeds and wait to harvest them by next season. They were also allowed to harvest crops that were planted by the instructors.
BBG and the community
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a great way to bring a community together because it offers so many programs to get people involved. For example there is GreenBridge which is horticulture community program designed to share knowledge and resources of the garden with the neighborhoods of the borough. There are also classes for adults that offer gardening & landscaping, certificates in horticulture or in floral design and herb, health & cooking. The garden provides internships for students who are starting just starting college. There the students are introduced to career opportunities in environmental science, botany and horticulture. There’s the children’s program where city kids are encouraged to get their hands dirty and get a chance to learn about the environment. They are able to plant their seeds, watch it grow and produce something that they can eat. The kids also make friends with others from different backgrounds.
A green garden in an urban community is important because it can be used as an education tool. Nowadays kids believe that food comes from factories and stores. By having a green garden in the community kids get hands on experience that food comes
Momperousse 5
from the ground. Community gardens are also a way to lively up the neighborhood. For example Liz Christy the founder of Green Guerillas (a community garden organization) decided to clean up her lower east side area by getting volunteers to remove garbage, add top soil and install fencing therefore beautifying the lot on Houston and Bower street.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden extends to the community by holding workshops such as “Making Brooklyn Bloom”, there people are able to learn about neighborhood greening and growing local fruits and vegetables. People are educated on the health benefits of growing fresh and organic foods. The garden offers weekend classes for adults and the children’s garden program for the kids.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden to me is a place for learning and having fun. During my two years as an instructor, I attained many skills that help me out today. By dealing with numerous children taught me how to be patient and multitask. I learned the proper way to plant and grow my own food. I made friends with the instructors as well as the kids in the program.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is important to the children because it is an escape from the noisy and crowded places they face in the city. In the garden they are able to cultivate their minds as well as their flower beds. Doing activities in the garden doesn’t seem like work to them because they can touch and feel the plants in the garden. They are allowed to ask as many questions as they can. The kids are visually stimulated when they plant a seed one day and after a couple of weeks, they see something growing from the soil. It gives them a sense of accomplishment because they planted the seed and was responsible for it.
December 1, 2008
English 173
A Community Grows in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded in 1910 by Dr. Charles Gager. The garden contains 52 acres of more than 10,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world. Within these 52 acres are various gardens to display each class of plants. There’s the rose garden which has 1600 kinds of roses such as Gallicas, Portlands, and Noisettes. The fragrance garden which was added for the visually impaired, there are plants where you can rub on your wrist that it leaves you smelling like lavender or peppermint geranium. There is also the Japanese garden which people find tranquil because of the lake and Japanese architecture. The best feature of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to me is the Children’s Garden Program. It is very special to me because I used to be a Junior and paid instructor when I was in high school. I was involved with the garden for two years and it was a great experience.
The actual name for the children’s garden is “Miss Shaw’s Garden,” named after its founder Ellen Shaw in 1914. Ellen Shaw was a strong minded school teacher who wanted all children in Brooklyn to have a garden. From the beginning the program goal has been to expose city children and teens to the environment. The program teaches them plant-care techniques, pollution reduction, composting and other forms of recycling. Almost everything in the garden is done by the children. Each group gets its own flower bed where the children can plant seeds, take care of them and eventually harvest them. I was able to speak with director of the children’s garden and learn that the program varies depending on the season. During the Spring the program runs for 8-10 weeks, summer is
Momperousse 2
3 times per week in July and August, fall is 6 weeks and during the winter it’s 4 weeks. The sessions are 1 ½ hours for the 4-6 year olds and 3 ½ hours for the 7-13 year olds. There is also the kinder gardeners program, which is an expansion of the children garden program for younger kids between the ages of four to six. These are the youngest gardeners who are usually in pre-school. They learn basic gardening skills, simple arts & crafts, how to share and work in groups.
The garden offers volunteer and employment opportunities for high school and college students. It accepts 50- 65 students. I’ve learned that the volunteering program has now changed in the last five years. It is no longer called the Junior Instructor’s program it is called he Garden Apprentice program. Teens now start volunteering as 8th or 9th graders. There are apprentices who work in different departments of the garden, like in horticulture or science research. Other apprentices create discovery cart activity stations about plants in the garden and lead activities for visitors. The garden is able to recruit students by sending out fliers to Brooklyn and lower Manhattan public and private middle and high schools. Brooklyn Botanic Garden also holds an open house so families can learn more about the program.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is across Prospect Park and near Grand Army Plaza. I always enter through the main entrance where you pay admissions on Empire Blvd. Upon entering, there is a brick pathway, a wooden seat that can fit three people and the Discovery garden to your right. The discovery garden is where kids can hike through nature trails under the weeping willow tree, and find hidden animals placed in corners. Next to the discovery garden is the children’s garden. The garden hasn’t changed much
Momperousse 3
of its features since I was there. The children’s house is still beige with a green roof top. It is storage for the arts & crafts and garden supplies. The large compost bin remains at the far end of the garden. The planting area has signs made by the children; signs for lettuce, basil, and tomatoes. There’s the pavilion next to the children’s house, which is mostly used for shade during the summer but also as a snack area for the kids.
As a junior instructor, along with my head instructor, I was in charge of 10-12 children in the program for the summer. Three days out of the week we had to come up with different activities to do with the kids. We would take walks to various sections of the garden like the cherry esplanade, the rock garden, and the conservatory, and have the kids look around themselves. These walks allowed the kids to experience the many sections that the garden has to offer. They would mostly run around at first because to the walk time was “play time”. After a while the kids would eventually ask questions about the section they were in. For example if we were in the fragrance garden one child would ask “what is peppermint for”? or “can I eat these plants”? I’d tell them that peppermint is used to make tea and not all plants in the fragrance garden are edible. Sometimes on rainy days there are worms or slugs on the ground and the bravest child would pick it up and ask me “why are the worms out now”? I would tell them that worms live beneath the soil and come out on rainy days because they like wet and moist areas. They would put the worm down and continue walking. All of the children learned that it is important to respect the garden because we share it with animals as well.
In the children’s house we would create dishes with ingredients that came from the garden. For example, my instructor made pasta with pesto that consisted of basil and
Momperousse 4
thyme. The most important activity that had to be done everyday was to have the kids walk around the flower beds and decide what kind of seeds they wanted to grow. They could plant sunflower or tomato seeds. They also had the choice to plant mint or rosemary in the herb garden .The kids were taught how to cultivate their seeds and wait to harvest them by next season. They were also allowed to harvest crops that were planted by the instructors.
BBG and the community
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a great way to bring a community together because it offers so many programs to get people involved. For example there is GreenBridge which is horticulture community program designed to share knowledge and resources of the garden with the neighborhoods of the borough. There are also classes for adults that offer gardening & landscaping, certificates in horticulture or in floral design and herb, health & cooking. The garden provides internships for students who are starting just starting college. There the students are introduced to career opportunities in environmental science, botany and horticulture. There’s the children’s program where city kids are encouraged to get their hands dirty and get a chance to learn about the environment. They are able to plant their seeds, watch it grow and produce something that they can eat. The kids also make friends with others from different backgrounds.
A green garden in an urban community is important because it can be used as an education tool. Nowadays kids believe that food comes from factories and stores. By having a green garden in the community kids get hands on experience that food comes
Momperousse 5
from the ground. Community gardens are also a way to lively up the neighborhood. For example Liz Christy the founder of Green Guerillas (a community garden organization) decided to clean up her lower east side area by getting volunteers to remove garbage, add top soil and install fencing therefore beautifying the lot on Houston and Bower street.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden extends to the community by holding workshops such as “Making Brooklyn Bloom”, there people are able to learn about neighborhood greening and growing local fruits and vegetables. People are educated on the health benefits of growing fresh and organic foods. The garden offers weekend classes for adults and the children’s garden program for the kids.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden to me is a place for learning and having fun. During my two years as an instructor, I attained many skills that help me out today. By dealing with numerous children taught me how to be patient and multitask. I learned the proper way to plant and grow my own food. I made friends with the instructors as well as the kids in the program.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is important to the children because it is an escape from the noisy and crowded places they face in the city. In the garden they are able to cultivate their minds as well as their flower beds. Doing activities in the garden doesn’t seem like work to them because they can touch and feel the plants in the garden. They are allowed to ask as many questions as they can. The kids are visually stimulated when they plant a seed one day and after a couple of weeks, they see something growing from the soil. It gives them a sense of accomplishment because they planted the seed and was responsible for it.
The Social Community * Shari Seraneau
Shari Seraneau
English 173
Site Specific Project
December 1, 2008
The Social Community
The Flatbush community is very upbeat and lively. It is also known as the Junction. The West Indian culture is very prominent in this community, which reflects its vibrancy and urban lifestyle. Urban meaning a more inner city cultural diversity that is attached to the West Indian people, the tangible and intangible aspects of the community. The word is attached to the buildings as being crowded, grimy, sooty, and polluted. It is also set as a marker to code an area as being “poor,” “minority,” or “underserved”. It is a combination of common trends, fads, and way of thinking of a metro area. Flatbush has a very rich history and is an up and coming community. The Junction contains many stores, fast food places, bodegas, banks, hair salons, nail salons, markets, and MTA buses and subways. Above the stores are little apartments where little faces peek through their windows in order to see the action down below on the street. The Junction is always crowded no matter what day or time. In mornings, the Junction is filled with commuters and school children rushing to get to their destination. In afternoons school kids talk loudly and run around making mischief. A foul smell encompasses the area, reminding everyone they are in Brooklyn. The cars zoom up and down famous Flatbush and Nostrand avenues. On that block is a little nail salon that might not appear to have much value but it has created its own sense of community.
The name of it is “Perfect Nail Salon” and it is own by Joy. Joy moved to the United States from China around 1990 with the dream of opening her own business. Equipped with her certificate to become a nail technician, Joy sought to make her dream become reality. She is a nail technician nearly twenty years later and her business is booming in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Joy believes that she is not just doing nails but also is building up the self appreciation and character of her customers. Joy left China because her family was not doing well there and they needed to find another source for living. It was very difficult for her to move from China to Brooklyn because she was leaving her family and her culture. She was embarking on a new journey to which she did not speak the language and was not familiar with the culture. Joy knew that she was destined for a greater future, and her future was in America. Joy came to open the salon on the Junction because she needed a cheaper place to start up her business and she found this quaint little space for rent and decided to turn it into a salon. There were already a lot of other Asian owned nail salons in the area, so she was not in such a culture shock. One of her friends from a near by nail salon told her about the area and Joy decided to take a chance, and ever since then she has been able to call the Junction her home. She was also able to send money back to China to help support her family.
The nail salon is located on Glenwood road and Nostrand Avenue. It is a store front property and the salon faces the Glenwood side of the street. The front door of the salon is transparent with a wooden frame and the word 'Nail' glued to the center of it. The door is always left open and Joy always greets customers before they enter the salon because she can see them walking up the hallway. The color of the walls is a pale white. The nail stations are shiny, sparkly green and white tables. The floor is a light tan wood. The chairs are big and black comfy business chairs. The waiting chairs are wooden with an old fashioned cushion on the seat. The couch is black and looks very comfy. The decor looks like it is more for function that fashion. On the right side of the salon are the nail stations and the first station is Joy's acrylic station. The acrylic station is where ladies only get acrylic powder hardened onto their natural nails in order to make them look just perfect. Toward the end of the right side is the television to which everyone is glued if their not too busy talking about their lives or events. To the left side are the pedicure stations and towards the back of the salon are the drying stations and the couch. There is no real sense of decor to the nail salon, but rather an effortless pursuit of trying to put together a decent nail salon.
The salon is not the most modern building on the block. It looks like it has a lot of history and many stories to tell. It is located in a big brick building which contains many different stores. On the bottom floor, a guy is selling watches and little weird items. Upstairs on the second floor is Joy's salon and next door is an African hair braiding place. Also located on that floor is a tailor. The shop is not the easiest to find and I think that a lot of ladies are referred there rather than stumbling upon it themselves. The shop is a big square room that it has been sectioned off by Joy's bare hands. Toward the back of the room are the drying stations, enviably positioned right in front of two large windows that give a great view to the busy community of Flatbush. I love to sit there looking out the window at all the busy people walking, talking, and trying to get what they need done. Usually, everyone is glued to the television and it sparks the most conversation in the room.
When I was there on Saturday, the news was on and we all found out that the singer Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother got shot to death. Jennifer Hudson is the famous singer who turned actress who won the famous show “American Idol”. She was best known for her part in the motion picture “Dream Girls”. A lot of people in this community looked up to her as a role model because she came from a regular urban lifestyle into a famous star. She exudes all the parts of a regular person before she hit stardom. Hudson is not the normal size and did not come from a normal background. Many of the people in this community can assimilate with her life and that is why her misfortune was a misfortune for the community. There was a moment of shocked silence, but then after everyone broke out with their reactions. Joy could not believe the news and was glued to the set while simultaneously filing away at a lady's nails. Another woman in the shop said that we are in harsh times in the world. The lady drying said that she couldn’t imagine what the singer was going through at that moment. Everyone had a different reaction to the same event, but it was interesting to be part of the nail salon community. It was interesting to see everyone's ideas towards the misfortune. Being in a nail salon can allow a person to see many perspectives in one space.
Joy is very friendly and seems to have a sharp memory because she knows every customer by name. She even remembers people who were recommended to her by her usual customers. As soon as I walk in, I hear, “Hi! Shari, How are you? What are you getting done today?” This is her catch, which she constantly repeats throughout the day, with a different name each time. Joy is very talkative and she gets to know her customers on a deeper personal level. I do not know if she is generally nice or if it is a ploy to get returning customers. Either way, it is working because she has a huge clientele.
The nail salon functions as a community because there is a variety of women that come together for a shared goal and not only enrich others but themselves. They enrich the salon community through communication and stories. These women have their own ideas to share, and are very opinionated women. They share their opinions and ideas through story narrative, which helps express their characters. Some people might not think that a nail salon is a community, but it is diverse, rich, and abundant in this idea of community. All the ladies have their own opinions, ideas, and stories to share with one another. A lady might not come into the salon wanting to talk, but then she gets pulled into debating her ideas on the upcoming elections or other hot topics. Ideas such as supporting Obama in his ventures to the presidency. The older women talk about the younger generation and how life has changed. Just as the older women get the more conservative nail colors with a simple French white line, the younger ladies get bright colors with bursts of designs. The younger ladies talk about the drama in their upbeat lives, revolving around their boyfriends, their best friends, and the latest gossip.
A seemingly shy girl named Krystal was sitting next to me while I got my pedicure done and we began an interesting conversation. The conversation started from the news coverage about the singer's dead family members. We agreed how sad the event was, but then she told me about her own sibling. Krystal's older sister is not the nicest person. She always argues with Krystal and always wins the arguments. Krystal began to cry because she feels that she could not get along with her and because her voice was never heard. But I was listening to her voice, and what she said to me was important at the moment. I see could the emotional side of the young lady and I could see that this was a real issue for her. The nail salon is not just a nail salon. It brings you out of your self character so you can be the teller, the receiver, or just a simple customer trying to get your nails done. The nail salon morphs these women into different positions within this community. They can be the one telling the story or they can be the one listening to all the stories in the salon. I am the receiver. The simple customer is just unplugged from the nail salon and is totally engulfed in their personal affairs or drowning out this community through their music. The beauty of the nail shop lies behind the people and the experience that they make of it or do not. They create their own sense of a community.
The nail salon is a type of sociable community in which everyone is open to sharing and receiving personal information. Basically, the ladies are sharing their business. Women love to talk about their lives, beliefs, and children. A lot of hot topics that came up were about the elections, Jennifer Hudson's tragic family misfortune, men, how somebody’s children are doing, and what's on their agenda. These topics shed more light into the minds of the women. Jennifer Hudson and Krystal reflect how regular women react to events. Hudson is a famous icon and all the women reacted in the same tone but had different reactions. The community spoke as a whole. Krystal's story showed a personal story and it showed that these women have their own personal stories and real life situations. Although the community is a whole, the individuals have their own defining moments and stories. These women are separate but they make up the whole. This idea parallels to the idea of a community.
The customers noted that the nail salon holds greater meaning than just an ordinary space to get their nails done. It is an outlet where they can relieve their stress and just relax. They can talk freely and openly with one another. They can build friendships and many of them have built close friendships with Joy. Although the women view the salon as having deeper meaning, they do not view it was a defining community. They assimilate the idea of a community more with neighborhoods and local areas. They feel the salon does not function as a community because of the term ‘community’. When they hear that word they connect it with the dictionary definition of the word and automatically tag it onto neighborhoods.
These women are coming together around communal problems while they are sitting, chatting, and getting their nails done. They pass news through oral networks and use their prior knowledge and that of the current events in order to communicate with one another. This shows that their interactions are more than social, and their incessant need for this contact with each other dates back to their personal history and life story. The women have this need to share stories because of their history from their black ancestors, in which they all communicated with one another. Back in the slavery days, black people had everything taken away from them, but what they still had was their ability to share their knowledge and stories. Telling stories was their form of independence. So as women pass on their stories in this social community, they got this need from the past.
This social setting is not just a space to these ladies, but is a place where they collectively share interests and ideas for small moments out of their day. This place helps them navigate through the world of national politics and their own local community. These women also use this place to help them navigate through their local Flatbush community. It can help them function in the Flatbush community and allow them to better citizens. The customers noted that if they see someone from the nail salon, they do say hello to one another. The nail salon community spills out into the Flatbush community. It builds this sense of community outside the walls of the salon. The women are more enriched with knowledge that they get from the salon, and they can use that to conduct themselves differently in Flatbush. They can build friendships and network with one another, and take those relationships outside of the salon into the existing community. It is their escape zone, where they can leave the salon feeling like a new person and be bale to function better in their regular lives. The nail salon is adding its own history to the Junction because years from now people will know that there was a salon on that block where women exchanged nail colors and stories. The nail salon might look like an ordinary space but it provides a framework for understanding what these women think, how they act, and how they develop their attitudes toward society.
English 173
Site Specific Project
December 1, 2008
The Social Community
The Flatbush community is very upbeat and lively. It is also known as the Junction. The West Indian culture is very prominent in this community, which reflects its vibrancy and urban lifestyle. Urban meaning a more inner city cultural diversity that is attached to the West Indian people, the tangible and intangible aspects of the community. The word is attached to the buildings as being crowded, grimy, sooty, and polluted. It is also set as a marker to code an area as being “poor,” “minority,” or “underserved”. It is a combination of common trends, fads, and way of thinking of a metro area. Flatbush has a very rich history and is an up and coming community. The Junction contains many stores, fast food places, bodegas, banks, hair salons, nail salons, markets, and MTA buses and subways. Above the stores are little apartments where little faces peek through their windows in order to see the action down below on the street. The Junction is always crowded no matter what day or time. In mornings, the Junction is filled with commuters and school children rushing to get to their destination. In afternoons school kids talk loudly and run around making mischief. A foul smell encompasses the area, reminding everyone they are in Brooklyn. The cars zoom up and down famous Flatbush and Nostrand avenues. On that block is a little nail salon that might not appear to have much value but it has created its own sense of community.
The name of it is “Perfect Nail Salon” and it is own by Joy. Joy moved to the United States from China around 1990 with the dream of opening her own business. Equipped with her certificate to become a nail technician, Joy sought to make her dream become reality. She is a nail technician nearly twenty years later and her business is booming in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Joy believes that she is not just doing nails but also is building up the self appreciation and character of her customers. Joy left China because her family was not doing well there and they needed to find another source for living. It was very difficult for her to move from China to Brooklyn because she was leaving her family and her culture. She was embarking on a new journey to which she did not speak the language and was not familiar with the culture. Joy knew that she was destined for a greater future, and her future was in America. Joy came to open the salon on the Junction because she needed a cheaper place to start up her business and she found this quaint little space for rent and decided to turn it into a salon. There were already a lot of other Asian owned nail salons in the area, so she was not in such a culture shock. One of her friends from a near by nail salon told her about the area and Joy decided to take a chance, and ever since then she has been able to call the Junction her home. She was also able to send money back to China to help support her family.
The nail salon is located on Glenwood road and Nostrand Avenue. It is a store front property and the salon faces the Glenwood side of the street. The front door of the salon is transparent with a wooden frame and the word 'Nail' glued to the center of it. The door is always left open and Joy always greets customers before they enter the salon because she can see them walking up the hallway. The color of the walls is a pale white. The nail stations are shiny, sparkly green and white tables. The floor is a light tan wood. The chairs are big and black comfy business chairs. The waiting chairs are wooden with an old fashioned cushion on the seat. The couch is black and looks very comfy. The decor looks like it is more for function that fashion. On the right side of the salon are the nail stations and the first station is Joy's acrylic station. The acrylic station is where ladies only get acrylic powder hardened onto their natural nails in order to make them look just perfect. Toward the end of the right side is the television to which everyone is glued if their not too busy talking about their lives or events. To the left side are the pedicure stations and towards the back of the salon are the drying stations and the couch. There is no real sense of decor to the nail salon, but rather an effortless pursuit of trying to put together a decent nail salon.
The salon is not the most modern building on the block. It looks like it has a lot of history and many stories to tell. It is located in a big brick building which contains many different stores. On the bottom floor, a guy is selling watches and little weird items. Upstairs on the second floor is Joy's salon and next door is an African hair braiding place. Also located on that floor is a tailor. The shop is not the easiest to find and I think that a lot of ladies are referred there rather than stumbling upon it themselves. The shop is a big square room that it has been sectioned off by Joy's bare hands. Toward the back of the room are the drying stations, enviably positioned right in front of two large windows that give a great view to the busy community of Flatbush. I love to sit there looking out the window at all the busy people walking, talking, and trying to get what they need done. Usually, everyone is glued to the television and it sparks the most conversation in the room.
When I was there on Saturday, the news was on and we all found out that the singer Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother got shot to death. Jennifer Hudson is the famous singer who turned actress who won the famous show “American Idol”. She was best known for her part in the motion picture “Dream Girls”. A lot of people in this community looked up to her as a role model because she came from a regular urban lifestyle into a famous star. She exudes all the parts of a regular person before she hit stardom. Hudson is not the normal size and did not come from a normal background. Many of the people in this community can assimilate with her life and that is why her misfortune was a misfortune for the community. There was a moment of shocked silence, but then after everyone broke out with their reactions. Joy could not believe the news and was glued to the set while simultaneously filing away at a lady's nails. Another woman in the shop said that we are in harsh times in the world. The lady drying said that she couldn’t imagine what the singer was going through at that moment. Everyone had a different reaction to the same event, but it was interesting to be part of the nail salon community. It was interesting to see everyone's ideas towards the misfortune. Being in a nail salon can allow a person to see many perspectives in one space.
Joy is very friendly and seems to have a sharp memory because she knows every customer by name. She even remembers people who were recommended to her by her usual customers. As soon as I walk in, I hear, “Hi! Shari, How are you? What are you getting done today?” This is her catch, which she constantly repeats throughout the day, with a different name each time. Joy is very talkative and she gets to know her customers on a deeper personal level. I do not know if she is generally nice or if it is a ploy to get returning customers. Either way, it is working because she has a huge clientele.
The nail salon functions as a community because there is a variety of women that come together for a shared goal and not only enrich others but themselves. They enrich the salon community through communication and stories. These women have their own ideas to share, and are very opinionated women. They share their opinions and ideas through story narrative, which helps express their characters. Some people might not think that a nail salon is a community, but it is diverse, rich, and abundant in this idea of community. All the ladies have their own opinions, ideas, and stories to share with one another. A lady might not come into the salon wanting to talk, but then she gets pulled into debating her ideas on the upcoming elections or other hot topics. Ideas such as supporting Obama in his ventures to the presidency. The older women talk about the younger generation and how life has changed. Just as the older women get the more conservative nail colors with a simple French white line, the younger ladies get bright colors with bursts of designs. The younger ladies talk about the drama in their upbeat lives, revolving around their boyfriends, their best friends, and the latest gossip.
A seemingly shy girl named Krystal was sitting next to me while I got my pedicure done and we began an interesting conversation. The conversation started from the news coverage about the singer's dead family members. We agreed how sad the event was, but then she told me about her own sibling. Krystal's older sister is not the nicest person. She always argues with Krystal and always wins the arguments. Krystal began to cry because she feels that she could not get along with her and because her voice was never heard. But I was listening to her voice, and what she said to me was important at the moment. I see could the emotional side of the young lady and I could see that this was a real issue for her. The nail salon is not just a nail salon. It brings you out of your self character so you can be the teller, the receiver, or just a simple customer trying to get your nails done. The nail salon morphs these women into different positions within this community. They can be the one telling the story or they can be the one listening to all the stories in the salon. I am the receiver. The simple customer is just unplugged from the nail salon and is totally engulfed in their personal affairs or drowning out this community through their music. The beauty of the nail shop lies behind the people and the experience that they make of it or do not. They create their own sense of a community.
The nail salon is a type of sociable community in which everyone is open to sharing and receiving personal information. Basically, the ladies are sharing their business. Women love to talk about their lives, beliefs, and children. A lot of hot topics that came up were about the elections, Jennifer Hudson's tragic family misfortune, men, how somebody’s children are doing, and what's on their agenda. These topics shed more light into the minds of the women. Jennifer Hudson and Krystal reflect how regular women react to events. Hudson is a famous icon and all the women reacted in the same tone but had different reactions. The community spoke as a whole. Krystal's story showed a personal story and it showed that these women have their own personal stories and real life situations. Although the community is a whole, the individuals have their own defining moments and stories. These women are separate but they make up the whole. This idea parallels to the idea of a community.
The customers noted that the nail salon holds greater meaning than just an ordinary space to get their nails done. It is an outlet where they can relieve their stress and just relax. They can talk freely and openly with one another. They can build friendships and many of them have built close friendships with Joy. Although the women view the salon as having deeper meaning, they do not view it was a defining community. They assimilate the idea of a community more with neighborhoods and local areas. They feel the salon does not function as a community because of the term ‘community’. When they hear that word they connect it with the dictionary definition of the word and automatically tag it onto neighborhoods.
These women are coming together around communal problems while they are sitting, chatting, and getting their nails done. They pass news through oral networks and use their prior knowledge and that of the current events in order to communicate with one another. This shows that their interactions are more than social, and their incessant need for this contact with each other dates back to their personal history and life story. The women have this need to share stories because of their history from their black ancestors, in which they all communicated with one another. Back in the slavery days, black people had everything taken away from them, but what they still had was their ability to share their knowledge and stories. Telling stories was their form of independence. So as women pass on their stories in this social community, they got this need from the past.
This social setting is not just a space to these ladies, but is a place where they collectively share interests and ideas for small moments out of their day. This place helps them navigate through the world of national politics and their own local community. These women also use this place to help them navigate through their local Flatbush community. It can help them function in the Flatbush community and allow them to better citizens. The customers noted that if they see someone from the nail salon, they do say hello to one another. The nail salon community spills out into the Flatbush community. It builds this sense of community outside the walls of the salon. The women are more enriched with knowledge that they get from the salon, and they can use that to conduct themselves differently in Flatbush. They can build friendships and network with one another, and take those relationships outside of the salon into the existing community. It is their escape zone, where they can leave the salon feeling like a new person and be bale to function better in their regular lives. The nail salon is adding its own history to the Junction because years from now people will know that there was a salon on that block where women exchanged nail colors and stories. The nail salon might look like an ordinary space but it provides a framework for understanding what these women think, how they act, and how they develop their attitudes toward society.
Party * Termaine Garden
Termaine Garden
Professor Mutnick
English 173
November 29, 2008
The party atmosphere is a product of hard work, time and effort. Party planning is a process that most times starts several months before the actual date of the party. A successful party can not be planned overnight. This is because various aspects have to be addressed. These issues include things such as the venue, age requirements, dj’s, among other things. The party scene is a diverse scene. It does not discriminate based on race, religion, creed or genre of music. Who doesn’t like a good party?
It is a process that requires time. You have to find a club at which throw your party at. The club has to be big enough as well safe enough to throw your party. In case because if an unforeseen event such as a fire, fight, or other situation arises. You, the party promoter or planner, could be held financially liable in a court of law. For example, early in his highly successfully career, Sean Combs was a party promoter. A fight broke out at his party and injuries were sustained by several party goers. He was found financially liable. Parties sometimes have altercations that lead to fights. In this case you have to stay away from one way in and one way out clubs. This is because as a party promoter, you have to ensure the safely of the party goers. One would think the club owner would be held responsible, but in many cases if somebody gets hurts. The party promoter would be held liable. Therefore it is in their best interest to have insure.
The sound and lighting system plays a major role in a party. The sound system has to be strong, loud, and clear to help feel party goers the vibe of the party. If you can not hear the music clearly, that means that you can not vibe to it. The lighting has to be right. The lights can not be on. This is because you have to flow in the dark. The imagery of the music and lights contributes to the inviting element of the party. It helps make the mood mellow.
Many young people like to party because it gives them a chance to meet new,exciting, and different people. It allows them to showcase themselves in fashion and style. At most parties today, it allows them to take memorable photos at no charge. With the pictures aspect, all you have to do is go to their website and copy the picture. Young people like to party to have fun and release stress. However, this is only a phase. Eventually, you come of age and grow up. You can not be a party person for your whole life. The primarily age of party goers tend to be in the 18 to 24 years old range.
The process of renting out a club for five hours costs from $2000 to as much as $3500 in New York City. In most cases, the party promoter has to make the bar guarantee. Most times that you go to parties, you will hear the DJ will continuously say “Support the Bar.” Alcohol helps to set the mood in a party. Party goers tend to relax more and let it flow. However, this comes at a risk. If party goers become too drunk and reckless. They will tend to put other party goers at risk. Their actions may result in fights. Fights are never a good thing. Fights do happen at parties, it is part of the risk of going to a party. Young people are told many times by the DJ to act “Grown and Sexy.”
The DJ plays the most vital role at the actual party. He must be able to get party goers stay on their feet dancing, while keeping the dance floor full. The DJ controls the party atmosphere. It can be whether he starts playing a slow dance song or fast vibrant dance song. He is master of ceremony. The DJ has to be able to feel the crowd in order to know what he is dealing with. It is easier today being a DJ, we use laptops now rather than compact discs. Technology has helped advance the life of a DJ.
The promotion of the party is essential to the parties’ success. Today, there are various ways to do so. Through flyers, my space, face book, the internet, the newspaper, text messages, emails and radio. You are able to be reached today. It requires time to reach the target audience. Party promotion is very stressful. It is not a career, more of a hobby. There is no real money in party promotion. It is just more for like an activity if anything.
Parties are meant to be fun but there are no guarantees. Nothing is certain in life. Parties are a form of entertainment. I go to parties quite often and I observe things. People tend to party more when they are younger in age, I very rarely see an older person in a club. Older people tend to go to bars and lounges. The younger crowds are more rowdy and the older crowds are more laid back. I hope one day that life can be a party, but its safe to say only in a dream world.
The party community constitute as community because it brings all types of people together in one spot. People are busy nowadays, you hardly ever see them. So when you party it kind of a way brings people together. Our parties we dj tend to be the same crowd. That crowd which is southeast queens as well as we have a large fan base in St. John’s University. It is the reality of it.
Many people are not party people. This is because of various reasons such as not being their style, expenses, and responsibilities at home just to name several. So the few people that party is the same people you tend to see regularly. It is the fact of the matter. Partying is not for everyone. I feel that there comes a certain age in life, when you have to stop partying. It is a depressing to me to see a 50 year old person in club, partying among young adults. At a certain age in life, you should be established in life. Partying to me a phase
The party community is for the most part is an young adult crowd. Don’t get me wrong there are clubs for older people. The age requirements for entry are sometimes 23 and or 25 years or older. However, their clubs tend to be calmer, more controlled and less crowded. It is more of a laid back environment.
I can tell by looking at party, I recently went to. That most women go to parties to escape their realities, and most guys go to parties to meet women. It is what it is. The party scene is slowly steady scene right now. I feel this is because of the state of the economy. Many people
have to decide whether to go to this party or not be able to buy a metro card for the week. The economy has certainly hurt the party scene as it has hurt. Clubs are less crowded.
The party community main characteristic is that it a loose and free one. It is very easy to trace the history of partying. It goes without question. Partying is used as a form relaxation, celebration, releasing of stress to name some. Partying has no social structures or economic status. It helps to build and or create new relationships. Party goers sometimes reconnect with people they went to school with, old friends they lose touch with, and people they had a falling out with.
Other dj’s, promoters, and party goers that I posed the question how do they view the scene have said similar things. Dj’s, party goers and promoters know that this lifestyle is temporarily phase. This is not a career at no extent. Of course, a rarity occurs and somebody makes it big. The money is ok, but you cant live off it. Sometimes with stress involved with a party. I question is it really worth it.
The party scene tells me about youth culture is that it is a coming of age. They have a care free world view at times. I can honestly say the things I did 6 years ago, when I was 18. I wouldn’t do know. You have to live to learn. My advice to any young person who likes to party. You don’t have to pop bottles at any and every party you go to. Because the four hours at most you are at that party, you do not have to impress anybody.
The party scene has taught me about life. I had my things broken, lost money, clothes ruined and have been pepper sprayed. I have said once I turn 25 which is in a matter of months. I’m focusing on other things in my life. I have learned valuable lessons through the partying community. It has helped me grow as an individual.
Professor Mutnick
English 173
November 29, 2008
The party atmosphere is a product of hard work, time and effort. Party planning is a process that most times starts several months before the actual date of the party. A successful party can not be planned overnight. This is because various aspects have to be addressed. These issues include things such as the venue, age requirements, dj’s, among other things. The party scene is a diverse scene. It does not discriminate based on race, religion, creed or genre of music. Who doesn’t like a good party?
It is a process that requires time. You have to find a club at which throw your party at. The club has to be big enough as well safe enough to throw your party. In case because if an unforeseen event such as a fire, fight, or other situation arises. You, the party promoter or planner, could be held financially liable in a court of law. For example, early in his highly successfully career, Sean Combs was a party promoter. A fight broke out at his party and injuries were sustained by several party goers. He was found financially liable. Parties sometimes have altercations that lead to fights. In this case you have to stay away from one way in and one way out clubs. This is because as a party promoter, you have to ensure the safely of the party goers. One would think the club owner would be held responsible, but in many cases if somebody gets hurts. The party promoter would be held liable. Therefore it is in their best interest to have insure.
The sound and lighting system plays a major role in a party. The sound system has to be strong, loud, and clear to help feel party goers the vibe of the party. If you can not hear the music clearly, that means that you can not vibe to it. The lighting has to be right. The lights can not be on. This is because you have to flow in the dark. The imagery of the music and lights contributes to the inviting element of the party. It helps make the mood mellow.
Many young people like to party because it gives them a chance to meet new,exciting, and different people. It allows them to showcase themselves in fashion and style. At most parties today, it allows them to take memorable photos at no charge. With the pictures aspect, all you have to do is go to their website and copy the picture. Young people like to party to have fun and release stress. However, this is only a phase. Eventually, you come of age and grow up. You can not be a party person for your whole life. The primarily age of party goers tend to be in the 18 to 24 years old range.
The process of renting out a club for five hours costs from $2000 to as much as $3500 in New York City. In most cases, the party promoter has to make the bar guarantee. Most times that you go to parties, you will hear the DJ will continuously say “Support the Bar.” Alcohol helps to set the mood in a party. Party goers tend to relax more and let it flow. However, this comes at a risk. If party goers become too drunk and reckless. They will tend to put other party goers at risk. Their actions may result in fights. Fights are never a good thing. Fights do happen at parties, it is part of the risk of going to a party. Young people are told many times by the DJ to act “Grown and Sexy.”
The DJ plays the most vital role at the actual party. He must be able to get party goers stay on their feet dancing, while keeping the dance floor full. The DJ controls the party atmosphere. It can be whether he starts playing a slow dance song or fast vibrant dance song. He is master of ceremony. The DJ has to be able to feel the crowd in order to know what he is dealing with. It is easier today being a DJ, we use laptops now rather than compact discs. Technology has helped advance the life of a DJ.
The promotion of the party is essential to the parties’ success. Today, there are various ways to do so. Through flyers, my space, face book, the internet, the newspaper, text messages, emails and radio. You are able to be reached today. It requires time to reach the target audience. Party promotion is very stressful. It is not a career, more of a hobby. There is no real money in party promotion. It is just more for like an activity if anything.
Parties are meant to be fun but there are no guarantees. Nothing is certain in life. Parties are a form of entertainment. I go to parties quite often and I observe things. People tend to party more when they are younger in age, I very rarely see an older person in a club. Older people tend to go to bars and lounges. The younger crowds are more rowdy and the older crowds are more laid back. I hope one day that life can be a party, but its safe to say only in a dream world.
The party community constitute as community because it brings all types of people together in one spot. People are busy nowadays, you hardly ever see them. So when you party it kind of a way brings people together. Our parties we dj tend to be the same crowd. That crowd which is southeast queens as well as we have a large fan base in St. John’s University. It is the reality of it.
Many people are not party people. This is because of various reasons such as not being their style, expenses, and responsibilities at home just to name several. So the few people that party is the same people you tend to see regularly. It is the fact of the matter. Partying is not for everyone. I feel that there comes a certain age in life, when you have to stop partying. It is a depressing to me to see a 50 year old person in club, partying among young adults. At a certain age in life, you should be established in life. Partying to me a phase
The party community is for the most part is an young adult crowd. Don’t get me wrong there are clubs for older people. The age requirements for entry are sometimes 23 and or 25 years or older. However, their clubs tend to be calmer, more controlled and less crowded. It is more of a laid back environment.
I can tell by looking at party, I recently went to. That most women go to parties to escape their realities, and most guys go to parties to meet women. It is what it is. The party scene is slowly steady scene right now. I feel this is because of the state of the economy. Many people
have to decide whether to go to this party or not be able to buy a metro card for the week. The economy has certainly hurt the party scene as it has hurt. Clubs are less crowded.
The party community main characteristic is that it a loose and free one. It is very easy to trace the history of partying. It goes without question. Partying is used as a form relaxation, celebration, releasing of stress to name some. Partying has no social structures or economic status. It helps to build and or create new relationships. Party goers sometimes reconnect with people they went to school with, old friends they lose touch with, and people they had a falling out with.
Other dj’s, promoters, and party goers that I posed the question how do they view the scene have said similar things. Dj’s, party goers and promoters know that this lifestyle is temporarily phase. This is not a career at no extent. Of course, a rarity occurs and somebody makes it big. The money is ok, but you cant live off it. Sometimes with stress involved with a party. I question is it really worth it.
The party scene tells me about youth culture is that it is a coming of age. They have a care free world view at times. I can honestly say the things I did 6 years ago, when I was 18. I wouldn’t do know. You have to live to learn. My advice to any young person who likes to party. You don’t have to pop bottles at any and every party you go to. Because the four hours at most you are at that party, you do not have to impress anybody.
The party scene has taught me about life. I had my things broken, lost money, clothes ruined and have been pepper sprayed. I have said once I turn 25 which is in a matter of months. I’m focusing on other things in my life. I have learned valuable lessons through the partying community. It has helped me grow as an individual.
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