New York City

Hey guys! So, yesterday we went to New York City. The plan was to go ice skating in Central Park, then visit the Rockefeller Center, catch some tango music at a cafe, eat dinner, catch some MPB (Brazilian pop music), and then go home. There were twelve of us total: my aunt and uncle, parents, brother, two cousins, my cousins' aunt and uncle and two cousins, and me.

Pretty much nothing went as planned, for better or for worse.

First, we got to the city and found parking, but when we got to the ice skating rink at Central Park the line was really long, so we decided to skip that and head to the Rockefeller Center to hang out and see if the rink was better there. So we walked through part of Central Park, grabbed some giant pretzels (SO good!) and headed towards the Rockefeller Center. On te way we got sidetracked by a bunch of guys doing tricks on the street. We kept going, but then we realized that if we wanted to make the tango performance we would have to leave before visiting the Rockefeller Center, so we got on the subway and headed to the cafe. But when we got there something had gone wrong with our reservations. So basically everything we had planned so far hadn't worked out! We did get free snacks and drinks though, on the house, and we had dinner right after.

After dinner we were planning on going to the MPB performance at Zinc Bar, which was a jazz club, but my brother, cousins, and uncle wanted to go home. At first my youngest cousin was going to stay but my dad bribed her with his iPad and she immediately decided to go home! By now there were only 8 of us left and we headed for the jazz club. The music was really good, so we decided after the first set (which was about an hour) to stay for the next set. Now there were four of us: my parents, aunt, and me. It was really fun, and the band was really good. After the end of the second set it was 12:30 AM, but I wanted to stay for the next one so we did. They had an electric bass, electric guitar, saxophone, flute, drums, and vocalist. For those of you who have never listened to MPB, I highly recommend it. By the end of the performance it was 2 in the morning! We didn't get home until 3:30 AM but it was the most fun I've  had in a long time.   

And that is how, at 12 years old, I got to go clubbing with my parents in New York City until 3:30 in the morning.

Panorama of Columbus Circle

New York City (Manhattan)

The Jazz club where we listened to the MPB band.

I miss all you guys! 

Becoming a kid again

A few years ago my father, brother, cousin Giulia and I built a fort in the woods outside my grandmother's house. The woods are owned by Colombia University and are pretty much open for anyone to do whatever they want in. They were also the woods that my father and his two older brothers grew up in, and he has endless stories about his own forts, games, and battles there.

So today was spent going back to our fort. It started with a little fort four years ago, which is extremely small but which has survived all these years (including a hurricane) and is insulated enough to keep out snow. Recently we started working on a second, much larger fort, which will connect to the old one and use it as an entrance tunnel. It's an ongoing project that my cousins, brother, dad and I enjoy every winter when we visit my grandmother. 

There's also the stories we tell. The vines hanging from the trees in the woods are the guts of an ancient slayed dragon. The mess of thorns is the house of the ogre. The giant ditch in front of our fort is the dragon's nest, the stones inside eggs. There are more stories than that, many more, but those are just a few examples. And, most importantly, the piles of deer droppings are really dwarf droppings, giving the woods their name, Bosque di Nani, which is Dwarves Woods in Italian. 

The Bosque di Nani and its adventures and stories are important to me for one reason: they keep me a kid. Building forts, or making up stuff about dragons and ogres and dwarves with my cousins, that allows me to still enjoy myself and be a little kid. It's really fun, and I get to hang out with my family. So, what makes you guys become kids again? 

Above: Our trip through the Bosque di Nani.

Above: Our fort. As you can see the larger part is unfinished and not connected to the smaller, older part, but the roof of the larger part works. 

This stone wall is part of the remains of Skunk Hollow, a town from the1800s that was the first all-black town in New York. My uncle did a lot of research on it when he was a kid and discovered that these ruins were what was left of Skunk Hollow. 

Above: The inside of the larger part of the fort, which is unfinished. 

My little cousin Ella sitting on a rock and pouting because we didn't want to play "family" with her. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, guys! And a belated happy Hanukkah! Hope you're enjoying the holidays!!! Just so you know, I got an iPod Touch for Christmas so if you have Face Time or iMessage I can use that now to contact you! 

The adventure begins!!!

So, today officially marked the beginning of our 7 month adventure abroad! We spent all weekend packing up our entire house, packing bags, and making arrangements. Then, this morning we woke up at 5 AM to get to the airport! It was pretty crazy, and I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that it would be the last time I saw my house in 7 months. Anyway, we went to the airport, ate really, REALLY expensive Peet's for breakfast (I hate the price of airport food) and then boarded the plane. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of those planes with individual TV screens with free movies, but it didn't really matter because we slept for much of the 6-hour plane ride. When we arrived in JFK, one of New York City's three airports, we had to wait for about half an hour to get our bags from the baggage claim. Then when we went outside the taxi driver that my grandmother ordered couldn't find us! It was pretty annoying because he kept calling my mom and saying, "I can see you, I'm in a black car, blah blah blah," but he didn't mention the fact he could see us because he was 10 feet away. Why he didn't just call out and say, "Here I am!" I do not know. Unfortunately, there was a TON of traffic so it took us 2 hours to get to my Grandma's house even though it usually takes only 45 minutes! I did learn a lot about New York City, though, because me and my mom were the only ones awake and she lived in NYC about 15 years ago. Anyway, we FINALLY got home and got to see everybody. I have included photos of a lot of my family, although not all. I'm really excited because tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Hope you guys all enjoy your holidays! (Christmas is the day after tomorrow and tomorrow is the last day of Hannukkah). 

Here is my grandma! She is very crazy and awesome and loves to tell stories. 

(From left to right) Here is my aunt, uncle, and cousins. My Auntie Jeanne, Uncle Koji, cousin Lena and cousin Peter. Lena is 19 at Harvard and Peter is 22 working as an engineer in LA. They're the eldest grandchildren. 

(From left to right.) Here are my closest cousins! Ella, me, Giulia, and my brother Nicholas. Ella and Giulia are Italian and live in Milan. Both of them are the craziest little girls you've ever seen, especially Ella! They're also both really sweet and have the cutest Italian accents ever.

Happy holidays, everybody! 

Appreciations

Hi, guys! Cohort 7D, this is for you! I was looking through that jar you guys gave me and all the stuff you said was really sweet. This made me realize how few opportunities I've gotten to appreciate you guys. I mean, we have Appreciations and all, but I haven't gotten everybody in the class and sometimes I would wish I got someone because I was really thankful for them and I wanted to show them that. So, here is a list of EVERYONE in 7D, and the reasons why I appreciate you. Because you guys have  been amazing classmates and friends, and I want to make sure you know that. Stay awesome, guys!

(It's in alphabetical order so you don't have to read everybody's, just your own.)

Ariana: I know I haven't been able to get to know you very well, but I'm sorry that's true. I appreciate you because it seems like you are a very kind, loyal friend and a funny person, and I hope to get to know you better next year!  
Ava C: I appreciate you because you are such a great friend! You're funny, interesting, athletic, kind, and generally awesome. You really care about all your friends, which I'm sure a lot of other people appreciate as well as me. You also try really hard and don't give up, be it in sports, school, or anything else in life. See you next year!
Ava E: I appreciate you because you always have interesting stories to tell and you often make me laugh. When we worked in a group together we were always trying to get things done, but I wish I had more time to talk  and listen to your awesome stories!
Ms. Berkman: Thank you for being such an awesome teacher! I appreciate you because you really care about us and try your hardest to make the most of every experience for our class. You've also never given up on us--even though we've had hard days and we've had easy days, you always stuck with us and persevered. (Table 5's groupwork being a prominent example.) I'm sorry I won't be there for the rest of the year, and I'll really miss you!
Bryan: Wow. That is all I can say. I have seen you solve a Rubik's Cube in under a minute, and it is simply amazing. I know I don't get to talk to you that often, but I am duly impressed by your puzzle-solving abilities. You also seem to be a really kind person, and you've made me laugh on more than one occasion. I genuinely hope to get to know you better next year!
Caroline: I appreciate you because you're a really good friend! You are one of those people whose awesomeness is taken for granted. And then it's when you're not there that people realize how much they need you. You're sweet, loyal, funny, and kind, and I will really miss you. See you in 8th grade!
Chaptehr: I appreciate you because you are really funny. You always make me (and the rest of the class) laugh, ever since 6th grade. You're a great part of our community and I appreciate that you are important part of our class both because of your jokes and your mind. You also care about people a lot, a really great quality to have.
Claire: I appreciate you because you are such an AMAZING friend! You make me laugh, you know a lot, and you have hops and kick butt at frisbee. And, to top it all off, you can solve a Rubik's Cube really, really fast! I am really going to miss you. I said this to Sam, and I'll say it to you, too: when it's Sunday and I'm all sad because I have to go to school the next day, the only thing that makes me feel better is the thought of seeing my closest friends, and you are one of them. I am going to miss your jokes and your general awesomeness and I hope to keep in touch. Because you're an awesome friend/sister! :D
Damen: I appreciate you because you're HILARIOUS! You are really good at making me laugh, and I appreciate that because sometimes being able to laugh is exactly what I need. I hope to get to know you better next year!
Emma: Mia has a quote on her binder that says, "Quiet people have the loudest minds." This is you in a nutshell. You can be quiet sometimes, but you are also funny, interesting, and a good friend. And I have seen your doodles, and your mind is louder than anyone else I know! I love hanging out with you and I'll miss you while I'm away. Please send me pictures of your doodles, because they are SO AWESOME!
Hugo: I really enjoyed being in the same group as you during Humanities. It was always interesting and fun to talk to you and I really got to know you a lot better this year than I could last year. Thanks for making my life more interesting! I look forward to talking to you again when I get back.
Ismael: Wow. I have known you since 2nd grade. That is a pretty long time. I appreciate you for always being a really kind and funny person. Throughout the 5 years I've known you, you've always been really nice to everybody. Some people at elementary school would have completely ignored me at a new school. Not you. I really enjoy remembering Moscone with you (and sometimes Stacey) and it's great to know that there's someone at the Gateway who I can talk to as an old friend. See you in 8th grade!
Jesse: I appreciate you because I always enjoy hanging out with you. You're really hilarious and I'm glad I got to be your friend this year even though I didn't know you that well last year. Not only are you fun to hang out with, but you're also fun to work with--I really appreciated working with you on the volleyball article for Griffin Gazette. See you  next year, and I hope to keep in touch! And no, it didn't take me that long to open the note, but it did take me a long time to fold it up again! :)
Justin: I appreciate you because you're a really great artist and a kind person. I didn't get to know you that well this year but I have seen your AMAZING drawings before and I have never, ever heard anything negative about you. It's not very often that you come across a person who you can genuinely say has never said anything unkind. I hope to get to know you better in 8th grade!
Layne: I appreciate you because you have been a great group member and an awesome friend! Even when things were hard you persevered through it and never gave up on our group or on an individual. You tried SO hard, and in the end it paid off! You're also funny and have lots of great stories to tell. I really enjoyed sitting next to you and working with you over the course of the second quarter, and hope to continue being your friend while I'm away and when I come back!
Luca: I appreciate you because you are funny and cool to hang out with but also very smart and thoughtful when it comes to school. Sometimes you'll ask a question in class, or make a comment, and I'm really impressed because it's something I never would have thought of. You contribute a lot to both the friend and school environment, and I hope to get to know you better when I come back.
Mia: I appreciate you because you are a sweet and funny person. I remember thinking at the beginning of 6th grade that you were quiet, but over the past year and a half you have really opened up! I love spending time with you in the mornings before school  and I look forward to doing so again in 8th grade!
Ms. Peek and Mr. Nguyen: I appreciate you because you are such great teachers! I love how you often leave the class open for discussions that allow us to think about the topic. I can tell that you really care about us and our education. I learned a lot with you guys and I think the rest of the class has as well. I'll miss being in your class for the rest of the year!
Reece: Wow. What can I say? You are very, VERY funny. Even when I'm trying to stay on task and focus on my schoolwork, I have to stop and laugh at whatever silly thing you're doing or saying. You're also a great friend. And even though you like to tease me and tell me that I'm a slow runner and that I have to get you stuff from Belgium and you're replacing me on my trip to Europe, I can tell that you also really care. And I appreciate you for that. Stay awesome.
Rose: I appreciate you because you are really fun to talk to. You always have something interesting to say, and I always learn something new. Like your note in the jar--I didn't even know what an aye-aye was until I read that and then looked  it up! Anyway, I'll miss talking to you and hope to get to know you better when I come back!
Sam H: I appreciate you because you have been trying really hard to work well in our group. We've had some tough times but you've put a lot of effort into being respectful and kind, and it's really, REALLY paid off. You also know A LOT about math, and your skills have been really helpful in our group. Thank you for trying so hard to contribute to our group!
Sam Ng: I appreciate you because you are the BEST FRIEND EVER! You're really loyal, kind, funny, and awesome. I'll really miss your jokes, your laugh and even you telling me that I suck. Every day when I come to school I look forward to seeing a few people in particular and you are one of them. When it's Sunday and I think, oh man, I have to go to school tomorrow, I also think, yay, I get to see Sam tomorrow! You make every day worth it and I'll miss your friendship while I'm gone. Thanks for being a great sister, too! :D
Sofia: I know I didn't get to know you that well this year, but I really enjoyed the time that I did get to spend with you. You're funny and I loved hanging out in Spanish class! I hope to get to know you better next year.
William: I appreciate you because whenever I talk to you, I ALWAYS, 100% of the time, learn something new. Your knowledge is extremely extensive, particularly in history, and I always enjoy learning about whatever you happen to be reading about. Hopefully I'll be able to meet your knowledge of history after I come back from Europe!
Willie: I appreciate you because you've always been a great groupmate and friend. You've never said anything mean to anybody and even though groupwork could be tough for Table 5 you were always the most patient and calm person in the group, I really hope to get to know you better next year, because I think we all need someone as calm as you to help us go on with our hectic lives!
Yuki: I appreciate you because you try really hard. You're good with people, you're always cheery, you work hard in school, you're funny, and you're always really kind. We're lucky to have you! I hope to get to know you better next year. (And maybe you could show me how to make those paper cranes!)
Zachary: I appreciate you because you try really hard in school but you still like to have fun. I enjoyed working in a group with you because you tried hard but was still open to enjoying yourself, which is a great quality! Hope to get to know you better in 8th grade.

I won't always write this much, it's just that I had to appreciate 29 people! :)

First Post

Hi all,

This is the first post I have EVER DONE. Ever. On any blog. So please don't judge me if this is not the highest quality blog you have ever seen. I'm still working things out.

Anyway, if you're reading this you're probably one of my many friends and family members who wish to keep in touch while I'm away for the next 6 months. Or, you never know, maybe you're a complete stranger who somehow happened upon this blog despite it being far too personal for an outsider to be interested by or understand. That would actually be pretty interesting. Who knows, maybe I'll become a famous blogger. (Actually, there's no way that's going to happen, nobody's going to really care, but whatever.)

I guess I should explain the title. The idea is that my posts are like messages being sent to you guys back in San Francisco. Like blog posts becoming messages in bottles floating over the ocean to come back home. I'd like to take credit for that idea, but unfortunately I can't. My dad made it up. And no, it has nothing to do with A Bottle in the Gaza Sea.

Well, hopefully this will successfully allow me to keep in touch with you guys. Right now it doesn't really matter because I still have ONE WEEK her in San Francisco, but as of December 23 I will be all the way across the country, and as of January 13 I will be writing you from Milan, Italy, all the way across the Atlantic. Pretty crazy, right? So, see you guys soon, at least for now.