New Paltz 101

Now that our time here in New Paltz is running out (10 days remaining as I am writing this) I thought I would share some personal favourites from my time here! Some tips for future IIB:ers

  • Brunch at Hasbrouck: A must for Saturdays or Sundays when you’re here, if you don’t have any of your 5 meals a week left then you can also pay with Dining dollars. There’s pancakes, bacon, bagels, fruit, granola, sausage and you can even make your own omelette.
  • Moxie Cup: Got this tip from Martha and it is a truly cosy and nice place. Coffee, cupcakes and some other selections.
  • The Diner: Jeff took us here on our first night and after that we went back a few times. Really good food, lots of different options and nice staff. The also accept Hawk dollars!
  • McGillicuddys: Everybody I’ve met in New Paltz might not agree but I had a lot of fun there and there’s always a lot of people on the weekends. If you want to dance, have a good time and meet new people then this is the place!
  • The library: If you need to go somewhere to really focus, it’s a good place. Open spaces, newly remade and usually quiet and calm.
  • New Starbucks: While we were living here they opened a new Starbucks on Campus, really close to the library. Great tip if you like me haven’t spent all your dining dollars (which they accept) towards the end.
  • The Cinema: Went this Friday with Teresa and Paula to see “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” (which I recommend). Close to the motel where we are staying, cheap (don’t forget to mention you’re a student) and a good thing to do when you’re bored!
  • The gas station: Right by the motel there’s a gas station, which I only mention because it’s open all night. Nothing wrong with it otherwise but when you’re on your way home from example McGillicuddy’s; it’s pretty nice to buy some chips or something. McDonald’s and Burger King won’t be open so this is your chance for some night snacks!

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Anyone else got any tips to add to the list?

Lots of love!

Emilia

My New York Bucketlist

Before I came here to New Paltz I did not have any expectations about the program, the town or the campus. Since I have had friends who did this program a year ago I have heard some information, but mostly, that information was about the internship and the time on Manhattan. Okay, now I lied a little bit. I thought the life here in New Paltz would be a little bit more college-like. Like the ones you have seen on the movies, but a little bit less hectic. Besides that, I did not have any expectations which have been really nice since you not get disappointed if something does not go the way you want to.

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Now, we have been here for five weeks and the time passes by so quickly. Because of that, and because of low expectations, I have done a New York Bucketlist! For those who do not know what a bucket list is, it is list of activities someone wants to do before he or she dies, in my case before I leave the states. So here we go:

  • Go to a Collage party – Since it is my first time at a real American college you need (read NEED) go to a real College party. We have tried to get to know some American students, but unfortunately with no further success. So we will see if we can make it in the three weeks we have left in New Paltz.
  • Fly helicopter over Manhattan – It was actually my friend who introduced this adventure to me because she did it the last time she was in New York. She told me that it was amazing and if you have the money and time you should definitely do it! So now I have been saving money to see Manhattan from above!
  • Go to Boston – A journey to Boston have I dreamt of before I even came to the U.S. Everybody keep telling me what a beautiful city Boston is and because of how relatively close it is to New York, this really is a must-do. We have actually booked a trip to Boston and we leave October 8th! So this “bucket” will actually be fulfilled.
  • Watch a Ranger’s game – Henrik Lundqvist is my idol and have been since I was a child so that would be so cool and watch him play in Madison Square Garden.
  • Eat a real, typical American brunch – I have not looked up any restaurants yet but something I do know is that I want to have one real, typical and big American brunch with egg, bacon, bagels, pancakes and avocado sandwiches! And a really good smoothie and fresh fruits.
  • Watch a Knicks game – I am a basketball player so this would be so cool! I saw a game in Chicago, Bulls vs Charlotte Bobcats, when I was 15 and that was amazing. But I think it is different now when you have been living in the city and be able to watch the game in Madison Square Garden.
  • Watch a late night show – If I could cheat a little bit, I actually put this “bucket” on the list when we got the tickets to the Jimmy Fallon show. I had not thought about it before Emilia hatched the idea. The show is the 24th of October, WOW! That is going to be so much fun!
  • Have drinks on a rooftop bar – This “bucket” I think will be completed first, after the Boston trip. I know that we all have been longing for a night in Manhattan on a really cool rooftop bar. It should preferably be with a glas of white wine in my hand when the sun is setting.

I will follow up with this post at the end of our New York adventure to see what “buckets” I have done. Do you think I will check all of them?

Workouts at Campus

Hi again!

When we had our orientation day at Campus we were told that we have free access to the gym and workout classes at the Athletic Center. I had been thinking a lot about the workout possibilities before we left, so the information was a happy surprise. Before the end of the first week we had already explored the gym and attended two of the cardio classes. It’s such a luxury to have an athletic center with classes and a fully equipped gym at
Campus. We definitely don’t have that in Sweden. Actually, almost everything about campus is different to Sweden. We don’t have dining halls, or as many cafés or restaurants as they have here. We basically have the University, the lecture halls and a couple of cafés/coffee shops and restaurants, the rest is located around town, like anywhere else.

However, back to the excitement regarding the exercise possibilities! So far my favorites have been the Zumba and the Hip hop Cardio classes. Both of them combine dancing and cardio and it’s great way to exercise and have lots of fun at the same time! The first couple of times the classes were so full that we couldn’t see ourselves in the mirrors because of the condensation… It was crazy hot and humid because they don’t have any air-condition (!) only one overworked fen in a corner of the room. Needless to say we have been dripping with sweat every class because of the heat (as you can tell from the pictures).

I would absolutely recommend future IIB-students to take advantage of the gym and the classes they offer. There’s two great and fully equipped gyms and a lot of fun classes, and I can guarantee that you won’t find a free gym (or the time) in NYC so take grab the chance while you have it!

Talk to you soon!

[polldaddy poll=9536243]

Taste of New Paltz 2016

14389845_10206794873583658_1353558867_nHi everyone!

This Sunday was the annual Ulster County Fair of “Taste of New Paltz”, so Barbara, Martha, Ruth and I went there to have some lunch and try local products and restaurants.

We had to take a cab to get there because it´s impossible to go by walking because they are repairing the bridge. We arrived after 10 minutes and it was a big open field place full of trees and stands with a lot of food, wine, beer and local products such as jewelry and clothes.

The place was really nice and a local band was playing so the music was really good and enjoyable, but the weather was hot and cloudy.

There w14407508_10206794871263600_1183850351_nas a lot of food options but we decided to eat tacos and meat, then we all went to a Mexican stand where we bought fresh water. Ruth and Baby ordered “jamaica” and I ordered “horchata”, but my water was different from the one I drink in Mexico, because this one had chopped nuts and cantaloupes but it was good.

14384110_10206794871423604_960733355_nWhen we finished eating we went to a photo booth  and they had a table with funny hats, mustaches, etc. The man who was in charge of it was really nice because the machine usually gives you 2 copies, but he printed out 4 copies so everyone can have their own.

Later we got back to town and we went to the Water Street Market, which is really nice. We took a lot of pictures and walked to the Bakery for a dessert and a frapuccino.

Thanks for reading!!

 

 

 

Third week at New Paltz

This is my first post, I can’t believe this is my third week here!! getting to know New Paltz  was actually better than I imagine, I was pretty amazed that there’s plenty of trees and pines all over here and houses are very beautiful and antique, everything seems like a movie (really)!!

This semester we are only ten students and it is the first time that we are only girls!! We are still getting to know each other and also getting used to the campus which is actually huuuge and beautiful!!

Talking about the courses they are really interesting and helpful for us because there are things that we will be using for the internship like in a month and a half, and this courses are about public relations, business communication, internship practice and two more that are the ones each of us choose about our interesting. The students and teachers are really nice and they help us in every way they can. 

Right now we are getting prepared for the internships which is something really exciting for us but also nervous to get there, I know that everyone will get something good and what’s best for them, but for now we need to get prepared and don’t stop working to get it!!!

 

New Paltz – Better than expected

img_1762I was thinking that everyone were going to write about the weekend in New York City, so I thought I would write about something else, about our first weeks. Now we almost have been here for four weeks, and I enjoy every minute of it. Even though I haven’t had the time to really think of everything we do, because the time passes by so quickly, one thing I noticed from the beginning is that everyone are so nice and helpful. These almost four weeks in New Paltz have been amazing, much better than I expected. It is a very small town and a lot of homework but I am having a really good time and I think it is because people are so nice.
Since I have travelled half the world, to a country with a culture verydifferent from the culture back in Sweden, I knew there were going to be some differences in the everyday life. Here is three main differences in everyday life that I have noticed:

  • If you are crossing the street, if there is no pedestrian crossing, all the cars stop. In Sweden, the cars would have gone around you, honk the horn and look at you very angry.
  • All of the public toilets are wide open from the floor to your knees (almost), you can even see your neighbor’s shoes. At this point I do think that maybe I am to Swedish, who wants my privacy and all that. In Sweden often the public toilets are closed toilets with real doors. If we have openimg_1764 stalls, they are open down by the floor with a height of maybe 5 centimeters.
  • The portions are made for three persons. I know that it is very common here that you can bring the food home in a doggy bag, but still there must be so much food going to waste. But on the other hand you really get what you are paying for, which is a plus!

Today everyone signed up for the ziplining, which is a trip that the university arrange to the students where you go up in the mountains and ride a zipline back to the ground. I am so excited and I know we are going to have so much fun. Talk to you later!

A little update of life in New Paltz

Hello people! 

Yet another week has passed, and now it’ only three weeks and three days until the big move to the big city. We have also experienced two birthdays so far, one on Saturday (Gaby’s) and the other one’s (Dina’s) today. So, happy birthday to the most awesome mexican girls I’ve ever met! Life is a (laughing) party with those two around you. I’m not going to talk about their birthdays, I’ll leave that up to them to share.

There are some other different things I want to share with you, though. First, let’s discuss how nice people are here. Everywhere you go, some people calls you Honey, Sweetie or Darling. And you don’t even know them! For a Swede, where people are known to be quite reserved and private, this is a fascinating phenomenon. Does a greeting with “honey” mean that they like you? Or are they just polite? Friendly? Or is it just an everyday-kind-of word that is being used with no particular meaning? If a native American read this, please give me an answer, either answering my poll or comment, so I don’t call someone (oh let’s say my supervisor) Darling if it’s not really appropriate.

[polldaddy poll=9314198]

Another thing. We’ve met the most amazing man in Hasbrouck. He makes food, but always chat with us, gives us tips about the area and on Friday, he even gave me and Fanny strawberries with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Oh. Dear. Lord. Tasted like home. In Sweden, we usually do this during the summer, and it’s one of my favorite desserts. Sorry for always writing about food, but this is also to show how nice people that you meet can be.

IMG_9843 A plate of heaven

Furthermore, we’ve had the first real snow (that actually stayed on the ground). In two hours the ground was filled with snow. Beautiful. No wind, just snow. The morning after, it was however gone, and the streets were filled with water instead. IMG_9880

On Sunday, I decided to walk up to school since I had to stop by the library to watch a video for class. Walking in -15 degrees (about 5 Fahrenheit?) was not a problem, since there was no wind and the sun was shining. When you are Swedish, cold weather doesn’t stop you from going out, and in Sweden we have an expression: There aren’t any bad weather, only bad clothing. So I did actually sweat when walking to school, since I’d prepare myself for the worst.

IMG_9860Pernilla-cold: 1-0.

Well, that’s about it for today. Lastly, a picture of our campus: this is where we hang out every day.

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/Pernilla, can’t wait for spring to arrive!

A New Paltz weekend

So we have now been in New Paltz for three weeks. This weekend the Mexican’s went to Chicago leaving me, Fanny and Pernilla to a weekend alone in New Paltz. Yesterday we went to our first house party. We started the evening by having dinner at Bacchus in town and had a few drinks before going to a house party further down the street. It was a small basement and not as big as I has imagined but it was fun!

 

Pernilla and I often talk about us being older than the others and how we like our early nights and a nice glass of wine in front of the TV but yesterday we were out til 04.30 which is a new record for us since coming here 🙂

Fanny & Pernilla at Bacchus

Fanny & Pernilla at Bacchus

That is all for me right now but we’ll see what next week will bring!

 

Camilla

A week in New Paltz.

Three weeks have already passed here in New Paltz. We are only seven students this semester so we’ve become like a family quite quickly (Camilla and I are the grandmothers).

Time flies when you’re having fun. And intense. So, what have we been up to this week? Well, school is taking up a lot of our time. I’m taking international business and international marketing, then we have PR, business communication and internship practicum all together.

So far, my favorite place is the library. I keep finding excuses just to go there and enjoy the view of the mountains. Let’s not forget about the comfortable chairs. And the nice staff. Of course, it’s also a very good place to study, if you have enough discipline and don’t get distracted by the amazing view. Lunch is usually eaten at Hasbrouck but Fanny and I order sushi at the Student Union building every time we feel like spending some money (so called dining dollars). It is yu-hummi. Or as Fanny would say: Awesomely awesome.

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Yesterday, half of the “family” went to Chicago. (We miss you, already!) so Camilla, Fanny, and I went to have dinner at Bacchus. To those of you who have not been to New Paltz – Bacchus is a restaurant that probably has about 200 different beers, Mexican food, darts, pool and ping pong tables. Don’t worry, I’m not going to share food pictures even though the food was delicious. I had shrimp and goat cheese quesadillas – yum!  After dinner, the three of us played pool and I noticed something. All of a sudden, Fanny started showing off her skills… Turns out that Fanny is a pool professional! Well, maybe not a professional one, but she won every. Single. Time. So for next time, remind me to be in the same team as Fanny!

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Fanny in action

Have a great Saturday night!

Pernilla

 

 

To be able to try your desired super power

Imagine having a super power like being invisible, be able to breath underneath water or flying high over the ground – it would have been amazing but of course, it’s not realistic. Even thought it isn’t realistic, there’re different activities you can do in order to try how it would have felt to actually have a super power. You can hide yourself, go diving with tubes or go zip lining at the second largest zip lining in the world, which some of us did this Saturday.

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It was a beautiful morning the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the temperature was perfect. As we were walking towards school and our starting point of the day, we were talking about or expectations of the day. Everyone was happy and thrilled for the happening of the day – the zip lining. When we arrived at school a bus picked up us and drove us to Hunter Mountain were the zip lining was located. During the bus ride, the radio was on and several upbeat songs were echoing in the speakers and we sang along. After one-hour drive, we arrived at Hunter Mountain. It appeared to be a skiing area were you can go skiing during the winter season and during the summer season, there’re different activities to try out and zip lining is one of them. We went out of the bus and walked up to the office of zip lining. At the location, we got divided up in two teams and we were the seconded team to go off.

 
12053158_10156105664335554_1274251967_n At 1 p.m. we went to the top of the mountain with a regular ski lift with all our equipment like helmets and harnesses thrilled to begin our journey of zip lining down the mountain, but what we didn’t know was that the zip lining was the second longest and highest zip lining in the world and we had no clue of what to expect. When we arrived the top of the mountain we saw the first line. It was the highest of all of the five lines we were going to zip away from. We all got scared. After having a safety review we were ready for take off. We got divvied in pairs and created a queue. Johanna and me were the fourth pair to take off and by watching the others zip away we got more and more terrified. When it were our turn, the guide called us up and counted down from 3 to 1 and when he said 1 we zipped away and it was the most amazing experience in my life. We flew over the trees in our cannonball positions that we were taught to do and the speed increased as further we went – it was an incredible feeling. When we arrived our first platform, I just kept thinking, “I’m so happy that we have four more to go!”.

Later on, we zipped away four more times and walked over a suspension bridge. Everyone was filled with happiness and excitement during the whole day and no one of us could stop smiling. Of all things I have every done in my life this was the most excitement moment! To be able to try my wanted super power – flying – was an experience I’ll never forget and if I could, I would have gone zip lining every single day. It was amazing! So if you have a wish to try your super power – do it. It feels like you’re having the super power and that feeling is wonderful!