New Paltz: small town, big dreams

Walking in New Paltz main street

The IIB journey starts in New Paltz, a small village in Ulster County, NY, about one hour and a half to two hours to New York City. If you’re coming in the Spring term, I highly recommend you to bring a lot of warm clothes and jackets because it is really cold and snowy (about -12 to -4 celsius degrees everyday).

Here I will write the best recommendations for you while being in New Paltz…

Start before it starts

In New Paltz you will study for about two months, which is the easy part. The hardest part is to get an internship! You should really be prepared to work hard, manage stress, be flexible and sometimes let things go. Before coming to New Paltz, after you finish all the application process for the IIB program, I encourage you to start looking for several internship offers in Indeed, Linkedin and other job posting webpages so that you have different options to present to Jeff in your first weeks. Yes, you need to start working hard in the internship search from week 1, well even before coming.

Work hard

I need to tell you that things will not be easy, and even though you think you have a great curriculum and everybody will be willing to work with you, do not get too overconfident. In NYC a lot of networking and recommendations needs to be involved, that is why Jeff will be helping you all the way.
You will dream big in New Paltz, a lot of things will be passing trough your mind and you will be willing to get the best internship ever. Yes you can get it but you must work hard! Do a lot of internship offers search, apply to the ones you feel you are a good fit, always improve your résumé, create networking with professors and classmates, and never stop doing the best of your efforts.

Do not worry for things you can not control

This is my best recommendation I can give you. Always do your best, give everything that is in your hands to make things work, but there are a lot of thing out of your control and worrying about them only stresses you more.

Main Course

Enjoy the calm city

Go for a walk in the nature, go to the skii trips with other SUNY New Paltz Students, take your time, relax and get ready for the speed of the city. My favorite place in New Paltz is main course, it has amazing brunches, delicious salads and breathtaking desserts.

And of course… enjoy, take photos, write down your experiences and be happy!!!

Another exciting weekend @New Paltz!

And yet again, another week has gone by!! I can´t believe that in less than 3 weeks we will be working and living in New York City! This past weekend was also full of new adventures, and places to visit while you are at New Paltz.

It was Friday afternoon when the girls came up with the idea of going all together to the Cinema. Some of us had already signed up for the ISP Apple Picking trip whithumb_img_6637_1024ch was located near the campus in the afternoon and was really nice.

We were all going to wake up very early on Saturday so we thought this might be a great idea to hang out and don´t be so tired for next day. We went to the Apple Picking in the afternoon, and afterwards,Sully was playing anthumb_img_6649_1024d we decided to go and watch it. When I arrived I felt like I was in an 80´s movie theater as seen in movies. It was really different from the kind of cinemas we have in Mexico. We are used to big, and modern cinemas, where there are more than  10 movies playing and about 15 cinema theaters. Here at New Paltz there are only 4 or 5 movies and maybe just 4 cinema theaters. We arrived, bought our tickets, and of course popcorn and soda to watch the movie. Great experience!

 

 

 

7:00 am Saturday morning. Alarm went on. It´s hiking day! THE MOST AWESOME VIEW EVER!!!! The school took us to Mohonk Mountain were we met with the tour guides, and started hiking all the way up. We walked, ran, climbed on rocks, ate lunch in front of a beautiful lake, and everything was perfect. Could´t find a better way to end the outdoor wellness center activities. Really one should´t miss any of it! Register, register, register.

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To finish up the weekend, let´s go shopping! We found out that there were huge outlet stores about 45min ride from New Paltz, so we decided to rent a car and go there. It´s called Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets.Why did we rent a car? We looked up for all the optionsthumb_img_6769_1024 to get there and the cheapest one was by car. We arrived and it was so big, that we thought we would´t finish looking, but we did. It is an easy way to go and buy some things before moving to the big city!

 

 

 

 

Wandering around New Paltz.

It´s been 4 weeks now. It feels like yesterday I was getting on to an airplane and arriving in New Paltz, when suddenly it´s not. Time has been passing by so quickly that I feel I won´t be able to do everything I want in such a short time. This is why I decided to wander around the town. Here are some of the places I recommend you not missing.

This past Thursday we celebrated Mexico´s independence day! We all went to a Mexican restaurant in town called Mexican Kitchen , which btw totallthumb_img_6510_1024y tasted like thumb_img_6527_1024home, and I fully recommend it. After dinner we went back to the room and waited to do our typical Cry of Dolores at 12:00pm. VIVA MEXICO!!!!

On Friday we walked around and stopped for an ice cream in Delish. It was DELISHIOUS! You should really take advantage of the short hot weather in town to go and try the ice cream.
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On Saturday it was another adventurous day!! Kayaking at the Hudson River. My arms are still swelling, but it was worth it. We started the day early and kayaked for around 3 hours in the lower part of the river. Don´t miss the wellness center outdoor opportunities… they’ve been the best!

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And last but not least, on Sunday we went to the 26th annual Taste of New Paltz. It is a really good opportunity to feel connected with the town and to have small tastes of everything you can have and that New Paltz has to offer.

Kayaking the Hudson River!

This Saturday we went kayaking on the Hudson River. How amazing does that sound? Almost all of us went and, even though I hadn’t gotten very much sleep the nights before (I went to NYC really early Friday morning to do some interviews and I had been studying late all week) I was very excited about the adventure we had ahead of us. Tired but happy we went to buy some picnic and then we headed to the activity center where we were picked up by a jolly and humorous bus driver.

The bus drive took approximately fifty minutes and I enjoyed the scenery that whizzed past us outside the window. When we arrived at the Hudson River we realized that the weather conditions were a bit rougher than usual. Our kayaking instructor informed us that they had decided to change the route due to heavy gusts of wind out on the river. We got some quick instructions and then we put on our life vests and we each grabbed a paddle. The sun shined encouraging and we were not too worried about the wind even though the waves were a bit unruly…

We paddled for about forty, sometimes though, but mostly great and enjoyable, minutes until we reached a lake or what looked like a big lagoon. It was surrounded by the most magnificent mountain face, which together with the willows contributed to an incredibly peaceful and beautiful view. We stayed there for almost an hour, just floating around, enjoying the sun and taking pictures. After that we returned – this time with the wind on our side, gently brining us forward. Our way back was a Sunday stroll in comparison to our first struggles and it went a lot faster!

When we got back we were starving to the point where we ran to get our bagels as soon as we sat foot on land. We ate all of our food in no time and when the bus arrived we were quite happy to find our seats and lean back. No need to say, I fell fast asleep on our way home, with Stephanie on my shoulder.

P.S. I would definitely recommend this trip to other students! It is a fun way to explore the areas surrounding New Paltz without spending all of your money!

Talk to you later!

/Fanny

North America´s Longest and Highest Zipline!!

In the campus wellness center there are a variety of outdoor activities you can sign up to. I really recommend you to consider signing up to as much as you can! During this past weekend we went to Hunter Mountain. Hunter is a small town about 1 hour ride from SUNY where during the winter you can go skiing, and during the summer you can go ziplineing. It´s September now so we went ziplineing, which by the way is the longest and highest canopy of all North America!! The school takes you all the way to Hunter Mountain where a tour guide will take you all the way up in a lift to start the adventure. There are a total of 5 ziplines throughout the tour, but the very first one is the best! It about 700 mts tall! The tour guide told us that if the Statute of Liberty was to be down there we would´t even touch it with our feet. So, yeah it was pretty scaring at first, but after doing the first jump it was a magical feeling. To be honest I was super nervous up there, but I did´t have that much time to thinking through, so I just ran and jump into the woods. So far, one of the best adventures that New Paltz have to offer!

Business casual in New York City!!! The Jingle ;-)

What a great day it was today!

Even though it was rainy, there were no clouds in my sky.

Even though it was cold, I felt so warm inside.

Even though I had no more than a few hours sleep, I sensed the energy running through my body, right down into my feet.

Even though I missed my parents and family so badly, their voices never seemed so close and loudly.

 

Who knew this time would have come for me? How could I have ever expected it, when only a few weeks ago I was struggling with troubles and praying for an opportunity to knock at my door?

 

The truth is that, one day you’re up. The next day you’re down.

It is the balance of life that you can’t live without.

 

Yesterday I was a student in New Paltz University.

Today I’m a New Yorker facing hugeness, and diversity.

I live on my own in a beautiful apartment.

I have a wonderful job in a HR department.

I give people a chance to prove their value, and despite the difficulties, it is never a failure.

Every day is different in this incredible city and I can’t wait longer for new adventures and activities.

 

Sometimes you get the feeling that all is going well;

Luck is right there, ringing at your bell.

 

The world is smiling to you.
Your time has come to shine and all your dreams are on their way to come true.

 

When these days arrive, you better ride the wave! Push yourself to the limit and don’t go far away.

This jingle is a way to show you the truth.

You can always be serious but also funny and cool. 😉

 

Hugs and Kisses,

Gaia.

 

 

You wanted the bicycle? Now pedal!

This was my first weekend in the city as an Inter! The first week of work was over and I wanted to do something great preparing myself for a new week! So … my decision was to rent a bike and pedaling towards Williamsburg, one of the Brooklyn neighborhood.

After one hour walking around Williamsburg, my friend and I decided to stop to eat something and in a minute we realized that it was a great occasion to do our first “Sunday brunch” in New York! Simple Café

Our choice was a so nice restaurant frequented by many guys and families, it name is Simple Cafè (view the website clicking on the image).
From outside I saw fantastic bagels with eggs, bacon  and hollandaise sauce. Everything looked delicious and everyone seemed happy. Why not stop here?! In a few minute we sat down and we started to decide our orders. There were so many typical dishes for a fantastic brunch. So yummy! It was a strong decision, but at the end we decided for the classic dish that the waitress suggested to us: bagel with eggs, bacon and obviously pancakes with maple syrup for dessert. All was really incredible! A perfect lunch in a cool place in a wonderful sunny Sunday.

When we finished to enjoy our brunch, we decided to start a small trip along the East River: from Williamsburg to Dumbo, another amazing neighborhood in Brooklyn, exactly near to the Brooklyn Bridge. The distance is approximately 3miles, no more than 30 minutes by bike; we had time to take a lot of photos, do some shopping and explore the neighborhoods of Brooklyn before come back at home. The weather was perfect and quite warm..so, why not?! In this way we could appreciate the amazing view of Manhattan. It was like seeing a different city, with the chance to admire the beauty of its skyscrapers with much more calm and no traffic noise. In that moment I thought there could be nothing better, but I was completely wrong! In fact, at the end of our “trip”, we had a big surprise. We arrived at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in the late afternoon, when the sun was going down. The sky became red in a few minutes and Manhattan changed his appearance in short time. Around 6.30 pm all became dark and the city was turning on its light. I thought to have so much photos about that skyline, but that scenario was completely different from the previous one.

It was exactly when I took my camera that I realized…that ride was comparable to all my experience of the last few months: the departure two months ago from Milan where everything seemed surreal, the path (sometimes uphill) in New Paltz where I did many things and I met new people and now …  here, in New York City, for one of the most important result of my life. So now you can understand the reason why I choose the title ” You wanted the bicycle? Now pedal!”. It is a typical Italian saying and it refers to a situation where someone was dreaming of or striving for some goal/outcome, and once obtained it, he or she must to take all it entails – good, bad, overwhelming, or challenging as it may be.
That is exactly what I’m living here since two months, but now, half of my experience, I look back and I understand that the climb was exhausting, but from here the view is amazing!

Good luck to all my classmates and friends of IIB program.

Manhattan Skyline from Dumbo

A new experience is always a fun experience!

Frida and AgnesThis Friday 8:30 am, Frida and I were walking to school for our management class as we always do on Fridays. But this Friday and this management class were not like every other Friday and management class, something unusually was going to happen – we were going to have our first exam ever in our American college history.“Isn’t it amazing that we’re having our first exam ever in our American college history and that we’re going to do an exam that’s completely different from those we’ve at home, at Lund University?” I asked Frida, and she agreed.

For the first time in our lives, we were going to have a multiple-choice exam. A multiple-choice exam is an exam with questions and appurtenant alternatives. In order to pass the exam, you’ve to choose the correct alternative for each question. You don’t have to pass every question, but of course, the more questions you pass, the better chance you’ve to pass the exam. Although the description of a multiple-choice exam makes it sound very easy, it’s a little bit tricky. You’ve to pay attention to every word within the question and within the alternatives because if you miss one word it can change the whole meaning of the sentence and you may choose the wrong answer among the alternatives. My advice for everyone who’s going to do a multiple-choice exam is to read the questions and the alternatives carefully and several times before you decide which alternative you’re going to choose!

However, back to the why the multiple-choice exam was going to be a new experience for me and Frida. In Sweden, at our University, we never have these kinds of exams. Instead, we’re having exams that contain 7-8 analytic questions where we’re supposed to discuss different theories and concepts. The exams last for almost 4-5 hours and are usually based on several books instead of several chapters in one book. As you can understand, it’s a big difference for us to do an exam that contains 60 multiple-choice questions based on three chapters and that lasts for only 75 minutes. Even though we both were nervous before the exam and didn’t really know what to expect, we felt happy after the exam – happy to actually be a part of the American college for real!

For me, everything that’s a new experience is a fun experience. It doesn’t mater if I’m going to write a type of exam I’ve never written before or if I’m going to try a new sport activity – a new experience is always a fun experience! Keep that in mind when you’re going to try something for the first time and I promise you it will be more fun!

25th annual Taste of New Paltz.

All began during a sad afternoon at our motel. Everyone were busy, someone studied in their room someone else in the library and three girls were doing kayaking. In my mind there was only one word: STUDY, but it was a beautiful Saturday, last summer weekend, it was hot and there weren’t clouds in the sky. Okay, I can’t spend my time here.. I want go out!During the week, I saw many posters about an annual festival in New Paltz: Taste of New Paltz. I was so curious … so I called a cab and decided to spend one hour there with one of my friends, before start to study. In less than 10 minutes we arrived in a unknown part of the city; there were many beautiful houses, among km of wheat fields and sunflowers and then.. a huge green lawn, many families with children running around on the grass. It was a wonderful scene!

It was the 25th year that New Paltz organised this event and we could not miss it. After paid $10 to enter, my friend Gaia and I started to taste every kind of food. Wasn’t that the purpose of the fair?! We started with a strange fried empanadas with beef, I discovered that this is one of the typical dishes in Jamaica.. It was delicious! The next stand prepared, however, a special kind of corn with cheese, curry and paprika, but the best taste of this incredible afternoon was a amazing pizza cooked with wood-oven, as the Italian tradition. Everything about the pizza reminded me of my country. At the end, as a real lunch, we bought an exquisite mini chocolate cupcake. After about an hour, at the end of our tour, I realized that there were many activities to raise awareness of their food and products to the citizens of New Paltz .. Wow, this was great! In this way, I was able to try dishes from restaurants that I didn’t know before and certainly I’ll try after this experience.

It was a really good afternoon spent with my friend! Beautiful place, nice people, good music and new food. Now, are you asking why the symbol of this fair is an apple? Try to get out of this fair without tasting a dish in which there was the apple! It’s impossible, trust me.

Visit also:

www.newpaltzchamber.org

Facebook: Tast of New Paltz

The american ways!

Hi everybody! Well, we are here for one month now and I actually start to feel always more at ease. However, there are still certain issues -I have called them “the american ways”- that I still have to understand and tried to solve somehow:

HOW YOU DOIN’? It happens everyday, every time, everywhere. Whether you are in campus or in the supermarket, there will be always someone asking you “Hi, how you do?”. DO HAVE I TO ANSWER?? The first time I heard it I was in Stop&Shop. I was alone in the cereals aisle, staring at them since there are thousands of options here. At the certain moment a guy working there came towards me. He was almost running but he managed to ask me “How you doin’?”. Without even wondering if it was “a tricky” question I started talking… “ I’m fine thank you, I’m just trying to take a decisions because you offer so many different cereals! Which one do you suggest me?”…Maybe I was too focus on pronunciation, grammar and meaning of what I was saying and I didn’t realize that the guy disappeared even before I had finished to speak. People in the corridor may have thought that I was crazy since I was speaking alone. I came back home, and thought about what I should have done in a similar situation.

  • Option A: don’t answer and make a smile;
  • Option B: answer with “fine thank you” and than smile;
  • Option C: answer saying how I actually feel but really quickly and effectively;
  • Option D: don’t reply and keep walking.

The opportunity to test one of my theories, came the next day in the campus with a mate of mine. But this time, thinking about the previous experience, I haven’t answered at all and just replied with a smile.Option A. I still don’t know if it has been something clever, because he has never asked me “how you doin’ ?” again. I hope I will solve soon the mystery because I don’t want to look rude or crazy!

12007314_10207648839168957_1947459608_nAIR CONDITIONING. You, Americans, are crazy about it. Aren’t you afraid to get a cold? Whether it is really hot or cold outside, the air conditioning is always on here! The enemy number one to me is the bus. I call it “the freezer” because the condition machinery is almost bigger than the entire shuttle itself! Actually this may be seen as an advantage since I prefer walking instead of freezing! However, the question remains: HOW HAVE I TO DRESS UP? I have planned a strategy called “the onion”. My tactic consists in dressing with layers of different t-shirt and sweater in order to be ready at any climate.

BIG PORTIONS: This is actually a benefit when you are starving after classes. But if you are trying to stay in a diet that can be definitely the end of every purpose! DO HAVE I TO EAT EVERYTHING? My strategy? When I don’t want to eat that much I order “the small” of everything!

I’m sure that one day I will face these issues in the american way!