Ithaca is Gorges

Earlier today, I met up with my friend J’nai for breakfast. The RPCC (Robert Purcell Community Center) usually has a long line of students waiting to get inside, but I was relieved to find out that wasn’t the case this morning. I ate a muffin, banana, and some strawberries for breakfast. The cup of hot chocolate ended up being too sweet to drink. It was an odd combination of food, I know. Still, I’ve learned to love the freedom that comes with being able to eat whatever you want, whenever you want it here in the dining halls at Cornell.

After breakfast was over, the two of us walked over to the Cornell Law School where our class is held. We spoke about climbing the Clock Tower in Ithaca some day. I have thought about it, but the idea of waking up several hours earlier than I normally do to walk up hundreds of steps is agonizing.

The view, I've heard, is supposed to be amazing. Maybe not worth the asthma complications and sleep deprivation, but I most likely will end up following through with the plan to climb this tower regardless. 

I do not want to be the kid that goes home and immediately regrets not participating in as many activities or gaining the experiences that they could have. 

Reading

Today’s class lasted up until 12:30 PM. For the most part, we talked about ways in which International Law is placed into effect domestically. Our discussion revolved around NGO’s and other international organizations’ contributions to the implementation of human rights within states.

Libe Slope

Our textbook states that in order to be a progressive nation, you should have an abundance of local NGOs. I found this interesting and also a bit of a  false generalization. There are many NGO (especially USAID) employees in nations such as Pakistan and Afghanistan that have gotten away with corruption worth millions of dollars. 

Boba Tea!

NGOs (non-governmental organizations) weren’t the only topic that we discussed in class today. Guest speaker, Karen Baer, who is the director of the Tompkins County Office for Human Rights asked us to think hard about ‘justice’ and the ways in which we define that term. Her presentation was inspiring; immediately afterward, I wanted to look into doing the same activist work that she does. Ms. Baer especially brought up Section 8 and the City of Ithaca's inability in the past to deal with landlords who make it practically impossible for people with disabilities and financial problems to have access to housing. The conversation did open me up to considering working for my own city. Then again, that's not exactly what I want to do with my life, but I can still appreciate people who dedicate their lives to the work. 

Robson and I stayed behind after class to ask Ms. Baer questions about her career and contributions. 

Happy to be here

I went back to my dormitory to shower and meet with my RCA (Resident Community Advisor), Angela. She wanted to check in and make sure that the girls on our floor weren't facing any serious emotional/physical problems. Angela is a sweetheart. We get along very well and might be having lunch together sometime soon. I'm relieved that she's an easy person to talk to and interact with. We've told one another about our time at Cornell so far. My personal favorite was her story about students stealing trays from dining halls during the winter time and using them as sleds. It's an awful thing to do and I don't approve of it, but the thought of someone doing that still manages to crack me up. 

Before blogging and sleeping, Robson and I went to College Town to take pretty pictures for the blog. I had to have an “Ithaca is Gorges” shirt and ended up buying it along with a tie-dye Cornell T-shirt for my brother. What’s hilarious is that the cashier thought I was getting the smaller size for myself and told me that it “might not fit.”

We grabbed a boba tea from one of the shops on our way back and took the longer route back to Balch, passing Ezra Cornell’s statue (none of the pictures of the statue turned out great) and the suspension bridge. Sightseeing was a great way to end the day!