Today's Moments Are Tomorrow's Memories

Bread Heaven

I woke up at 6:30 AM on a Saturday morning only for the farmers market. After a very early breakfast, Robson and I took the 70 bus from Balch Drive to the commons and then the 13^th from downtown to Aldi supermarket. Both bus drivers were incredibly helpful in providing directions, and we made it there in no time.

The farmers market in Ithaca is located near train tracks, somewhat in the middle of wandering through the village/countryside. I really did enjoy it, because it reminded me of the small town, remote village life in which I had spent a lot of my childhood days.  People greeted one another as if they had all grown up together. They bought baked goods, food, designed pottery and jewelry. I initially didn’t plan on spending a lot of money, but ended up giving in to my stomach and buying momo, lemonade and a spinach strudel. The food tasted amazing and although some of it was on the pricier side ($3.00 for a glass of lemonade), it tasted very very good.

Still climbing at the Clock Tower

My favorite part about the trip was a man, as obsessed with JK Rowling’s series as I am, using a hollow stone with holes carved out in it to play the Harry Potter theme song. If only I could do the same!

The market was in a very beautiful location. Robson and I tried to take as many pictures as we could. By the docks, we sat next to a group of ducks (and ducklings!) by the water. It was evident that we had to move afterward, because children and adults alike were feeding the animals and causing fights/chaos among them.

We left the market at about 11:00 AM and took both buses back. Except this time, I didn’t listen as well as I should have and accidentally requested a stop near the slope and not the campus. Poor Robson had to accompany me in my attempt to effectively walk up the slope without dying. It was difficult to say the least, but we managed and took a break afterward.

Ithaca Farmer's Market

I met Sultana and J’nai near the South Balch lounge and we made it up the six flights of stairs to my room. Inside, all three of us studied and read our textbooks/articles. We took breaks in between and used that time to watch sci-fi Bollywood movies. At 2:30 however, we had to be at the Clock Tower in order to climb it, and that’s exactly what we did.

The stairs at the Clock Tower were brutal—a total of 176. I had to pause and catch my breath at least 7 times. I thought living on the 6^th floors was difficult, but this definitely beat that. We witnessed the chime master playing. It was loud, but really very nice and relaxing. I found it especially cool that she was playing a wedding song requested for a ceremony nearby.

Pooja joined us at the top, and we took lots and lots of pictures. Most importantly, we felt the breeze for the first time in a while. I could hardly keep my hair out of my face even after it was tied up. The view however was so worth the challenge. I’m thankful for having visited another Ithaca must see spot, especially with some of my favorite people here at the Summer College. We broke out into dances several times and decided that we would do the same move at every Ithaca destination. I don’t know if that is still happening, but it’s something to look forward to, regardless.

Clock Tower

Mary Donlon was having another exciting event tonight at 5:00 PM. Sultana and I attended this spa night. I painted my nails green and added sparkle, but I’m thinking about removing the intense color.  There were many other people there bonding and painting nails, which felt oddly uniting and therapeutic.

We had dinner at the RPCC. Pooja made an ice cream waffle that all of us shared. It was the right type of delicious. I might have to recreate it tomorrow. Afterward, Sultana and I did extra reading in our room before 9:00 PM which is when I was to meet my group members for an in-class activity assignment due Monday. We were required to give a presentation discussing our views on what international action should be taken with respect to the conflict and human rights crisis in Yemen. My group members and I spoke about aid and recognition of the war crimes committed in the country. We also sketched out a rough outline of categories, but planned on doing individual work and then practicing the presentation as a whole on Sunday.

I walked back in the dark by myself to Balch. It was a little bit creepy, I’ll admit. Well, maybe a lot creepy but I made it back soon and worked on my blog for the rest of the day.