I don't really have time to post now. In fact, I'm at work. But as this is work-related, I think I can justify it...
I want to share with you a few of the exciting things I've been involved with at Ashoka (where I'm interning)...
Check out:
tech.ashoka.org and
www. changemakers.com
Then let me know what you think!
Paix
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Backtotheblog
I moved to DC yesterday, thus officially starting "the next chapter" -- and I think it might be time to revive the blog. Bref, DC is great. I moved in last night to my cute little row house in Mt Pleasant, a tree-lined neighborhood just a short walk from a bunch of great areas like Adams Morgan. The first thing I did upon arrival? I got a bike! Yep, it's a pretty great little road bike. It doesn't have a name yet, though the frame says "Zebra" (that's the brand). I got it from this guy in Arlington that restores old bikes as a sort of "greening" project... he was really funny, had great Einstein hair, and told just a few too many stories about his politics days in the 80s. When I got back, one of my roommates, her boyfriend, and his friend were having a beer out on the front porch and I ended up hanging out and chatting with them until 2 in the morning. Very cool people.
I got really lucky finding this place on craigslist. The roommates are all in their mid-20s, working interesting jobs, very multi-cultural, very friendly. Everyone says Mt Pleasant is the best neighborhood to live in and so far I believe it. My room is small with hardwood floors and a huge window that takes up almost a whole wall and faces east so I get the lovely morning sun right on my face when I wake up. There's a big tree right outside and if I climb out my window, theres a big ol' roof!
So todayI got up and hit the road with my new bike... and just 2 blocks into my "adventure" (in my neighborhood!) I collided with a Saturday farmer's market which is so amazing because it has (1) free bike tune-ups every Saturday, (2) lots of fresh produce (veggies, meat, cheese, etc), and (3) a guy that runs a community garden in my neighborhood that says he can hook me up with a plot!!! Woo! So that was a good first stop. From there, I wandered around, got lost a bit, and then met up with Lucy's mom and stepdad at the Library of Congress to exchange some items that I left at school for some stuff that Lucy left in my car. We went into the Lib and saw some amazing stuff... the whole building is beautiful. After Anne and Steve left, I made a personal goal to get myself access to the library and, after a labyrinth of ("secret") underground tunnels and a few forms, I was successful! Turns out pretty much anyone can get one to the main room with just a wee bit of determination. PS - the hallways down there make you feel like you're in a hospital!
From there I hit up U-Street since I was hunnngry... got some coffee and a sandwich at the Love Cafe and then met up with Landen from Wash U! She's been living in DC since she graduated (a year before me) and recommended we go on a biking adventure -- Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Obama's pad, all the good stuff. It's grand being among so many monuments. She was a glorious tour guide.
After doing a wee bit of reading in Dupont Circle, I biked back home to figure out dinner, and ended up doing a semi big grocercy shop (on foot) and getting lots of stuff. When I got back, one of my roommates had a bunch of people over (20 or so) for a cookout! I love how there are always so many people around here. Most (all?) of the people here for the cookout are Ghanaian so a little Ghanaian dance party developed in the kitchen which was so funny. Now, as I sit in my room, laughter and conversation resonate through the house in some language I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce (so I won't try to spell it). How did I end up here?
come visit, friends!
I got really lucky finding this place on craigslist. The roommates are all in their mid-20s, working interesting jobs, very multi-cultural, very friendly. Everyone says Mt Pleasant is the best neighborhood to live in and so far I believe it. My room is small with hardwood floors and a huge window that takes up almost a whole wall and faces east so I get the lovely morning sun right on my face when I wake up. There's a big tree right outside and if I climb out my window, theres a big ol' roof!
So todayI got up and hit the road with my new bike... and just 2 blocks into my "adventure" (in my neighborhood!) I collided with a Saturday farmer's market which is so amazing because it has (1) free bike tune-ups every Saturday, (2) lots of fresh produce (veggies, meat, cheese, etc), and (3) a guy that runs a community garden in my neighborhood that says he can hook me up with a plot!!! Woo! So that was a good first stop. From there, I wandered around, got lost a bit, and then met up with Lucy's mom and stepdad at the Library of Congress to exchange some items that I left at school for some stuff that Lucy left in my car. We went into the Lib and saw some amazing stuff... the whole building is beautiful. After Anne and Steve left, I made a personal goal to get myself access to the library and, after a labyrinth of ("secret") underground tunnels and a few forms, I was successful! Turns out pretty much anyone can get one to the main room with just a wee bit of determination. PS - the hallways down there make you feel like you're in a hospital!
From there I hit up U-Street since I was hunnngry... got some coffee and a sandwich at the Love Cafe and then met up with Landen from Wash U! She's been living in DC since she graduated (a year before me) and recommended we go on a biking adventure -- Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Obama's pad, all the good stuff. It's grand being among so many monuments. She was a glorious tour guide.
After doing a wee bit of reading in Dupont Circle, I biked back home to figure out dinner, and ended up doing a semi big grocercy shop (on foot) and getting lots of stuff. When I got back, one of my roommates had a bunch of people over (20 or so) for a cookout! I love how there are always so many people around here. Most (all?) of the people here for the cookout are Ghanaian so a little Ghanaian dance party developed in the kitchen which was so funny. Now, as I sit in my room, laughter and conversation resonate through the house in some language I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce (so I won't try to spell it). How did I end up here?
come visit, friends!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
vote vote vote!
do you know where your polling place is on tuesday?
Take a minute to look up your polling place on our voting website, VoteForChange.com.
cool.
Take a minute to look up your polling place on our voting website, VoteForChange.com.
cool.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
first of all, theres a cat downstairs named troubador that weighs 30 pounds. im just putting that out there. apparently troubador is not just french but like literally, from france and rumor has it, troubador is blue. troubador lives with francois and francois. our neighbors on the 2nd floor are this surgeon and his mother. the surgeon is kind of awesome and heres why. yesterday we got a letter in our mailbox that, in 3 to 4 paragraphs, outlined his thought process on the idea of potentially buying a drum set: pros, cons, ways to reduce noise, the potential for building quiet hours, etc. we think its pretty awesome and are going to send him a letter back that says DRUM ON BROTHER! or something like that. would it be weird if we started an apartment-wide band? ill take guitar and that cool baobab fruit i got in mali. lucy's got keyboard and violin, and annemarie can play triangle! she can also sing the "dum dum dum" from that one regina spektor song AND she got this cool instrument in chile that might work too.
there was a huge neighborhood wide yard sale yesterday and i put all my junk out in the front yard for an hour or two and sat out there with a book. it was a nice day and i met a bunch of really awesome neighbors. this one lady bought my old moneybelt from when i waitressed at brandt's and one of my tshirts and the next time i saw her she was wearing both! we also have a bunch of kids in our neighborhood which is cool. i sold like 8 bucks worth of stuff and then just took a heap of clothes to rag-o-rama and they gave me 21 bucks and then i brought the rest to the clothing drive and counsel for the blind. point is, i got rid of a lot of shit! woo!
then last night we had our first potluck of the year in the mothership. the theme was that everyone had to bring something with a face. thing is, its mostly vegetarians. the faces were pretty awesome and thoroughly documented. the weirdest thing anyone brought was keith and alex who brought cow tongue. only, believe it or not, they made a face and didn't use the tongue to represent a tongue! very creative. lots and lots of people came which was great and lively. around 11:30 a bunch of us went outside and played KUB, this swedish game that i played like 10000 years ago! turns out keith and aLo have a set. that game is amazing. there were more games when we came inside too - that game where everyone puts a bunch of names in a hat and then you have to draw and describe the person without saying their name and see how many you can get through in a minute.
today was workwork worky but i did run like 5 miles when i woke up and i made new pants (snip snip). kaletomatogoatcheesequesadillas?! phishfoodwithannemarieandROOshy?! homework?!
LAFIA
there was a huge neighborhood wide yard sale yesterday and i put all my junk out in the front yard for an hour or two and sat out there with a book. it was a nice day and i met a bunch of really awesome neighbors. this one lady bought my old moneybelt from when i waitressed at brandt's and one of my tshirts and the next time i saw her she was wearing both! we also have a bunch of kids in our neighborhood which is cool. i sold like 8 bucks worth of stuff and then just took a heap of clothes to rag-o-rama and they gave me 21 bucks and then i brought the rest to the clothing drive and counsel for the blind. point is, i got rid of a lot of shit! woo!
then last night we had our first potluck of the year in the mothership. the theme was that everyone had to bring something with a face. thing is, its mostly vegetarians. the faces were pretty awesome and thoroughly documented. the weirdest thing anyone brought was keith and alex who brought cow tongue. only, believe it or not, they made a face and didn't use the tongue to represent a tongue! very creative. lots and lots of people came which was great and lively. around 11:30 a bunch of us went outside and played KUB, this swedish game that i played like 10000 years ago! turns out keith and aLo have a set. that game is amazing. there were more games when we came inside too - that game where everyone puts a bunch of names in a hat and then you have to draw and describe the person without saying their name and see how many you can get through in a minute.
today was workwork worky but i did run like 5 miles when i woke up and i made new pants (snip snip). kaletomatogoatcheesequesadillas?! phishfoodwithannemarieandROOshy?! homework?!
LAFIA
Monday, September 1, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
where has the time gone?!
so its been quite a while since i last wrote... but i haven't abandoned the blog altogether. summer is almost over - my last summer, i realized, before i graduate. i have two days left of my job which is killllllller but not in a good way. i think thats why i havent been writing as much -- ive been so consumed in work and havent felt like writing about it.
but i have been doing lots of other cool things in my precious hours away from work, so ill just talk about that! living in the city was amaaaazing. i stayed in an nyu apartment AT union square which is the best location ever (and one that i will never be able to afford). i already knew lots of people in new york from home and school and everywhere so i didn't really meet many new people. but i did spend some real quality bintou time exploring and what not.
i will tell you that i have sipped coffee in just about every cafe on the lower east side (minus starbucks) and usually with a book or my journal. i read a ton (and still am) - my last few reads (in the past 2 weeks or so) have been 'the glass castle', 'the kite runner', 'a people's history of the united states' (which i havent finished yet), and 'half of a golden sun' which i'm reading now and its great. i also started running just about every day and had a nice little loop down by the east river that came out to 4 miles or so. go me! am i repeating myself? i think i might have written about this in the last entry. i did art and secret projects ;) to amuse myself and did spend a lot of time with my friends in the area... alex and david, ashley, danielle, and allison were all right in the lower east side!
poetry slams, concerts, oddly relaxing vegetarian indian food restaurants with only one option on the menu, live music in public spaces, intense west-african-dancing, long walks, a couple movies (hoooooly dark knight!), fruit to the nines, late night ted talks, afternoons in the park with jackie and ashley, sun sun sun!, etcetera etcetera.
i popped out of the city quite a bit too on weekends and such. got to see some family, including the PECKS (hehe uncle jim) and did some geocaching with jamie and mom and ben one day. beached it up at compo once or twice and scrabbled like a maniac with mom. we have an addiction.
last weekend was pretty cool. mom, dad, and i drove up to the adirondacks to go see what ben has been working on all summer. he's been interning for these 2 really great sculptors who both have pieces at the beijing olympics (only 25 non-chinese sculptors were chosen from thousands of applicants). it was really beautiful up there and nice to get away from the ussssual for a bit. the sculptors that ben worked for were having a show so we all went and met them and the art was sweet and we were all proud of ben because he did good (kid). there was some geocaching involved too-- including one that lead us on a beautiful hike through the adirondackian wilderness. i will tell you there was some bear skat involved.
work finishes up on thursday (thank allah) and im heading back to school on sunday. though im really excited to go back, i think the excitement is more to be done with work than anything. ive been having fun chilling with my family since i moved back home (im commuting for this last week) and it will be strange to up-and-out again.
then of course, the Clucemarie adventures begin and that will be a whole new section...
hErE (i miss my mali)
BINTOU
but i have been doing lots of other cool things in my precious hours away from work, so ill just talk about that! living in the city was amaaaazing. i stayed in an nyu apartment AT union square which is the best location ever (and one that i will never be able to afford). i already knew lots of people in new york from home and school and everywhere so i didn't really meet many new people. but i did spend some real quality bintou time exploring and what not.
i will tell you that i have sipped coffee in just about every cafe on the lower east side (minus starbucks) and usually with a book or my journal. i read a ton (and still am) - my last few reads (in the past 2 weeks or so) have been 'the glass castle', 'the kite runner', 'a people's history of the united states' (which i havent finished yet), and 'half of a golden sun' which i'm reading now and its great. i also started running just about every day and had a nice little loop down by the east river that came out to 4 miles or so. go me! am i repeating myself? i think i might have written about this in the last entry. i did art and secret projects ;) to amuse myself and did spend a lot of time with my friends in the area... alex and david, ashley, danielle, and allison were all right in the lower east side!
poetry slams, concerts, oddly relaxing vegetarian indian food restaurants with only one option on the menu, live music in public spaces, intense west-african-dancing, long walks, a couple movies (hoooooly dark knight!), fruit to the nines, late night ted talks, afternoons in the park with jackie and ashley, sun sun sun!, etcetera etcetera.
i popped out of the city quite a bit too on weekends and such. got to see some family, including the PECKS (hehe uncle jim) and did some geocaching with jamie and mom and ben one day. beached it up at compo once or twice and scrabbled like a maniac with mom. we have an addiction.
last weekend was pretty cool. mom, dad, and i drove up to the adirondacks to go see what ben has been working on all summer. he's been interning for these 2 really great sculptors who both have pieces at the beijing olympics (only 25 non-chinese sculptors were chosen from thousands of applicants). it was really beautiful up there and nice to get away from the ussssual for a bit. the sculptors that ben worked for were having a show so we all went and met them and the art was sweet and we were all proud of ben because he did good (kid). there was some geocaching involved too-- including one that lead us on a beautiful hike through the adirondackian wilderness. i will tell you there was some bear skat involved.
work finishes up on thursday (thank allah) and im heading back to school on sunday. though im really excited to go back, i think the excitement is more to be done with work than anything. ive been having fun chilling with my family since i moved back home (im commuting for this last week) and it will be strange to up-and-out again.
then of course, the Clucemarie adventures begin and that will be a whole new section...
hErE (i miss my mali)
BINTOU
Thursday, July 24, 2008
NEW YOAK
every now and then i get the strange urge to write in my blog again. indeed my posts have been dwindling, but for those of you who still check from time to time, (and mom and dad) heres whats new...
its been almost 2 weeks since i moved my butt into an nyu apartment by union square in the city (new yoaaak city). the apartment is basically just a dorm room with a kitchen, living room, and other bedroom attached - very simple - but its all i need. i dont spend much time in the room because hey, its new yoak city right?
my job in harlem has been okay. ill leave it at that. were painting a mural but today since it was forecasted to rain all day my boss said we could cancel work (the mural is outside). so i called all the kids and cancelled. and now its sunny as ever. free day! thank you weatherman!
in my free time, ive been busy as ever - running all over the place. ive been checking out parks and cafes like its my job. my favorite cafe is still the Cake Shop down in SoHo, but there are quite a few other ones that are up there. i hate the fact that coffee prices are ridiculous these days, so i only go to cafes when i plan on spending some time there, reading or writing or something. that way i at least feel like im getting my moneys worth.
ive been reading a ton. right now im reading the glass castle, small is beautiful, and africa trek. i have a laundry lists of other books i need to get to before school starts. ahhhh!
ive also been running a TON. i dont know how, but im suddenly a good runner! yesterday i ran 5 miles which is the farthest ive run since my track days back in high school! its really nice to run along the river and definitely helps me to clear my head from a busy day at work (we end at 330 so i can run while its still light out).
the other thing ive been doing is going to african dance! i found this place called Djoniba that is just 4 blocks away from my apartment and its pretty cool. i just got back from a af dance class actually and guess who was in it. tyra banks. yep. not kidding. the teacher was this cool dude named bangaly who is from cote d'ivoire and he speaks julakan which is basically the same as bambara so he had me speak to him in front of the whole class to prove to them that i can speak it. ohhhhhhh bambara!
the other nice thing about new york is that i know lots and lots of people living here for the summer. its so nice to be around friends again (philly did get a little lonely sometimes!)
but all that said, im really ready to go back to st louis. i miss my wash u friends oh so much! and i know it sounds dorky, but im really excited for the classes im taking this semester. i havent been in class for so long! ;aklsjdflakhhhh!
thats the update for now... if youre reading this, send me an email back and let me know what youre up to!
ciao
BINTOU
its been almost 2 weeks since i moved my butt into an nyu apartment by union square in the city (new yoaaak city). the apartment is basically just a dorm room with a kitchen, living room, and other bedroom attached - very simple - but its all i need. i dont spend much time in the room because hey, its new yoak city right?
my job in harlem has been okay. ill leave it at that. were painting a mural but today since it was forecasted to rain all day my boss said we could cancel work (the mural is outside). so i called all the kids and cancelled. and now its sunny as ever. free day! thank you weatherman!
in my free time, ive been busy as ever - running all over the place. ive been checking out parks and cafes like its my job. my favorite cafe is still the Cake Shop down in SoHo, but there are quite a few other ones that are up there. i hate the fact that coffee prices are ridiculous these days, so i only go to cafes when i plan on spending some time there, reading or writing or something. that way i at least feel like im getting my moneys worth.
ive been reading a ton. right now im reading the glass castle, small is beautiful, and africa trek. i have a laundry lists of other books i need to get to before school starts. ahhhh!
ive also been running a TON. i dont know how, but im suddenly a good runner! yesterday i ran 5 miles which is the farthest ive run since my track days back in high school! its really nice to run along the river and definitely helps me to clear my head from a busy day at work (we end at 330 so i can run while its still light out).
the other thing ive been doing is going to african dance! i found this place called Djoniba that is just 4 blocks away from my apartment and its pretty cool. i just got back from a af dance class actually and guess who was in it. tyra banks. yep. not kidding. the teacher was this cool dude named bangaly who is from cote d'ivoire and he speaks julakan which is basically the same as bambara so he had me speak to him in front of the whole class to prove to them that i can speak it. ohhhhhhh bambara!
the other nice thing about new york is that i know lots and lots of people living here for the summer. its so nice to be around friends again (philly did get a little lonely sometimes!)
but all that said, im really ready to go back to st louis. i miss my wash u friends oh so much! and i know it sounds dorky, but im really excited for the classes im taking this semester. i havent been in class for so long! ;aklsjdflakhhhh!
thats the update for now... if youre reading this, send me an email back and let me know what youre up to!
ciao
BINTOU
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