"Neighborhood Revitalization Through Home Ownership"

Summer 2012 has brought me a really incredible internship/paid-work experience.  This summer I am interning with a local Syracuse non-profit called Home HeadQuarters, Inc. The organization is committed to creating housing opportunities throughout the underserved areas of Central and Upstate New York.  Firmly believing in their mission, neighborhood revitalization comes through home ownership, HHQ works diligently to get good people into good homes. Too many renters in an area creates for bad neighborhoods (unreliable landlords, no pride, little investment, transient families, etc.)  However, if more people were to own a home, neighborhoods could become more stable and communities could grow to rely on their neighbors.  What I love about HHQ is that they do not just put anyone in a home for the sake of giving them a place to live, professional counselors walk potential homeowners through financing, loan, lender, and home buyer courses to help them learn the ropes of first time home ownership. (really the iconic, teach a man how to fish he will eat for a lifetime mentality).  I am having a ball learning about the organization ... and as someone who thought her future was in education with an internship at Breakthrough Collaborative last summer, the urban housing crisis has really got me thinking about what I could do with my future.

Do you need a reason to think about the urban housing crisis even more?
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/paying-rent-on-minimum-wage/

While interning with HHQ, I'm working closely with both the Grant & Resource Development departments; they each get me out into the field frequently which is something I really enjoy.

One of my projects is called Community Level Outcomes: Success Measures.  Essentially, another girl (Jenn) and I go out into the neighborhoods 1-3 times a week and assess properties in three major neighborhoods throughout Syracuse. We look to see, aesthetically, how the properties stand the neighborhood by ranking them on a 0-5 scale (we look at the quality of the roof, gutters, windows, front door, siding/exterior wall, foundation, garage and the front lawn -- then we give it an over "quality" measure). By assessing neighborhoods in Syracuse this way, Home HeadQuarters (HHQ) is able to measure what kind of impact they are having on different blocks. Each street is then measured against other city blocks to illustrate areas in the city that are in most need of improvement. These measures can then go to city government or other non-profits as benchmarks.

I love working on this project because I get to be out of the office a lot -- not that the office isn't fun (there are a lot of wonderful people I have met at HHQ..) but, a cubical job isn't something I have really pictured in my future. This job (particularly with the professionals I am interning with) has demonstrated that cubical jobs can be very interpersonal depending on what kinds of tasks you are set to accomplish. With this project, I can interact with people in the office AND set out on foot interacting with the "every-day" folk. I am really getting to know the city I live in -- even if just to know streets and different ways to get "from here to there.."  Additionally, it is fun to be out among the people who live in these neighborhoods asking them questions and hearing their perspectives. As someone really motivated by community building, this is a very unique opportunity to put my community geography skills to good use!

My other major project is helping to organize the one big fundraiser of the year for HHQ: Block Blitz.  On September 14, 2012 HHQ takes two neighborhoods by storm by completely "blitzing" the block. Sometimes great revitalization in a neighborhood can come from updating (or sprucing up) home exteriors (though, not all the time, of course).  This event brings together volunteers from the community, major corporations, and contractors/home builders to donate their time, money and expertise in assisting a day-long neighborhood repair/fix-up! I am working on the initial stages: mailing letters to potential sponsors and building contractors, cold-calling sponsors and volunteer groups, and advertising/marketing the event. I enjoy putting on events and have some experience after my involvement with the 'Cuse Spot; I am certain this event will take a lot out of me, but the payoff will be huge!

With a unique mission, HHQ is determined to revitalize neighborhoods through home ownership. That is something I have really learned to agree with and understand. Syracuse has its rough spots, no doubts, but being out on the ground has given me greater appreciation for the place I am learning to call home.  

Study Abroad Should Be Required

A short while ago, I received an email recommending this article:
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/05/20-big-reasons-study-abroad-should-be-required-today/

As someone who has had the opportunity to "study abroad" twice through university programs, I am obviously an advocate. Reading this article confirmed things I already felt toward study abroad programs. Check it out.

My New Pad

Like last spring semester, some friends and I have decided to live in an off-campus apartment. It gives each of us so much more autonomy and is much cheaper than living in the on-campus dormitories. Last spring we subletted from some girls because we all came back from a semester abroad. I am really excited to be living in the same place all year this time around. It really gives the five of us some time to make it our own.

We are renting the top-floor apartment of this house; quite the beauty, considering other housing options in the Syracuse greater-campus neighborhoods. I am really psyched, for everything but paying the rent! I'll be living with my Freshman/Sophomore roommate Samantha, my junior year roommates Chelsea (while she is here in the fall) and Laura (she will be taking Chelsea's place after she graduates in the spring), and our good friend Megan.

I moved in June 1st and have been living in Syracuse while working at my summer job here in town. I have really loved being up near the campus in the summer. Everything is much more vibrant and warm in Syracuse during the summertime. So far I have been to "The Taste of Syracuse," where they showcased local restaurants, and the Greek Festival, where I filled up on Gyros. There is a fun bar scene to enjoy downtown, and everything seems a lot more fun when there aren't a ton of frat boys roaming around campus. So far, summer 2012 has been a lot of fun.

Here are some pictures of my place, all courtesy of my roommate Samantha Poccia:

We live on the top floor apartment; we also have roof access, which I quite enjoy

One half of our living room; I'm excited for the fireplace

The other half of our living room

The dining room area off the kitchen

Our (kind of) weirdly designed kitchen; the sink is on the other side

Our bathroom; thankfully it has all new fixtures - that puts my germaphobic tendencies at ease

My bedroom!

I don't even feel the need to repaint (although I can) because it already seems like me

Israel: the captivating conflict

Air France took me on another adventure of a lifetime...

Israel's flag blowing in the breeze with a beautiful Tel Aviv Skyline behind..

From May 10-28, 2012, I had the incredible opportunity to travel around Israel with a Syracuse study abroad program. One of the countries I have wanted to visit for a long while, Israel is a really unique place; it is often categorized as the crossroads of the world. Sitting perfectly between three continents, Israel is a dynamic location with extraordinary culture, cuisine and conflict.

As it was only a two week program, I definitely did not explore every aspect of the country, but I surely got a feel for Judaism and the role Israel plays in the middle east. 

There was only a small group of nine that went on the program (from L-R: Malinda, Me, Hunter, Caitlin, Ardean, Scott, Linda (Program Leader, front), Mushi (back), Victor, and Chris).  One of the interesting aspects of this particular program is the "exchange" component of it; our group traveled to Israel for a two week program and the students we met there will be traveling to Syracuse for a three week program in late September.  It was really great getting to know the Israeli students and knowing that we will see them again in the states.  As I mentioned, this was a study abroad program -- even though it was during my summer-break from school, we still attended school. Classes were held at the beautiful IDC (Interdisciplinary Center) Herzliya campus.  We had several lectures a day all taught by different professors, each specializing in something different. Everything from: The formation of the state of Israel, Religion and Culture of Israel, Rifts within Israeli society, Global Terrorism, Hezbollah and the Middle East, Cyber-Terrorism and others.

We had some really amazing lectures from very knowledgeable people.  One class day even took us to the Knesset, which is the Israeli Parliamentary Government building in Jerusalem -- the capitol of Israel:

 I would be the only person looking away from the camera..

We were accompanied by Yoti (far right), the girl I later stayed with on my last night in Isael

We were able to get to Jerusalem twice though, which was really nice!  It was an amazing feeling to be standing in such an incredible city.  Given all that I have learned and heard about Jerusalem, being there in person was beyond surreal.  As one of the oldest cities in the world, with such religious history and purpose, it was difficult to be spending only one afternoon there - you could realistically spend more than a week in the nearly 50 sq. miles.

Part of Jerusalem's Old City

Home to the Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Seen: The Western Wall, The Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount

Jerusalem is characterized as such a unique place, and after being there it was obvious why.  Although the old, religious city is such a relatively small place, the three major religions are all competing for the same space and recognition.  While in Jerusalem I was able to walk through the underground Western Wall, visit the Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters (which was mostly the old, market cities), and the Church of the Holy Sepelcry (which in itself holds a lot greater meaning for the Christian faith..). After visiting all of these great religious sites, it is challenging to not understand the tremendous land-conflict occurring all over the middle east right now, and in Jerusalem especially.

Independently, as a small group, some of us decided to travel on one of our free Friday's to the Masada and the Dead Sea in south eastern Israel.  Since it wasn't built into our original schedule, some of us thought it would be a good use of time to visit this old and important landmark.  

The Masada, which is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications, is located on top of an isolated plateau on the very eastern edge of the Judaean Desert.  Overlooking the vast and empty Dead Sea, it is best known for the violence that occurred there between the Jews and the Romans in the first century.  Eventually, during the first Jewish-Roman War, the seige of the plateau by the Roman Empire led to a mass suicide of all the Jews who lived there. 

The Dead Sea, which is also sometimes called the Salt Sea, is a very large salt lake holding the border between Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank.  It is Earth's lowest elevation on land, with its surface and shores 423 meters below sea level.  It is such an incredible place to be; the Dead Sea is most well known to be the lake in which you can just float.  With such high saline content, it is actually difficult to move through at times because you are so buoyant in the water. And.. believe me.. you do not want some of the water to get into your eyes.

An interesting ride to the Masada/Dead Sea through the West Bank and Palestine..

The Arab people are notoriously far less fortunate than Israeli citizens, which creates obvious riffs in an already complicated system.

On top of the Massada

Looking out toward a vast Israeli desert nothingness

We were pretty low in the Earth..

Malinda, Caitlin and I enjoyed the mud-covering portion of the Dead Sea Adventure

Apparently, your skin feels incredibly smooth after you bathe; I just felt itchy

Going with a school/abroad program allowed me to do some really unique things. The same tour guide who brought us to Jerusalem took us on a tour of the north.  We were able to visit Caesaria (an ancient seaport in north-western Israel dominated by different groups for thousands of years), Nazareth, and all the way up to the Golan Heights -- which is the disputed land area between Israel and Syria. We stood 4 miles from the Syrian border, which was beyond cool. Even though their country is going through a lot right now, being on the border in the midst of beautiful farm land and mountains put the conflict into perspective for me. This land means something to the people who live on it (or maybe, the people who want to live on it).

60 kilometers from Damascus and only 800 kilometers from Bagdad?!

Through the IDC we were also invited to hear the current Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, speak in front of the school. It was a really unique experience, and I felt incredibly honored to be there. It was a reminder that people in foreign policy are constantly traveling and meeting with others all over the world. That was confirmed when we got to meet and speak with members of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. They told us about their career paths and how they got to serve at the level of government that they do. It was all a really enriching experience for me, and I found the passion for international affairs still lives within me.

Each day there was something new to explore. Some days it was a new restaurant or a new way to eat hummus. Often it was a new part of the Mediterranean. I even saw The Avengers in a beautiful movie theater in Herzliya. I was able to stay with one of the girls from the IDC delegation, Yoti, who will be coming to Syracuse in late September for a day. The people and country are so welcoming. It was a really incredible opportunity that I will never forget. 

And if anything.. I will go back for the mountains, the ocean, and the beautiful flowers in bloom most of the year. You have got to love (or fall in love) with the Mediterranean climate!

As my luck, my own camera broke the very first day I was in Israel. A special thanks/photo cred. for all the pictures goes to Caitlin Landers, Malinda Masing, and Chris Soldovieri.