Though I am blessed to be a new RA at Gramercy this year, this ain’t my first rodeo. I spent the entirety of my Sophomore Year of Pain, as it has become known in the Illustration department, as an RA on the sixth floor of the George Washington. This is where I took up residence in a space I liked to lovingly call, My Shoebox - for both its shape and sometimes its familiar smell.
Between work and my RA responsibilities, my shoebox and I became pretty well acquainted. Spending a year at the George Washington did give me something I didn’t have any of before - Experience. A lot of it. I was surprised how much I could encounter, learn, and push myself in the span of one year. There were days when I felt on top of the world, and others where I was merely a lifeless heap upon my boss’ desk. And others where I stormed through the hallways in search of the jerk that ruined my fancy music-oriented bulletin board, all of which helped me realize how much I truly love what I do. It was a wonderful experience that I will take with me wherever I go.
Still, I wanted more. Maybe not more, but definitely something different. I wanted an experience that allowed me to get to know residents better; dare I say I was in search of a family away from family? Growing up in a massive family, and then moving to an isolated building where I spent most time working on my own terms, was the residence-hall-equivalent of culture shock. I wanted people who would be there for me, to quote Mean Girls with, have people to cry to when the Illustration department would inevitably beat me to a pulp, and even read my blog entries.
And so I moved to Gramercy! I’m sure you can imagine my excitement upon knowing that my new home would be a beautiful building with high ceilings and wood floors overlooking the illustrious Gramercy Park. I have an unhealthy love of organization and shelving and now I can display all of my cute little James Jean postcards in frames and my vinyl resin red ray gun, that I may or may not have purchased at four in the morning for fifty dollars, on tiny little ledges in the windows.
I take that back. What I am most excited about is the fact that being a part of Team Gramercy is like coming home and realizing you had a family you didn’t know existed. The ladies that make up the staff you are all going to know (and love) are some of the most wonderful, sweet, bad-ass individuals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Not to mention that I’m moving into a hall full of awesome chicks with a million different talents, personalities and stories that I’m really stoked on getting to know and see and make members of my family. You do not have a choice in that, by the way. I am going to unconditionally love all of you whether you like it or not and if this sounds like a threat then we’re already off to a great start.
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