Friday, June 28, 2013

Welcome to my blog! OR "But how do you socialize?"

Hello people of planet Earth!
I started this blog because I needed to keep a journal, but was too lazy to buy a notebook.  But why not make it public?
So, basically, you're going to hear about my life whether you like it or not.
The title is called "New Yonkerer" because it sounds like "New Yorker"... but I live in Yonkers.  In case you're wondering, Yonkers is a tiny little city stuck right on top of New York City like a crab riding an elephant.  But I practically LIVE in the city.  All of my classes and friends are in Manhattan or Brooklyn, and I know the subway system like the back of my hand, not to mention preferring to drink the tap water of Manhattan over any other water in the country.  So... the New Yonkerer will be like the virtual magazine equivalant of the paper-and-ink magazine of The City.

I'm homeschooled, and it's a really fantastic education, in my opinion.  An ideal environment for a 16 year old!  Very customized and holistic, and... what's that you say?  Dear lord!  'How does she socialize?' he says.. *shakes head*
I'm going to break a long- used stereotype that homeschoolers don't have friends and tell you a mind-blowing secret:  Homeschoolers interact with other people.
I can understand what you're thinking, that homeschoolers obviously have school at home, but this couldn't be further from the truth.
There are homeschool mommies and literature gods teaching classes all over the homeschool community!  Almost every day is like a field trip; because we're always out and about in The City.
Let's look at an example:
Bryant Park in September: We just learned about all of the free juggling lessons and tai chi in the green area.  But guess what?  Bryant park has it's own fascinating history, so my brother and I got to learn about that!  (An asylum for orphans burned down between 44th and 43 in the 1860s)
Then we went into the largest branch of the NYPL, and got to see the Charles Dickens exhibit, as well as the Map Room.

And when we're not doing academic studies, the extra-curricular creative projects we do almost always requires  a more left brained skill.  Steampunk cosplaying?  Well, honey, that's just another term for a research project on the history of Victorian fashion.  Sewing said steampunk outfit?  Math required.  Baking vegan cupcakes?
I shudder to think what my life would be like had i not been homeschooled.  That brings me back to that summer day five years ago when my mom asked my brother, Quintin, and I if we wanted to be homeschooled, and responded with a simultaneous "YES".  It's amazing how much my life has changed since then, and I feel so lucky to know everyone that I know.  My family puts up with a lot, and they're amazing people.  Homeschoolers tend to be rather weird, (and so am I) but I love my friends, and I'm very grateful that I know them; they made me who I am today!