FRO 2012: BWA

Of all the enrichment workshops I’ve been to during freshman orientation is the visit to the Rubin Museum. The environment of this workshop is much preferred over the other ones. I enjoyed the peaceful and quiet aura the museum produced. I enjoyed the unique and modern architecture of the museum building. I enjoyed the intake of new knowledge I  captured regarding a somewhat intriguing topic. I enjoyed staring at the artifacts and paintings available. I think I enjoyed almost every aspect of this workshop, except for the walking. I admit I am a lazy person and it was also a cold day. If only the Rubin Museum was closer to Baruch, like right next door.

My favorite part of the Rubin Museum enrichment workshop was the shrine. It’s my first time seeing a shrine of this sort. It made me feel eerily relaxed and peaceful. It also made me want to go take a nap for a while. This came as a surprise for me, since I usually don’t like being in dark places and seeing a lot of lighted candles. I usually prefer bright rooms with a lot of windows and emptiness. I believe this trip is the most enriching to me, so it earned a place in my heart as being my favorite enrichment workshop of my experiences in freshmen orientation.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=377254179010270&set=a.269015616500794.60399.269011599834529&type=1&theater

I thought after I graduated high school I would escape the poorly developed faucets that are available in bathrooms. I was wrong. Baruch uses the same faucets where one hand must be kept on the faucet for water to come out. A dilemma emerges where I am made unable to rub my hands together to get rid of soap residue. I am therefore forced to adapt by using only one hand to accomplish this task. It is as if the college is discouraging us to properly wash our hands after each use of the porcelain facilities.

However, if interested in the prospect of being able to wash your hands adequately, I have discovered the third floor bathrooms in the VC building to be embellished with automatic sinks. And the the bathroom on the 7th floor of the library building has one lone sink that actually has handles that you turn to keep the water running. This information only regards female facilities.

My favorite workshop would be hands down the Rubin Museum of Art. Though I expected a big building comparable to the Met, the small yet airy space could not have been more fitting. The stairs, as well as the layout really got to me. To top it all off, there was this sense of quiet peace that made me want to just shut up and get lost. The fact that it used to be a store was incredible, especially because they kept the staircase that tied everything together. To be perfectly honest, the majority of the art didn’t appeal to me. I only saw a fraction of the gallery that day, so I’m eager to go back. In the constantly moving pace of city life, the tranquil little piece of the Himalayas really brought about a sense of balance. Some of the deity pieces seemed almost tacky, but the prayer room was absolutely serene. I was never a fan of any artwork depicting mankind or its many gods, but the artwork of the geography was nothing short of breathtaking. I definitely look forward to going back during the week of midterms and taking a little time off to calm myself. I never really appreciated the level of depth that Himalayan art contained. It was definitely the most enriching workshop so far. Plus I hear they have a nice lounge that’s worth checking out.