https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=znZt560g2ClU.kkFb0ruNG8gQ&usp=sharing

http://goo.gl/maps/HabyP
It all started at my house on Ferndale Ave, Jamaica, Queens,New York. When you read the poem song of myself, it talks about self-fulfillment and self-actullization through our interconnection with the world. This reminds of my journey yesterday from my house to Uber office and to LIRR Taxi stand in Queens.
I woke up yesterday to the sound of my two weeks son’s crying. Thank God that babies in thier first one month always cry early in the morning to set their parents off to their daily routine. Yesterday at home wasn’t just a typical day. The celebration of the world through Whitman eyes in Song of Myself set thing up for me at home. I normally leave the house to go to work or school and my wife takes over after me but yesterday was diffferent. She wasn’t well due to her c-section with our son. So, I had to organized everything and prepared the baby food before leaving to Uber office to fulfill that need of self actuallization.

http://goo.gl/maps/havDO
When I got to Uber office, things were different. As mention in the Heart Sutra that “form is emptiness and emptiness is form.” This actually became a reality, when I visited Uber office. Their use of emptiness through form in their customer service office where every desk is far apart but interconnection through the work they all share. Their customer service office is rectangular: on both sides of the wall there is a long line of customers service representatives and in the middle of this rectangular form–the customers form line to await their names to be call. I was called to interact with this emptiness that connected all of us as mention the Heart Sutra. I was able to signup for Uber as one of their professional vehicle owner. Eventhough needs are endless, but I was able to fulfill that need of self actualization that I now owned an SUV that is with Uber.

http://goo.gl/maps/xIMXL
At the LIRR Taxi stand in Queens. After leaving Uber office where form was emptiness and emptiness was form, I was set to face the celebration of the world through Whitman. I was excited of my new fulfillment and actuallization that I am now ready to interact with the world. At the Station, my Uber apps on the Iphone flash for pickup and I 0kay it. This customer approach my car and asked” what is your initial” and she said it. But this connection through Uber app and the customer is manificent that this world is actually interconnected as rightfully said by Whitman in Song of Myself that people see the world through him.

My-Journey-Through-NYC-2

My Journey Through NYC

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zo0m3UJCoD9E.khb0Sh_n9iKM

1. Bay Ridge Avenue (Bottom Point)

   “My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air,
   Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same” (Song of Myself, 1)

   This is the neighborhood I grew up in, the only area that brings me comfort and is my safe space because I know I am home. But, often times I find myself thinking how would life have been different if I was not born here, or if my parents decided to move away from their parents to venture out to another state. These thoughts have been reoccurring due to the curiosity of how different would I have been from the “me” I am now. But this place is the start of my journey, and that is unchangeable. 

2. Pace University (Second Point)

   “He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps, and He saw that in their own-being they were empty” (The Heart Sutra)

   Though I am not entirely aware of the meaning behind this line in the poem, this spoke out to me and how I felt at Pace University. At this place, I felt I was being held back from what I was capable of and was always put towards the side like a heap of dirty clothes. Many might argue with me I have it all wrong and I would be able to see the quality and beauty of the school if I tried, but being there I felt empty. While everyone had a specific goal, I was an empty being as I was unsure of what I wanted to be or where I wanted to be. I just knew that I did not want to stay at Pace University any longer leading me to Baruch College.

3. Baruch College (Top Point)

   “You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
   But I shall be good health to you nevertheless” (Song of Myself, 52)

   This is the place where I am standing in life now. It took me a year and half to finally makeup my mind to switch out from Pace University and attend Baruch College. This was possibly the hardest decision I have made as I had to leave old friends to create new ones. As I’ve only been at Baruch for a semester, I have gained more help from advisors and professors here than I have at my year and half at Pace University. Like the line in the poem, I don’t know Baruch College and how it will be helpful to me, but I do know this is the place I will be seeing for another two years. 

I was unable to attach any type of media, here is the link where you can see the map of my Journey to Baruch: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1-injYZFH632ssXAqGvgqJhBvniCLlEWwtn1d4ODG-QI/edit?usp=sharing

1. I.S. 98 Bay Academy

“I accept Reality and dare not question it,

Materialism first and last imbuing” (Song Of Myself, 23)

This point in my life I rarely doubted the things I was taught in school. From subject to subject I believed every line of text I read and every word that came from the mouth of my teachers. I had little need for critical thinking and was an adolescent obsessed with toys, video games and sneakers. The system had me in its vices and it would be a few more years till I broke free.

2. Midwood High School

” Therefore, O Sariputra, it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the

Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been

made to tremble, he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.” (The Heart Sutra)

At this stage in my life I was finally able to see the world as it really was. My “thought-coverings” were almost entirely removed due to the literature that I read and the topics that I studied and I was able to gather a better understanding of my life and the world around me. My interest in politics, history and culture came about here and allowed me greater insight into humanity.

3. Baruch College

“Walt Whitman, a kosmos, of Manhattan the son,

Turbulent, fleshy, sensual, eating, drinking and breeding,

No sentimentalist, no stander above men and women or apart from them,

No more modest than immodest” (Song Of Myself, 24)

Whitman does a good job of describing my current place in life. I know who I am and what I am and know what I want to study and what I want to delve into in the future. Baruch has allowed me the opportunity to make meaningful connections and study elaborate topics of interest to me. My place in this world for now is concrete and my academic career close to an end. What waits for me on this path is a mystery but one I will happily indulge in, eyes wide open.

Jaclyn Corral

ENG 2850

Journey to Baruch College

Sept 12, 2015

1) “Since we have nothing to do today, let us follow the stream up to its source to have some fun” ( Journey to the west: Chapter 1)

This quote from the first chapter of Journey to the west reminds me of the place I grew up. It is right on a peninsula and completely surrounded by water. When I was younger I would walk with my dad from the beginning of the bay to the end of the ocean and we would watch the birds and the animals swimming in the water. From these adventurous we took when I was younger, grew my deep love for animals and the ocean.

Breezy to Grand Central

2) “Darkness was upon the face of the deep.” (Genesis)

This quote, although it is not exactly how it was meant in Genesis, reminds me of a dark time in my life. My freshman year of college was horrible and I absolutely hated going away. So this quote reminds me of all the times I had to take the train from Grand Central to go back to School, when all I wanted to do was stay in the city.

Grand Central to Baruch College

3) “All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom” (The Heart Sutra)

Although I am definitely not a bodhissatva, this quote makes me think of Baruch College, and how it was one of the greatest decisions I ever made. After realizing I did not like where I was freshman year of college, all I could do was study as hard as I could, get good grades, and transfer to Baruch where I knew I would be happier. In choosing to go to school in the city, specifically at Baruch, I bettered my future and made my self a million times happier than I could’ve ever been at my previous college.

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1 King James Version)

• Long Beach is one of the most scenic places that I’m proud to call my home. In this excerpt from Genesis, God created the Seas. Seeing as the beach is one of the most peaceful places, this passage suits as a good description for Long Beach. Reading this quote illustrates the great feeling of standing on the dry sand and looking out onto the immense sea.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years … And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night … God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness … And the evening and the morning were the fourth day” (Genesis 1 King James Version)

• This passage reminded me of my daily commute on the train to Penn Station. As I am in school for two long days a week, my days start early and end late. Waking up for my 8:00 am train is like getting up with the sun. While leaving school for my 7:00 pm train is like going home as the sun goes down.

“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars” (Song of Myself, 7)

• Madison Square Park is a place I visit every day on my way to and from school. Being there so often allows me to see the diversity of activities and people that also enjoy the park. I interpreted this line from Song of Myself as celebrating a single blade of grass just as you would celebrate the stars. An individual entity is no more or less important than the whole group of entities. To interpret this literally, the grass, trees, sand and rocks that are all individually existing in the park make up a beautiful place for people to exercise, eat, socialize, and walk. These individual activities make up the parks’ society.

Point A: William and Anita Newman Library

Quote: “I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise” – Song of Myself

Explanation: This quote immediately made me think of the library. I recall moments where I’d do nothing except take a nap or throw paper airplanes to my friends. I felt young, childish. However, I did feel old and wise when it came down to finals week, where I’d study the material intensely without breaking stride.

Point B: Union Square Park

Quote: “Though, I am very happy at the moment, I am a little concerned about the future. Hence! I’m distressed.” – The Journey to the West

Explanation: Union Square Park is where I had a great time hanging out with my friends. It was nothing special but it was calm, fun, and full of joy. I was happy. Just like the monkey though, I worried about the future. For a split second I thought of how when that moment in Union Square ended, so did that happiness I was feeling. I couldn’t help thinking of the fact that everything and there was nothing to stop it. Thus, for a fraction of a second I was “distressed.”

Point C: My Home (Queens)

Quote:

“I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d,

I stand and look at them long and long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

They do make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.”

– Song of Myself

Explanation: Often when I look at my cat or dog, I feel envious. They are unaware of the problems human beings have to face whether it be a global problem or a personal problem. To me this quote puts into words what I feel when I look at either of my pets and think “I wish I could be a cat/dog.” Without any worries or cares, and quietly happy is what I want to be.