Work?

I seemed to have gotten a one day gig. It was on Sunday. I was a monitor for an ACT test at a school on the tip of Manhattan at a place called Northeastern academy at 532 West 215th Street. On the map it looks so open and I expected green. It looked like the Bronx.

All those old ideas of the Bronx. Industrial, crowded and everything was so closely packed and low, that it felt dirty even though I don't remember seeing any trash. The river was another disappointment. Somehow, if you look down the river it seemed to have shrunk to half itself after it passed under the bridge. Very odd.

As for the test I had to be there early. I got an hour's sleep before I was up and getting ready to leave at 5:30am. I didn't realize that there was no express service so it took me longer to get there than it normally would. So an hour and a half later I got there and then found the stairs that reminded me of Seattle. I didn't stop to take any pictures because I was trying to breath on my way up and also because I didn't know how much prep they would need me to do and I didn't want to be too late even though I got there just after 7am.

I found three kids already there. Two were on standby so they came to make sure and I guess the other was a friend of one of them.

Well once we were inside I was one of the few early ones to show up. I was showed and explained stuff then I was then given the others to explain things too even though it was my first time there.

Once everyone was in the right place and we knew what we had to do, they let the kids in and we checked them in, (ticked their name off a list once they showed us two things). We bumped into a few problems but once they were cleared up we started the tests. It was later than we expected. We thought that it would have started at 8 but I think we started 30 mins later than that and everyone just stayed in the gym were we checked them until they were told they could go to their assigned classrooms.

We had kids from all over show up for this test. First off, this test was being held in an SDA school. It was on Sunday so that kids of SDA and Jewish families would be able to take the test since the normal test dates are on Saturday.

So it was no surprise when a lot of the IDs were for kids in Jewish schools. Of course not everyone was there for religious reasons, but most were. We got kids from all over the city. I didn't see anyone from Staten Island, but I got a few from NJ, MS and this girl that came from Canada. I held her suitcase for her while she took her test.

They were rather friendly. I hated the shirt I was wearing but halfway through checking them in, I started to think that the boys couldn't help but look down my shirt, but at one point I had to lay my hands on the table. My back was hurting me.

So once the students were sent off to their rooms a was relocated to the hallway for the late ones. We only got like one or two late students. Then I was called in the office to give them info so I could get paid for helping out. Then I was sent to get everyone else to fill in their information. So I first went down to the basement, bypassed the first floor where I was 'helping' to monitor the students in the gym and went up to the second, third, forth and fifth floors to get the sheets filled out. I even took over look over a class while someone went on a break for 10 or so mins.

I was a bit happy and surprised that it was rather easy. I was just concerned about what I would do if I actually caught someone cheating. Lucky me I didn't really have that issue.

Once I had gotten everyone else's information I went back to the gym to get the same from the guy I was helping out. He... needed the helped at times. When I came in I gave him a break, he filed out his part of the sheet and gave it into the office and I took over reading the instructions for him. He wasn't that loud or clear for some reason. I'm happy I'm a person who reads and writes.

You know what I mean. I've never read something/anything thing because I had to. I'm a reader. I'm the girl that looked at my 'friend' from Boston in disbelief as she said that she couldn't watch Jeprdy and her sister questioned my will to read a book while they were getting their hair done.

That reminds me. While I was out with her on Friday, I told her to if she had to go to the bank I would go with her. So while she was waiting for the person she wanted to see to become free, I took out my book and started to read. Then she was called and went back there to talk business. Well I was doing fine and reading a way. Other people showed up and one sat next to me while we all waited for something.

My 'friend' then comes back out and gives me a beauty mag to read. I told her that I already had a book and lifted it to show her incase she couldn't see it for some reason. Then told me that it looked boring and went back the person she was working with. I couldn't believe it. I felt insulted. I felt insulted on my half of my book. I looked around stunned. The looks on other people's faces showed that she shocked them too. The mag so offended me at that point I all but threw it unto another table where it wouldn't be in my sight.

Then she came back and was actually surprised that I wasn't reading it. :(

Back to the test thing.

Well I brought up the reading thing because when I was going around I had to wait for one of them to read off information for the start of another part of the test and it was almost as if she was just reading words. Almost, the guy in the gym was just reading words and he wasn't that loud. I'm surprise that they knew what to do when I heard part of what he was saying. I didn't get it.

So I was more than happy to take over that job and announcing as time ticked by in 20 min slots until we got down to the last 5.

We had two phones go off while the test was in progress and one student didn't stop when the time was up.

But other than it, it was ok. Oh, one question about using a calculator for the science part. The people who came up with the guild lines did not say that they could use one, so they couldn't. Considering that they were learning to do this with a calculator in school, I thought it was unfair but I couldn't do anything about it.

We didn't void any tests in my group, but at the end of the day, one lady voided two in her set of kids. So they will have to it. I'm not sure were, but I don't think there.

I started to nod off at 1pm I think. That is when I was sent home after helping to sort out most of the exams and helping with the count. You don't need to know.

So I asked about getting to a RadioShack. They have this sale and I needed to ask a question. I ended up getting a ride over the bridge into the Bronx. I got a no to my question then I caught the train back. By that time the express was running so I was home in like 45 mins.

I then slept most of the next day. I did come home and eat, but after that it starts to get fuzzy. :)

Other than that, it's just been me and my stories. I think I've gotten to the end of that story I got from someone else. I'll see if they approve or want me to add one one more.

Oh, I booked my trip to Philly last night. It will be $8 to go I think, and $7 to come back, I think also. I intend to see more this trip than Boston. I'm not sure I'll have a philly cheese stake sandwich or not.

Later.