Out of all the things we’ve done, here is one of the craziest. Sunday was the Staten Island Triathlon, and we competed in full force. Not many can pull off such a rigorous training schedule while also traveling, working, and schooling. But low and behold we did it, and we even placed in the top 5 in our age group (18-24), with Michelle getting 3rd, and Alicia getting 4th! In addition, Alicia was the first female to complete the swimming portion for the entire race.
If you want motivation, and something to work towards, you should definitely do a triathlon! Foot races are cool and all, but there is no contest when it comes to being a well rounded individual, and excelling in multiple endeavors. Balance is one of the key lessons we’ve learned, and this triathlon proves our dedication to maintaining the body portion of the mind, body, and soul trifecta of life. Ok, enough preaching, time strap on your shoes, jump on your bike, and feel the wind in your hair. Life is happening, and you are a participant.
Always looking for a new challenge, we signed up for a triathlon while we were back in Brazil. Now all of a sudden its this weekend. Since we have no gym membership, we’ve had to put our resourcefulness into high gear and figure out how we were going to cross train on zero budget. Thank god New York City has a renowned public park system. In Central Park there is an Olympic sized pool so we can practice swimming for free. Then along the “coast” of Manhattan is a bike route which serves as running track. Bike rentals for $10 an hour...you get the picture
Being resourceful in a new city is an awesome skill to develop. Here are some tips on how to hone in on yours:
1. ) Online Coupons. Where ever you are going always check for online discounts. If you can’t print out coupons, just show people them on the screen of your mobile phone, and it works out.
2.) Public Domain. Just go hit up anything that is free and public. Not only is it adventurous, but you can also find get linked up to more free stuff to do once you are there.
3.) Street flyers. Accept those pamphlets boys and girls, and you might just find out the coolest restaurant in your neighborhood, free yoga, or 2 for 1 cocktails
4.) Libraries for Movies. The DVD selection is amazing, you just have to dig. We have seen some of the best films of our lives ever since we got our New York Public Library Card.
5.) Eat Dinner Early. Many restaurants have lunch specials that go till 5:30 pm. You can literally get the same thing for 50% off. So have that pre-dinner snack...post-dinner instead!
After our expansive travels, we realized that we have a huge desire to help all people and places that stand for positive change in the world. Why not flaunt ad skills for our book, while to reaching out to our community? Meet Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, the only organic rooftop veggie garden in NYC. Located in Greenpoint Brooklyn, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is around 6,000 square feet and categorized as a greenroof because it uses compost and recycled shale as the beds for the crops. This is right up our alley! We plan on creating an ad campaign for Eagle Street, which we will then donate to them to use as they wish. Hopefully, we can drive more interest towards Eagle Street and organic urban farming. Thanks to our teacher, Martin from Grey NY, for giving us this awesome client to work on!
To fellow Students and Teachers: In a time where global consciousness is rising, why not create or assign a campaign that could be donated to a local cause? We are doing these things for free anyways, so might as well be helping. A successful, real-life piece, (maybe with some green-flare) would be a perfect topic to discuss with CD’s in a job interview. Doesn’t get more mainstream and pop-culture than that!
