{"id":15245,"date":"2016-03-31T23:08:50","date_gmt":"2016-03-31T23:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?p=15245"},"modified":"2016-03-31T23:08:50","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T23:08:50","slug":"first-quarter-reflect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/first-quarter-reflect\/","title":{"rendered":"First Quarter Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had a few \u201cresolutions\u201d going into this year, but wasn\u2019t too strict on how quickly I wanted to accomplish them or if I even wanted to give them a start and end date. To begin, I wanted to read a new book each month or at least attempt to.<\/p>\n

I definitely made an effort toward this but I wasn\u2019t completely successful. I purchased a ton of new books (because having the physical book is the only real way to read, no e-books for me please). I started with \u201cI Am Malala\u201d because\u00a0I wanted something educational, cultural, and inspiring. I\u2019m still working through the book (there is definitely a language barrier and mispronouncing words in my mind drives me crazy), but I really enjoy the writing. As I read through, Detroit comes to mind but in a totally different way than expected. I realize how minuscule some of our worries are here in the U.S. when in the Middle East, women and girls are still fighting for simple things like going to school. Really puts things into perspective and makes you realize how lucky you are.<\/p>\n

Another one of my \u201cresolutions\u201d was to collect records. I recently became the lucky owner of a record player given to me by my grandparents and was extremely excited to start collecting records immediately. I went to a small record shop right across the street from my apartment building in Eastern Market to begin my collection. I\u2019ve always been interested in jazz music and realized the best way to hear it is either live or through a record player, so that is where my collection began. I selected a few artists I\u2019ve never heard of at random and of course, had to pick up a Frank Sinatra album (or two). I\u2019m in the process of finding a receiver\/amp to actually play the sound through, so I\u2019ve chatted with a few owners from record stores to find some places that would sell those.<\/p>\n

A third and ongoing \u201cresolution\u201d\u00a0was to explore more bars and restaurants within Detroit, downtown and in the neighborhoods. Ever since starting Challenge Detroit, I\u2019ve been a little far behind compared to the rest of the Fellows in exploring new places, but I think I\u2019ve finally caught up in my own time. And plus, I was able to get some feedback and recommendations from the Fellows, which is always a plus. Some of my favorites to date include:<\/p>\n