The sun rises in Detroit
My alarm goes off, I hit snooze. This dance continues for fifteen minutes or so before I determine that I will not be able to eat breakfast if I don’t get up within the next ten minutes. From there, I proceed with my morning routine; showering, getting dressed, making my lunch and eating breakfast. Then I’m out the door. At this point in time I am finally able to carry on a semi-coherent conversation as I ride the elevator down to the first floor where my bike awaits me outside.
My method of transport
Now that everyone who needs one has a bike, there is a group of 6 of us who bike together to work every day because we share the same route. Once everyone is downstairs, we head out for the day. When I’m riding my bike, I often think of the wise words of Gil Penalosa, a big advocate for constructing safe bike lanes in big cities who gave a speech in Detroit a couple of weeks ago. One of his criticisms of Detroit’s current system is that the bikers are on the road protecting the parked cars, when it should be the other way around. I’ve thought a lot about this and have decided that the parked cars don’t need my protection so I opt to bike on the sidewalk.
The Fisher Building
The ride takes about 15 minutes but the Fisher Building is visible within 5. This building, which sold for a bafflingly miniscule 10 million dollars, is my central point for navigation around Detroit’s Midtown. I can tell how far away I am from anywhere based on my proximity to the building and its green roof. I have the pleasure of admiring the Fisher building throughout the day because I work right across from it and will sometimes take lunch in one of the restaurants it holds. I admire the building because I feel that it is an excellent bridge between the two Detroits. It was constructed during the golden age of the American Automobiles, yet it continues to stand in magnificence and many people recognize this and are willing to invest their money to see the buildings transition into a new Detroit.
Once we’ve arrived at work, Divya and I park our bikes then head inside. We are greeted with a cheery “How are y’all doing?” by the security guard before we head inside. Once in the office, we sit down and get right to work. Detroit Future City is going through the process of transitioning into a non-profit so everyone is very busy making sure that everything goes smoothly. Although our office is the same every day, what we do inside it has great variation. On any given day, you can find me working with anything from designing equations to writing up a report on a local Detroit business. I may not even be in the office. I may be out surveying neighborhoods with the other interns, one of my favorite activities. Every day I come into work with a sense of excitement at the fact that I am going to be learning something new and that what I’m learning will eventually bring a positive change to the city of Detroit, which continues to thrill me.
A community garden in a local neighborhood
After 3 to 4 hours of hard work Divya and I break for lunch. We are joined by David, Liza, Shelby and Chris, some of our friends from the DukeEngage program. Our conversations quickly carry us through the time we’ve allotted ourselves for our break. The time after our break is generally devoted to a meeting between Divya, Collin (The other excellent intern), and myself. It is here were we discuss our project and work towards solutions for the difficulties that we’ve been experiencing. These meetings will take us to the end of the day when we get to bike home.
Despite the route being the same in morning and evening, I always feel that the ride back takes much more time. I think that this is because Divya and I always engage in some very thought-provoking discussion on the way home, which causes me to slow down in order to better contemplate our conversations. I believe I have a better understanding of both the world around me and myself after these afternoon bike rides, which is something that I am very grateful for. But, alas, we arrive at University Tower and our conversation must wait to be continued the following day.
It generally takes me a half of an hour or so for me to get the energy to get up and go out and do something after I get home from work. I relax with an episode on Netflix before I head to the gym. The gym is a good opportunity for me to clear my head; either through lifting weights or playing squash I can exhaust myself enough so that I can concentrate on whatever I do for the rest of the night without being too jittery.
Once I, again, arrive at the Golden Toaster (University Towers), I sit down and think on the plethora of options before me that I can use to occupy my time before I go to bed. Tonight the group has settled on a game of Settlers of Catan. Now I could probably go on to write a whole blog about this game; this challenging, addicting, torturous game. But I’m going to stop myself short and just say that it is a lot of fun and an excellent way to build a healthy group dynamic. A large part of the game is resource management so the most skilled players are the ones who make the most out of the cards they’ve been given. Resource distribution will come up in conversations about Detroit as well so I think of the city whenever I am playing Catan. After we’ve finished, I begin to start winding down for the night. I will read for a half an hour or so before moving on to write about what I’ve done during the day.
Despite the route being the same in morning and evening, I always feel that the ride back takes much more time. I think that this is because Divya and I always engage in some very thought-provoking discussion on the way home, which causes me to slow down in order to better contemplate our conversations. I believe I have a better understanding of both the world around me and myself after these afternoon bike rides, which is something that I am very grateful for. But, alas, we arrive at University Tower and our conversation must wait to be continued the following day.
It generally takes me a half of an hour or so for me to get the energy to get up and go out and do something after I get home from work. I relax with an episode on Netflix before I head to the gym. The gym is a good opportunity for me to clear my head; either through lifting weights or playing squash I can exhaust myself enough so that I can concentrate on whatever I do for the rest of the night without being too jittery.
Once I, again, arrive at the Golden Toaster (University Towers), I sit down and think on the plethora of options before me that I can use to occupy my time before I go to bed. Tonight the group has settled on a game of Settlers of Catan. Now I could probably go on to write a whole blog about this game; this challenging, addicting, torturous game. But I’m going to stop myself short and just say that it is a lot of fun and an excellent way to build a healthy group dynamic. A large part of the game is resource management so the most skilled players are the ones who make the most out of the cards they’ve been given. Resource distribution will come up in conversations about Detroit as well so I think of the city whenever I am playing Catan. After we’ve finished, I begin to start winding down for the night. I will read for a half an hour or so before moving on to write about what I’ve done during the day.
Getting some practice in at urban planning. I'm planning on giving my cities some bike lanes soon.
It was my father who suggested the idea of journaling to me before I came to Detroit. Although I was apprehensive, initially, I am certainly glad that I chose to follow his advice. Writing for those couple minutes every night has greatly enhanced my ability to remember my experiences in addition to allowing me to sort through my day and begin to plan for the following one. Journaling has also helped me realize how unique every single day is. There has been no “typical day” for me this summer, every day has been uniquely different; whether the day is spent with my coworkers at DFC, my DukeEngage cohort with whom I hope to remain lifelong friends, or just a day in the very much alive city of Detroit itself. My alarm goes off and I wake up with a sense of excitement at the unexpected. And I prepare to face the unknown in the Motor City. I couldn’t be happier.
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