New York City - Week 1

I have been in New York for a week, and I can’t imagine going home. I absolutely love it here! It is my first time on my own, and I don’t feel homesick, I feel comfortable. In such a short amount of time, New York has slowly grown into a place I call home. I’ve already gotten into a daily routine. I know the subway system and I know where to go in the city. I enjoy the simple things like roaming around and in such a big city; you can never run out of things to do!

Click "read more" for more on my first week in New York.

Life at NYU is pretty great! I would have never imagined myself to enjoy living in a dorm, but I love it! Three other girls and I share a “suite”. There are two rooms attached to a living area with a small kitchen and bathroom. To have that as a living space in New York City is pretty amazing, considering what it would normally cost with rent. The view of my room is the courtyard of our building, which is very nice. Of course our dorm rooms are nothing special, but they don’t really need to be. It’s not like they are gross, cause then it would be an issue.
The NYU campus is spread out around Union Square and Washington Square Park. To get to the dining hall for breakfast we have to walk about 10-15 minutes. Since it’s the morning it’s a nice walk, and trust me it’s totally worth it. The NYU buildings are gorgeous, especially this dining hall. We get to eat our breakfast with an awesome view! It over looks Washington Square Park and right behind it is the Empire State Building standing tall. Most of our meals are eaten out or at the dining halls but we also stocked up on some food. I bought Cheerios, blueberries, milk, OJ, and cups (yes, I eat my cereal out of a cup … cups have multipurpose!).

I’ve had two classes so far and they are actually quite enjoyable. Some people dread it, but hey, I like school! They were each one hour long, but the time flew by. It’s cool taking a class at NYU, and the teacher is great. My class is quite small, possibly 20, so it’s interactive with discussions, which I like.

The program I’m in offers a lot of activities! So far we have gone on a bus tour, a boat cruise, the NBC tour, the Staten Island Ferry, 5th avenue shopping, to see Rain on Broadway, to see a movie of our choice, to a baseball game, and more.

When we have free time, we wander around the city and do whatever we please. Since it’s a program for high school, there are restrictions. We have a “home area” which we cannot leave without a staff member, unless it's part of an activity. However, the home area is quite large. To be honest there is more to do in the home area then there is in my entire city back home. Oh, New York, how I love you so!

To prevent this blog post from getting extremely long, I am going to sum it all up. I LOVE it here! I knew I loved New York City, but I had no idea I would love living here. I mean, yes, it hasn’t even been two weeks, but I’ve gotten into the lifestyle of going to work in the morning, having fun in the evenings, and taking classes. I feel as though I know where I’m going and I know what I’m doing. There are only three weeks left of this program and I can’t bare going home (even though I absolutely love my home/family/friends). This is a lifestyle I never imagined I’d get the chance to experience and I’m loving everything it has to offer!