This
is my last week in New York so, it’s about time to look back and evaluate this
intense experience sadly coming to an end.
Samuel
Johnson once said: “…when a
man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that
life can afford.” I think this is true for New York too. I lived in London
for a while, but New York makes you feel way more the fact that you are in a
place where anything could happen. People from all over the world meet here
because they feel they can realize their dreams in a city that has so many
things to offer. This was true for me too… Having loved ballet since I was I
child, I fulfilled one of my dreams last week when I attended the New York City
Ballet Fall Gala at Lincoln Center. I was in heaven...
Unluckily
during the night I heard some noises in my room and the following morning I
found out a mouse nibbled my roommate’s bread. This is an example of what it is
like living in New York: one moment you are as happy as you have hardly ever
been and all of a sudden something bad or disgusting happens (anyway, I have a
new room now!!). In the Big Apple you have to get used to living with mice,
cockroaches and mad people in the streets that every now and then shock you. In
the morning you read the newspaper and much as you find a bunch of adverts of
exciting things going on, you discover that horrible things happened near the
place where you live or work or like spending time. But Samuel Johnson was
right, that’s life and we all have to accept it and prevent bad news to let us
down. New York isn’t for sure an easy city to live in, but it helps you test
and improve your ability to adapt to and accept different situations life brings
on.
There
are so many things I will miss when I will be back in Italy… first of all the
food!! Although New Yorkers try to eat healthy, junk food is everywhere for the
joy of visitors like me who can eat pancakes, French toasts, hamburgers, fries,
doughnuts... If you stay here for a short time you really should try everything
at least once as I am still trying to do… it’s difficult though because there
are too many restaurants offering food from all over the world. As I wrote in
one of my previous posts, I will miss the freedom of being who you really are
since nobody judges you. The thing I will miss the most is for sure the
possibility of choosing a different activity or a place to visit every day, and
while doing that having the electrifying awareness I am finally part of the world
so far I only had the chance to observe from my couch, far away at home.
In
conclusion, I can’t forget giving you my feedback about NYLC: this is a great
school with great teachers and a staff that really cares about students. I am
not writing that because I have to, but because I have observed several courses
during my internship and I find they all are really interesting. Teachers
constantly involve students and the communicative approach they use is effective.
New York language Center doesn’t focus only on grammar, writing, listening and
speaking skills, they also offer courses that give you keys to understand the
American slang, help you learn phrasal verbs (such a difficult part of the
English language) or give you the chance to discuss current issues. For those
who like writing there is also a course called Explore New York: each week you
visit a neighborhood and you write about your experience in class. And do not
forget the activities you can take part to every week!! New York Language
Center is the best choice to learn English and experience the most fascinating
and contradictory city in the world.
Elisa
Bye Eliza and thanks for the time you spent with us.
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