I have been back home for awhile now, and I must say that I am very happy to be back. It was not hard to adjust back to life here. I just had a lot to catch up on, a lot of letters to read, fill out, and return, and a lot of people to see.
Overall, my exchange to New York was a good experience. I went places, ate different cuisines, and participating in different activities that I would have probably never got the chance to do in South Carolina. The city was always crowded and always offered a new experience. The school I attended was not my favorite institution. I did not like the environment, and the people there were so uptight. The college was a commuter college so making friends or meeting people was difficult because 90% of the people came to class and left to go home or work. There were very few open events on campus so it was rarely anything to do there. All of these things were the opposite of what I was used to at USC. Being on campus at USC makes me happy. There is always something going on and talking to people is so much easier. As mentioned before, I enjoyed the overall experience and I am thankful I had this opportunity. If I had the chance to do this exchange again, I would probably choose another school.
0 Comments
This past week the building that I currently live in had their end of the semester carnival. They did not have zip-lines and bull rides, but they did have a lot of free food! After the carnival, I went to explore Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY. When I went there, there were only kiddie rides and a Ferris Wheel open so I did not get to ride any of the roller coasters. Instead, my friend and I sat on the pier for a while, and then walked along the boardwalk until we could not walk any further. It was so tiring. Luckily, the weather was great and made it the perfect day to walk multiple miles at once. The last outing I had this week was to Brooklyn Museum on Sunday. The museum has five floors of different collections and exhibitions of art. My favorite floor was the 4th floor because it had houses from different time periods that you could partially walk into. This feature made me feel like I was in whatever time period that the house or room was built in. It was a surreal feeling.
Today is the LAST day of classes, and I am super excited! I actually felt like this day would never come. However, now that it is here, I almost cannot believe it. Unfortunately, with the end of the semester near, that means I need to start packing all of my belongings so that I can go back to South Carolina. This is the fun, but dreadful part. I have already started, but I still feel like I have a lot more to go. The end of the semester also means FINALS WEEK! After this post, I will be getting back to studying so that I will know all the information that I need to know to pass all my finals! I will be making one final post once I am back in South Carolina to give my overall thoughts on my exchange this semester. This week my host campus finally came alive. The weather was really nice, flowers were fully bloomed, and everybody seemed to be smiling and very happy. My host campus had a Spring Fest, which was like a small carnival. At the Spring Fest, I got the chance to experience zip-lining for the first time ever! I was so scared and excited at the same time. They also had a carriage ride, a bull ride, and other great rides and games. This week, I found a new student organization that I thought was really unique and cool. The organization is called Caribbean Student Association. My roommate and I finally found the time to go to Manhattan together. We took a lot of pictures, sat on the Red Stairs in Times Square for about 30 minutes, did a little shopping, and then went and got a snack before dinner (the snack was just one taco). For dinner, we ate at a place called Hill Country Barbecue Market. I ordered ribs. They weren't the best I have ever tasted, but they were really good. I ended my week by going to Queens Botanical Garden. All of the flowers and trees there were so pretty. It was very relaxing to just walk around and take in all of nature's beauty. I felt so rejuvenated after leaving there. One weird thing that I did while there was watch a wedding take place from outside of a fenced in area. This is my last full week of classes! I really hope it goes by fast! After being at my host institution for about three months, I finally got a free t-shirt and a nice water bottle at a giveaway event! Some of you may be thinking what is so exciting about those two things when anyone can just go buy them at a store. Well, at my home institution there is always something going on and an organization is always giving away free paraphernalia. I love those events! On the contrary, my host institution did nothing like that until now. I was so excited and happy that I now have souvenirs with my host institution's name on them!
I have a little over three weeks left in New York, and I just got to the point in my exchange where I feel like I am at "home". I do not know why it took me this long to feel this way. This exchange has taught me a lot more about different cultures and people in general. I will go into more details about this part of my exchange in my final post for this semester. Flowers are finally blooming and the weather is getting warmer here. I cannot wait to explore and take some really cute pictures in this warm weather! I have been back in New York for about two weeks now. During this time, I have had the opportunity to be a NY Mets baseball fan for a night. I do not know a lot about baseball, but I still had fun and enjoyed the food and energy that filled the Citi Field Arena. Secondly, I found some time to go to The Battery in Lower Manhattan. While there I was able to see the Statue of Liberty, ride the SeaGlass Carousel, and walk a few blocks to visit the 9/11 Memorial again. One thing about that day that I did not enjoy was that a squirrel almost got in my purse. If you are curious to hear more about this event, let me know!
I am finishing up my last few weeks in NY. I never thought the end would come, but it is only about four weeks away. Things have been a little stressful with finishing up here and also maintaining and registering for classes back at my host school. Fortunately, I attended a Paint Night session that was hosted by Pinot's Palette. It lasted for two hours and it took my mind off of all the thoughts I had going through my mind. I did not think that my painting would turn out good, but to my surprise it turned out to be amazing. I have my last major test until finals this week. With the remainder of my time I plan to squeeze in as many outings as I can! Hi everyone! It has been awhile since my last post, and so many things have happened. To begin, all my midterms went well, and I am happy all that stress is gone. Now, I will talk about some of the fun activities that I have enjoyed.
About three weeks ago I finally went to my first museum since I got here. I went to the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Everything there was amazing, and had an interesting story behind it. Then, I went to Washington Square Park, took a few pictures (in front of the arch, of course), and left because the weather that day was super cold and windy. I ended my night at Nuyorican Poets Café, where a poetry slam took place. There were four poets there competing to go to the nationals to be able to showcase their own poems. They all had very creative poems, and each person had their own unique style. I love the way they were able to put words together to make the audience feel what they were saying. Before coming home for spring break, I was able to go see another Broadway show called Rocktopia. This concert showcases many great classical and rock songs. All the musical artists did a great job singing and performing each of the songs. The following week, my spring break began and I came back home to South Carolina. I enjoyed spending time with my family and getting to see my friends from USC. However, I will be going back to New York soon and it is very bittersweet. I am ready to go back, but I am not ready to leave my family again. I know that I will be back in a few more weeks. Unfortunately, that also means I only have a few more weeks to further explore what the city has to offer. This week I participated in the study abroad fair here at Queens College. I sat at the National Student Exchange table and represented the state of South Carolina and USC. The funniest question I got asked at the fair was, “What exactly is in South Carolina?” So many believe people that South Carolina is just farmland with a few houses here and there. In a way that is kind of true, but I was able to give them more information about all the other great aspects of South Carolina. I enjoyed this experience because I got to meet new faces, make new associates, and talk about the greatest university in South Carolina, a.k.a. the University of South Carolina! Another great thing that occurred this week is that multiple people that live in my residence hall recognized who I was and spoke to me. I was shocked because almost everyone on this campus seems to be very individualistic. However, I must have made a good first impression on those people who remembered me. One girl even had on a USC shirt and said “I’m representing today!” That was a great moment. On the contrary, midterms are right around the corner, and I have to prepare myself for those. So, if I miss a post or two, it is because I am studying hard or getting some rest!
I hope you all are enjoying reading these posts. If you ever have any recommendations on things that I should do or places I should go, just let me know! This past week was an extremely busy week for me. The residence hall that I live in had multiple events going on every day of the week. I went to every event except one! I met many new faces and connected with many people who are similar to me. On Saturday, I went to a Broadway show titled "The Play That Goes Wrong." It was a comedic play, and everything during the play went wrong! By the end of the show, every item that was on the stage was broken and the backdrops had fallen to the ground. This play was hilarious and amazing. I laughed so much that my abdomen was hurting at the end of the show. I would definitely recommend this play to anyone in need of a good laugh. This week was busy, but it was all worth it!
My outing to Main Street-Flushing was fantastic! When I arrived there, I was surprised by the number of people walking the street. I knew that it would be a lot of people there, but I was not expecting it to be as crowded as it actually was. The first place I visited was the US Post Office. I went there with my roommate so that she could mail out a few letters. I mentioned the US Post Office because it was so beautiful. It gave me a very antique vibe. It was just amazing. I also got to try another new cuisine on that day which was a Xi’an specialty. My taste buds are definitely expanding. I ended my outing by buying groceries at a Chinese grocery store. This stop was the highlight of my trip. Shopping there was an experience I will never forget. It was so crowded in there. People were just walking by, bumping into others, and knocking groceries down. I am not used to having people bumping into me while trying to shop for groceries. I was so ready to leave. The good thing about the Chinese grocery store was that they have really inexpensive goods. I was able to get fruits at an unusual bargain price and I bought chicken for less than three dollars! Main Street-Flushing is an area of Queens that I will never forget and will definitely go back to before the semester ends.
Many of you may know that Chinese New Year took place this week. To celebrate this event, my roommate, her friend, and I went to a Mongolian restaurant where we indulged in the Chinese tradition of hot pot. It was one big pot of boiling soup in the middle of the table. In this pot, you cook your own food items. It was a very cool experience. On that night, I tried lamb. It has a unique taste, and I will definitely eat it again one day. I am so proud of myself for trying so many different things that are outside of my comfort zone. I am really getting out of my shell and becoming open to other possibilities. One of my goals to accomplish while in in New York is to grow. I have not been here a month yet, but I can already see the difference between who I was when I came to NY and who I am becoming. I'm finally getting used to being on campus and in a new environment. This week I was able to get more involved on campus. I went to an informational event, two basketball games, and a fencing match. The basketball games were very different than USC's basketball games. There is not much support from the students that attend the college, and they do not play in an arena like USC. Queens College has a small dance team, and one of the members is my roommate! It was nice to support her at the game. The fencing match was interesting. It was my first time watching a live fencing match. My only other experience with a fencing match would be from the movie The Parent Trap. This week I tried a new cuisine, which was Korean. I went with my roommate and one of her friends. I tried a lot of new side dishes that I would have never tried in a million years in South Carolina. This week I became more cultured, and I have started to develop a higher level of tolerance for things that are different from what I am accustomed to. Tomorrow, we do not have classes, and I am so thankful. With this extra time, I plan to explore what the city of Flushing has to offer. |
Zaria CoachmanI am a USC sophomore who is participating in the National Student Exchange Program. |