WCCUSD takes New York

We finally made it to New York! I have never been here before and I was so excited getting off of the train. The first thing I saw when exiting Penn Station was a bustling city: taxis everywhere, people walking and talking in a rush, and so much noise everywhere. It was super intimidating! Although I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time, I could not believe that it had actually come. It was everything I had expected and more. When I arrived at Columbia with my luggage, I realized how fast my heart was beating. I could not contain my excitement and I could not keep still for the life of me. The cohort checked in and it was time for goodbyes. After being together for so long it was a little difficult to go our separate ways. But for the same reason, I was extremely ready to move into a dorm after living in a hotel for a week straight.

Outside of Penn Station, New York

I was the first to move in, but my RA (residential adviser) Kaleigh did not make me feel lonely at all! In my housing situation I have a suite where there are two rooms with two girls each and a bathroom for us to share. I settled in and went to meet with Emily, Michelle, and Kendall to grab some things from the local drugstore and afterward we ate lunch in a cute cafe off of Broadway Street. It was a nice final girls' outing and when I returned to my dorm, I met two of my suite mates, Rose, a junior from Canada, and Nina, a freshman from Brasil.  They were so nice to me! I went to visit Michelle, Monica, and Emily's rooms to kill time and when I came back to my room it was time for the High School Program (HSP) barbecue! I headed over to Lerner Hall with my RA and suite mates, including my roomie Keira from Irvine, CA. We all got along really well and talked about ourselves on the way to the barbecue for dinner, getting to know each other better. 

Lowe Library

The view from my 13th floor dorm

After dinner, Kaleigh took us out in front of Lowe Library, Columbia's most recognizable building, to talk to us about a few rules for the summer program. She also took us around campus and explained that she actually attends Rochester University in Upper New York, but is an RA this summer for experience in education. The campus is beautiful and so are the people I am getting to know. Everyone here is very friendly and I feel welcomed. There are some RA trips I want to sign up for (fieldtrips that RAs take students on in New York City) and seem interesting to me. There are a lot of opportunities I have to experience the city, but I also need to remember to focus on class.

Today was a good day and I am thrilled that I was able to meet new people and experience new things in the Big Apple. From walking down Broadway Street to trying new food to meeting new people, I could not ask for a happier start to my experience here at Columbia. Tomorrow is my first day of class and I can't wait to see what kind of people I will meet there.