By Heba Ali
The first day I went to New York, I felt like I’m walking through a crazy city that never sleeps. Although I come from loud busy city, Cairo, it was too much for me to see all these people walking down in the streets of NYC. How are all these people from every part of the world, from every socioeconomic background, walking side by side? This city is not only different from Boston, where we stayed for 3 weeks; it’s completely different from anywhere else. However, I couldn’t resist falling in love with the action, excitement and energy there. Especially, we were lucky to be based in the heart of Times Square, steps from everywhere, restaurants, parks, shopping stores, and Broadway theaters. I will not forget that thrilling evening of music, spectacle and romance, when I watched that breathtaking show, the Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, debuted in 1988, and based on the enticing story of the Phantom, who haunts the Opera stage and falls in love with a beautiful young soprano.
There’s a lot to see in NCY. I had the chance to walk in the Wall Street, pass by New York Stock Exchange, and see around all these big financial companies I have always talked about to my students. Within a 5-minute walk of the hotel, I could find to eat at different nice places, such as Halal Guys and Red Lobsters. Being surrounded by many shopping stores, I could go shopping for gifts, clothing and electronics, and I can hit all of this variety in the same day, and unsurprisingly have, on average, about 15,000–20,000 steps daily. For me personally, even if it isn’t definitely for everyone, New York is so far my cup of tea.
All opinions expressed by the program participants are their own and do not represent nor reflect official views from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, or of the Institute for Training and Development, Inc.
