New York, New York.

This past month I had the pleasure to visit New York City, it was my second trip to the Big Apple and New York is just one of those cities that gets better every time you go there. Maybe it is because you get use to spending a fortune at Starbucks and walking across the street even when your not suppose to, (those of you who have been there know what I mean.)

Being in New York with a group of 178 exchange students was very interesting and a lot of fun. Not only did I get to see all the monuments, again, it was so amazing to talk to other young people in the same situation as myself. We lived outside New York City in Newark, New Jersey, so each morning we had to drive to the city, which was fine but I had never thought it could take two hours to drive 10 miles, but at rush hour in New York City; it can!

I was rooming with three other girls from Sweden and Germany, it was great even though it was a true test to share one bathroom between four seventeen year old girls, especially because is was tiny, we had people sitting on the toilet putting make up on, standing in the shower doing their hair and standing in the door brushing their teeth, it was very interesting.

Of course we saw all the things you are supposed to see as an tourist in New York, The Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and China Town. Everywhere we went we attracted curious looks from amazed Chinese tourists who with enthusiasm took pictures of our group of young people from all over the world. It was amazing to be with this wonderful group of people and it was so fun to hear over ten different languages being spoken at the same time, even though it was not allowed according to the Youth For Understanding trip rules; no one can speak their native language do that no one will feel left out, but when you haven’t spoken Danish or German or French or what ever in eight months it is very tempting when you meet people from your home country.

One of the last days we went to Ground Zero. And it was nothing but a busy construction site yet it was still very emotional to see just how devastating the attacks were. It is almost like at Ground Zero people aren’t as loud and there is a certain atmosphere, it is a must see place in New York, very irregular from the other monuments yet it is such a big part of the city, that you can’t experience New York with out visiting Ground Zero.

One of the things the Big Apple is famous for is the absolutely wonderful shopping it provides, Time Square is so amazing and big and you can find a lot of great things there but I really enjoyed shopping in all the side streets where you can make some unique and often cheaper purchases then in the main stores. In New York you can find whatever you are looking for and nobody should miss a visit to this great city it is an absolutely amazing experience. As Frank Sinatra sang: “Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today I want to be a part of it - New York, New York”