New York City, Centre of the Universe

Hello everybody!!

So here we go! There comes my first real entry into my brand new Language Learning Blog… Still haven’t found a proper title for it, I’m trying to be really smart, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little while still, dearest readers. Anyway. Yes. Where was I… Ah, yes, my first entry… So, I decided to write about a journey, because “spicing up the travels” is one of the main purposes of learning languages, as far as I am concerned. So yeah, here you go, a little account of my unforgettable travel to New York…

I went there in 2003, with the other students of my English class, from the Lycée Bartholdi in Colmar, France. There was a really good ambiance and we all had a great time, I think. We mostly went sightseeing, which was great: I spent one of the most tiring weeks of my life there, but when I left, I did not feel like I was missing out. We saw ground zero, went to the top of the Empire State Building (where I took plenty of photos with no film in my camera…), visited two or three museums, Harlem and Columbia University, and the Statue of Liberty, of course. I loved it. I mean, the lot of it, not just the Statue…

Of course, we stayed with a family, so we were able to speak a little bit of English. I got on very well with the people with whom I stayed, they were absolutely lovely, and very open-minded, very warm and welcoming. And also very easy going, which might be one of those quality we lack in France (yes, I admit it, we are not entirely perfect. But we’re close!!). They made me feel very much at home, and always tried to tell me things about New York, and to know more about me, although I guess this must have demanded some patience, because of the difference of language.

One of the things I liked most during my stay there (actually, without a doubt THE thing I liked best) was our going to Broadway to see a musical. I must admit, I love musical movies, so I thought I was going to like it, but since it was my first “live” musical, I did not expect it to be that great. Although it was sometimes a little hard for me to understand all the dialogues (the scene is set in New York, obviously, but it is about young people who live in a squat, and their vocabulary is not always of the kind you learn in High School) I still got most of the action straight, and it did not spoil the show. I saw the movie they made out of it recently, and it’s quite good, but it doesn’t really compare.

Anyway, the reason why I tell you about this musical, reader (Reader?? Do you copy?? Does anybody even READ this?), is that it has a lot in common with what I’ve seen of life in New York in general. It is a bit hectic, and there is no possible way you can get bored: there are simply too many things to see. If you don’t know what to do, if you don’t have any money, if your TV set is broken and you’ve got nothing to read, just sit down on a bench anywhere, and look around. I think you can spend days there just looking without getting bored. Besides, your chances of actually meeting someone who will keep you entertained are quite high, since New Yorkers are very curious about strangers, where they come from and why they are here.

So yeah… New York City, centre of the universe… I’ve never seen a place quite like it. And I surely hope I will be able to see it again one day!