24.06.2009
Brooklyn
Today was a calm day. School was very good, we learned something and talked a lot. The test on Monday was pretty good, I had just two mistakes, the best result in our class. After class we were in the Students Lounge, checking mails, reading, talking. David was ill, probably because of the food he had yesterday, so he didn't want do go in the city. I also took the chance to have a day without so much program. I went home to take my notebook to school, so David and I could share our fotos with each other in the school. He has a quite expensive and good camera and I had some more fotos. After that I took a train to Brooklyn, but not directly home, so I could see some more of Brooklyn, which was pretty nice. I bought some bagels, cheese, water and yoghurt. I didn't buy fruit because Sonelius has always a lot of bananas, oranges, kiwis and more. Almost next to each other there were four completely different ways to buy groceries. A small street stand, an ordinary supermarket, a small shop for vegetables and fruit, everything organic and without packing (it looked like Hof-Läden in Germany) and Trader Joe's, which looked like an old market hall and had the widest range of products.
I get more used to the life here every day and life becomes more familiar to me.
It is a great and interesting feeling, when you think about the fact, that almost every American is an immigrant in any generation.
Since I already finished my homework, I will go to bed now, to get some more sleep than the other days.
Juni 25, 2009
23.06.09
23.06.2009
New York City?
Today school was very good. We learned a lot and had much fun. There are some new students in our class from Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and South Korea.
After school, David went to the National Museum of Natural History, and I went (with Corina) to the Columbus Circle, a nice place with a new big shopping mall and after that to Central Park, to an area where I have not been yet. It was a great place because it was like a wild forest, there were huge rocks, small waterfalls and many animals. It did not seem to be in Manhattan. We could not see any skyscrapers, could not hear the noise from traffic but smell the nature, which was a very rare experience during the last weeks. After that I (Corina went home) went to the Cathedral of John the Divine, which is the world's largest Cathedral and Anglican church and the fourth largest Christian church. It was enormous, especially from the inside. After this I took a bus, which goes through Harlem to the Cloisters. Harlem was very interesting, but very different from the rest of Manhattan. I really liked the trip. The Cloisters is a museum in the North of Manhattan for middle-age art. The building itself seems to be very old, but it is actually from the 1930s. It is built as a copy of many cloisters and other buildings from all over Europe. The museum was already closed, when I arrived, but it was nice to see just the buildings. Around the Cloisters there are many trees and you can see a lot nature and the Hudson River, which was really nice. After that I went to Battery Park in the South of Manhattan, to see the sunset, do my homework, read more in "Rising Sun" and meet David at 10:00 p.m. to go to the Staten Island Ferry. We wanted to see the Skyline of New York at night. We really enjoyed the view, it was very impressive. Finally I was home at 12:00 p.m.
New York City?
Today school was very good. We learned a lot and had much fun. There are some new students in our class from Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and South Korea.
After school, David went to the National Museum of Natural History, and I went (with Corina) to the Columbus Circle, a nice place with a new big shopping mall and after that to Central Park, to an area where I have not been yet. It was a great place because it was like a wild forest, there were huge rocks, small waterfalls and many animals. It did not seem to be in Manhattan. We could not see any skyscrapers, could not hear the noise from traffic but smell the nature, which was a very rare experience during the last weeks. After that I (Corina went home) went to the Cathedral of John the Divine, which is the world's largest Cathedral and Anglican church and the fourth largest Christian church. It was enormous, especially from the inside. After this I took a bus, which goes through Harlem to the Cloisters. Harlem was very interesting, but very different from the rest of Manhattan. I really liked the trip. The Cloisters is a museum in the North of Manhattan for middle-age art. The building itself seems to be very old, but it is actually from the 1930s. It is built as a copy of many cloisters and other buildings from all over Europe. The museum was already closed, when I arrived, but it was nice to see just the buildings. Around the Cloisters there are many trees and you can see a lot nature and the Hudson River, which was really nice. After that I went to Battery Park in the South of Manhattan, to see the sunset, do my homework, read more in "Rising Sun" and meet David at 10:00 p.m. to go to the Staten Island Ferry. We wanted to see the Skyline of New York at night. We really enjoyed the view, it was very impressive. Finally I was home at 12:00 p.m.
22.06.09
22.06.2009
Korea
The first day of school for the third week started as usual. We had a test, which was not too difficult. After school, I went with David, a Korean boy (his English name is Peter) and a Korean girl (I can't spell her name yet) to a Korean restaurant in the Korean street next to the Empire State Building. I have never tasted something like the Korean food. There were many different "things", but I have no idea of what it all was. The two Koreans tried to explain it, but I think for most of the things there is no English word. Most of it tasted really good!!! I think I wouldn't have tried half of everything, if I knew what it really was. But it was a great experience. We had just chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but I got used to it. I think this meal was one of the healthiest that I had in New York.
After that, David and I walked to the Flatiron Building (the first skyscraper in Manhattan), Union Square (with a flea, a big bookshop and more) and to Chelsea. It was a nice district with many different and interesting shops. Chelsea is also a district with many gays and lesbians, which was interesting to see. After that we went to Wall Street. The last time I was there I have not seen the famous Charging Bull. It was much bigger than I expected and we made some photos. I also made many photos of other tourists from all over the world with their cameras.
On my way home there was an exercise of the NYPD. I didn't count, but there must have been about fifty flashing police cars, mobile communication units and many policemen. It looked serious, but the watching people said, is was just an exercise.
Since I finished "The Tipping Point" (which was a really good book) I read "Rising Sun" by Michael Crichton in the subways. It is the first book of Crichton that I read in English, and it seems to be very exciting.
Korea
The first day of school for the third week started as usual. We had a test, which was not too difficult. After school, I went with David, a Korean boy (his English name is Peter) and a Korean girl (I can't spell her name yet) to a Korean restaurant in the Korean street next to the Empire State Building. I have never tasted something like the Korean food. There were many different "things", but I have no idea of what it all was. The two Koreans tried to explain it, but I think for most of the things there is no English word. Most of it tasted really good!!! I think I wouldn't have tried half of everything, if I knew what it really was. But it was a great experience. We had just chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but I got used to it. I think this meal was one of the healthiest that I had in New York.
After that, David and I walked to the Flatiron Building (the first skyscraper in Manhattan), Union Square (with a flea, a big bookshop and more) and to Chelsea. It was a nice district with many different and interesting shops. Chelsea is also a district with many gays and lesbians, which was interesting to see. After that we went to Wall Street. The last time I was there I have not seen the famous Charging Bull. It was much bigger than I expected and we made some photos. I also made many photos of other tourists from all over the world with their cameras.
On my way home there was an exercise of the NYPD. I didn't count, but there must have been about fifty flashing police cars, mobile communication units and many policemen. It looked serious, but the watching people said, is was just an exercise.
Since I finished "The Tipping Point" (which was a really good book) I read "Rising Sun" by Michael Crichton in the subways. It is the first book of Crichton that I read in English, and it seems to be very exciting.
21.06.09
21.06.2009
Washington DC II
The day started with a breakfast in the hotel, which was quite good. They had many different fruits, eggs, omeletts and more. Only the bagels and the bread was dry and seemed not to be fresh.
At 9:00 a.m. we started the second day of the trip. We saw the Pentagon, which is the world's largest office building. 26,000 people are working in the Pentagon. After that we went to the Arlington National Cemetery. We visited the grave of John F. Kennedy, saw the 300,000 tombstones of honored soliders of the United States of America and the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. Very interesting was the Tomb of the unknown solider, which is guarded by Tomb Guards. It was very interesting to see them walking (exactly 21 steps, then he waits for 21 seconds and turns around to go back). We saw the ceremony Changing of the Guard. In my opinion it was a strange ceremony. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknowns#Tomb_Guards)
After that the bus brought us to the capitol, where we had free time until 4:30 p.m. Between the Capitol and the Washington Monument is the so called Mall, where many museums are. They are all free and I had to decide between so many interesting museums. Finally I went to the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum. American History was very exciting and interesting. I could have stayed there for days, although I have never been really interested in history. There were many different exhibitions, e.g. about the development of transportation, the Star-Spangled Banner (Flag of the United States), the First Ladys and more. I could just stay there for two hours.
The National Air and Space Museum was also very good and interesting to me. They had hundreds of old and new airplanes, space rockets and any other kind of flying object you can imagine. They had an original landing lunar module, an original Wright flyer, a moon rock, which you could touch and many many more fascinating things. I could have stayed here for days as well, but our time was short.
I also have seen the FBI headquarter, the Hardrock Café and a triathlon that took place in the city of Washington DC and around the Mall.
On our way back we watched "Hitch" and another film, that was not very exciting. But another highlight of the trip was the skyline of Manhattan. We had an excellent and fascinating view to the illuminated skyscrapers. When I have the time, I will go this place of New Jersey to see that again.
It was 11:00 p.m. when I was home. Sonelius was still awake. He worked on a music track with Logic, a professional music Software, which he showed me. He also gave me a little piano lesson.
When I went to sleep, I was very tired.
Washington DC II
The day started with a breakfast in the hotel, which was quite good. They had many different fruits, eggs, omeletts and more. Only the bagels and the bread was dry and seemed not to be fresh.
At 9:00 a.m. we started the second day of the trip. We saw the Pentagon, which is the world's largest office building. 26,000 people are working in the Pentagon. After that we went to the Arlington National Cemetery. We visited the grave of John F. Kennedy, saw the 300,000 tombstones of honored soliders of the United States of America and the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. Very interesting was the Tomb of the unknown solider, which is guarded by Tomb Guards. It was very interesting to see them walking (exactly 21 steps, then he waits for 21 seconds and turns around to go back). We saw the ceremony Changing of the Guard. In my opinion it was a strange ceremony. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknowns#Tomb_Guards)
After that the bus brought us to the capitol, where we had free time until 4:30 p.m. Between the Capitol and the Washington Monument is the so called Mall, where many museums are. They are all free and I had to decide between so many interesting museums. Finally I went to the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum. American History was very exciting and interesting. I could have stayed there for days, although I have never been really interested in history. There were many different exhibitions, e.g. about the development of transportation, the Star-Spangled Banner (Flag of the United States), the First Ladys and more. I could just stay there for two hours.
The National Air and Space Museum was also very good and interesting to me. They had hundreds of old and new airplanes, space rockets and any other kind of flying object you can imagine. They had an original landing lunar module, an original Wright flyer, a moon rock, which you could touch and many many more fascinating things. I could have stayed here for days as well, but our time was short.
I also have seen the FBI headquarter, the Hardrock Café and a triathlon that took place in the city of Washington DC and around the Mall.
On our way back we watched "Hitch" and another film, that was not very exciting. But another highlight of the trip was the skyline of Manhattan. We had an excellent and fascinating view to the illuminated skyscrapers. When I have the time, I will go this place of New Jersey to see that again.
It was 11:00 p.m. when I was home. Sonelius was still awake. He worked on a music track with Logic, a professional music Software, which he showed me. He also gave me a little piano lesson.
When I went to sleep, I was very tired.
20.06.09
20.06.2009
Washington DC
The trip do Washington DC started at 8:00 a.m. in Manhattan. Therefore, I had to stand up early to make sure that I was there on time. The subway was full of people, the sidewalks, which is very unusual, were almost empty. Just the Dunkin' Donuts and the Starbucks were busy, people bought iced coffee, which seems to be more ice than milk and more milk than coffee.
THe weather seemed to be acceptable in New York, although it was supposed to be raining all day. Half of our group was a travel group from EF consisting of many young (13-17) Vietnamese people. I sat next do (I can't spell his name), a boy from Kazakhstan in my age. There was no one from Germany, just two women from Switzerland. The route was through many states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Washington itself is in no state, it's just a state district. It was raining the most of the five-hour bus journey. Our guide was very nice. She had been doing these trips for 14 years. She told us about all interesting places we could see from the highway, e.g. a mormon temple, which looked really futuristic.
When we were in Washington DC, we stopped at many places, but we had not much time wherever we stopped. Sometimes we had just 20 minutes to take some pictures. I would have liked to stay longer, but the schedule was too full. We have been at the White House, many agencies and houses of the government, we saw the place where the Obama children went to school, the house where the vice president Joe Biden lives, Smithsonian Craft Museum (Renwick Gallery), the Vietnam, Korean, Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument and the JFK Center for Performing Arts (an opera house, a theater and a concert hall), where a jazz concert took place in the lobby.
After that we went to our hotel. It was the Hyatt in Arlington, Virginia. From there, we could walk in 15 minutes to Washington DC, Georgetown, a very nice area with many small shops, bars, restaurants and more. Especially at night it was a very cool place full of people and expensive cars. Our guide told us that Washington DC would be very empty in spite of weekdays, because all people working in Washington DC leave the city during the weekend. But even today it was very populated in my opinion. At 10 p.m. I was back in the hotel, where we shared a room and two beds with four people (Italian, Spanish, Peru (I think) and I) Tomorrow we have some program until noon, and after that free time until 4:30 when we will go back.
Washington DC
The trip do Washington DC started at 8:00 a.m. in Manhattan. Therefore, I had to stand up early to make sure that I was there on time. The subway was full of people, the sidewalks, which is very unusual, were almost empty. Just the Dunkin' Donuts and the Starbucks were busy, people bought iced coffee, which seems to be more ice than milk and more milk than coffee.
THe weather seemed to be acceptable in New York, although it was supposed to be raining all day. Half of our group was a travel group from EF consisting of many young (13-17) Vietnamese people. I sat next do (I can't spell his name), a boy from Kazakhstan in my age. There was no one from Germany, just two women from Switzerland. The route was through many states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Washington itself is in no state, it's just a state district. It was raining the most of the five-hour bus journey. Our guide was very nice. She had been doing these trips for 14 years. She told us about all interesting places we could see from the highway, e.g. a mormon temple, which looked really futuristic.
When we were in Washington DC, we stopped at many places, but we had not much time wherever we stopped. Sometimes we had just 20 minutes to take some pictures. I would have liked to stay longer, but the schedule was too full. We have been at the White House, many agencies and houses of the government, we saw the place where the Obama children went to school, the house where the vice president Joe Biden lives, Smithsonian Craft Museum (Renwick Gallery), the Vietnam, Korean, Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument and the JFK Center for Performing Arts (an opera house, a theater and a concert hall), where a jazz concert took place in the lobby.
After that we went to our hotel. It was the Hyatt in Arlington, Virginia. From there, we could walk in 15 minutes to Washington DC, Georgetown, a very nice area with many small shops, bars, restaurants and more. Especially at night it was a very cool place full of people and expensive cars. Our guide told us that Washington DC would be very empty in spite of weekdays, because all people working in Washington DC leave the city during the weekend. But even today it was very populated in my opinion. At 10 p.m. I was back in the hotel, where we shared a room and two beds with four people (Italian, Spanish, Peru (I think) and I) Tomorrow we have some program until noon, and after that free time until 4:30 when we will go back.
19.06.09
19.06.2009
Greenwich Village
School was good today, but nothing special. After school I went with Harald, David and Corina to Greenwich Village. This area is right in Manhattan, but it doesn't look like Manhattan. The streets don't have the typical right angles and are not numbered, but have real names. Many artists and celebreties live there, there are many trees, nice houses and little restaurants and shops. From here, we (but without Harald, he will leave tomorrow and wanted to go to the Guggenheim Museum) went to SoHo, another nice and interesting area in Manhattan, Little Italy and China Town. In contrast of my visit in the first week, it was good weather and for that reason very nice and very interesting. There were much more interesting people, shops and street stands. We have been in the Buddhist Temple and in a small Chinese Shop, where you can buy thousands of things that you have never seen before. They had almost every fruit you can imagine (dry), strange mushrooms, dry shark fins, and dry fish stomach, hundrets of different kinds of green tea and much more.
After that we wanted to go to the court, where the night court is open to visitors. We waited almost one hour in the courtroom, until the judge finished his dinner and many cases of violence, drug dealing and more (that we could not understand) were discussed. It was not very interesting, because they were very fast, no case was more than five minutes. But nevertheless, it was good that we have been there.
After that David went to an important Basketball Match in Madison Square Garden and Corina and I went home. Since I will leave tomorrow to Washington, I have to pack everything I need and go to bed at an acceptable time, because the bus will go at 8 a.m. tomorrow. I won't take my Macbook to Washington, so the next note will be on Monday night. I think the trip will be interesting.
Greenwich Village
School was good today, but nothing special. After school I went with Harald, David and Corina to Greenwich Village. This area is right in Manhattan, but it doesn't look like Manhattan. The streets don't have the typical right angles and are not numbered, but have real names. Many artists and celebreties live there, there are many trees, nice houses and little restaurants and shops. From here, we (but without Harald, he will leave tomorrow and wanted to go to the Guggenheim Museum) went to SoHo, another nice and interesting area in Manhattan, Little Italy and China Town. In contrast of my visit in the first week, it was good weather and for that reason very nice and very interesting. There were much more interesting people, shops and street stands. We have been in the Buddhist Temple and in a small Chinese Shop, where you can buy thousands of things that you have never seen before. They had almost every fruit you can imagine (dry), strange mushrooms, dry shark fins, and dry fish stomach, hundrets of different kinds of green tea and much more.
After that we wanted to go to the court, where the night court is open to visitors. We waited almost one hour in the courtroom, until the judge finished his dinner and many cases of violence, drug dealing and more (that we could not understand) were discussed. It was not very interesting, because they were very fast, no case was more than five minutes. But nevertheless, it was good that we have been there.
After that David went to an important Basketball Match in Madison Square Garden and Corina and I went home. Since I will leave tomorrow to Washington, I have to pack everything I need and go to bed at an acceptable time, because the bus will go at 8 a.m. tomorrow. I won't take my Macbook to Washington, so the next note will be on Monday night. I think the trip will be interesting.
18.06.09
18.06.2009
Frick Collection
Today was a quite lazy day. School was ok, we won in a game, so we got some candy from our teacher. After that we were sitting in the students lounge in the Empire State Building. It was raining and we waited for the rain to stop. Then I went with David to the Frick Collection. Henry Clay Frick was a very rich man, who lived in a great house in Manhattan and collected famous paintings and sculptures. Since David knows a lot about art, he gave me much information about the paintings. But the most interesting thing for me was the house, which was more a palace from the inside. After that we went home. I walked a long way, instead of taking the subway. I really like to go in the streets between all these skyscrapers,the sidewalks full of people. On the way, I stopped at Grand Central Terminal, the biggest train station in New York. It is also the largest station in the world by number of platforms. There are 48 platforms with 75 tracks on two levels, both below ground. It was really interesting!
When I was home, I had dinner and helped Sonelius in the house for a while. After doing my homework, I will go to bed, tomorrow school starts one hour earlier.
Frick Collection
Today was a quite lazy day. School was ok, we won in a game, so we got some candy from our teacher. After that we were sitting in the students lounge in the Empire State Building. It was raining and we waited for the rain to stop. Then I went with David to the Frick Collection. Henry Clay Frick was a very rich man, who lived in a great house in Manhattan and collected famous paintings and sculptures. Since David knows a lot about art, he gave me much information about the paintings. But the most interesting thing for me was the house, which was more a palace from the inside. After that we went home. I walked a long way, instead of taking the subway. I really like to go in the streets between all these skyscrapers,the sidewalks full of people. On the way, I stopped at Grand Central Terminal, the biggest train station in New York. It is also the largest station in the world by number of platforms. There are 48 platforms with 75 tracks on two levels, both below ground. It was really interesting!
When I was home, I had dinner and helped Sonelius in the house for a while. After doing my homework, I will go to bed, tomorrow school starts one hour earlier.
17.06.09
17.06.2009
Battery Park
Today school was quite good. We had more grammar and made a game (which group would make the most sentences from modules that were given with a specific grammatical construction in 20 minutes), that we almost won. After that we talked more about different behaviors in different cultures, that seem to be very strange to others. After school we (with David and Corina) had lunch (burritos from a Mexican fast food franchise restaurant, which was really really good!) and went to the Brooklyn Heights, a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn that we wanted to see. After that we took the Brooklyn Bridge by foot to the New York Seaport. It has been an important place when most of the people came by steam boats in the last century. Today it is very small. There is a mall for tourists where you can primary buy souvenirs, candy and of course all kinds of food. We then walked along the coast to Battery Park, a big and quite nice park on the sea. There was a volleyball match, where Kaplan students (our school) would play against New Yorkers, that mainly came just from work in the Financial District. But when we arrived, the match was almost over, so we went to another place of the park, where a free concert took place. It was Chuck Brown, who is an African-American jazz guitarist and singer, together with his band. The music was really good, especially when his daughter and his son took the microphone to sing and rap. After the concert we wanted to go to the Mad River bar in Manhattan, where a party for Kaplan students takes place every wednesday. But since I was not 21 yet, they didn't let me in, so we went to a karaoke bar next to it and stayed there for half an hour. In the TV there was an important baseball match, that was, like every other baseball match, really boring but interesting to watch. Then David went to Mad River and Corina and I went home. Now I will just do my homework for tomorrow before going to sleep.
Battery Park
Today school was quite good. We had more grammar and made a game (which group would make the most sentences from modules that were given with a specific grammatical construction in 20 minutes), that we almost won. After that we talked more about different behaviors in different cultures, that seem to be very strange to others. After school we (with David and Corina) had lunch (burritos from a Mexican fast food franchise restaurant, which was really really good!) and went to the Brooklyn Heights, a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn that we wanted to see. After that we took the Brooklyn Bridge by foot to the New York Seaport. It has been an important place when most of the people came by steam boats in the last century. Today it is very small. There is a mall for tourists where you can primary buy souvenirs, candy and of course all kinds of food. We then walked along the coast to Battery Park, a big and quite nice park on the sea. There was a volleyball match, where Kaplan students (our school) would play against New Yorkers, that mainly came just from work in the Financial District. But when we arrived, the match was almost over, so we went to another place of the park, where a free concert took place. It was Chuck Brown, who is an African-American jazz guitarist and singer, together with his band. The music was really good, especially when his daughter and his son took the microphone to sing and rap. After the concert we wanted to go to the Mad River bar in Manhattan, where a party for Kaplan students takes place every wednesday. But since I was not 21 yet, they didn't let me in, so we went to a karaoke bar next to it and stayed there for half an hour. In the TV there was an important baseball match, that was, like every other baseball match, really boring but interesting to watch. Then David went to Mad River and Corina and I went home. Now I will just do my homework for tomorrow before going to sleep.
16.06.09
16.06.2009
Ground Zero
Again it is late at the moment, but I write the note anyway. School was ok today. Some students left over the weekend, so we had some new students. Some from South Korea and two from Italy. We started our new subject, which is "Connectors", so this week will be about coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and transitions. The non-gramatical subject is "Lost in Translation" and differences between cultures.
After school, my friends went to the United Nations. Since I have already been there, I tool the opportunity and went home to wash my clothes. We met in the evening with Harald and David and went to the Lincoln Center, which are theaters for ballet, operas and the New York Philharmonic. We could not see very much because we could not look inside the theaters itself. Unfortunately they didn't have last minute tickets (which you can usually get for 14$ when you are students), but maybe we try again another day. Then Harald went home to relax and David and I went to the Ground Zero. Everything we saw was a big (but not as big as we expected) building lot. We have been in the World Finance Center, which was quite impressive. Next to the Ground Zero there is the "21st Century", a big departement store which has many designer clothes and other things, but they sold it to very cheap prices (40 - 60% less). You can get a Polo Shirt for 80$, which had been 250$ before, but we also found normal prices. After eating something we went to the cinema at Times Square, met up with Harald again and saw the movie "The Taking of Pelhalm 123", which was a very good film. It was an action movie with many great action scenes. The special thing about the movie was, that it took place in New York City, most of the time in the subway, so we have been to most of the places we saw.
I have been too careful with the temperature of the dryer, so my clothes were a little wet when I was home, but it should be dry in some minutes. I will just do my homework now.
Ground Zero
Again it is late at the moment, but I write the note anyway. School was ok today. Some students left over the weekend, so we had some new students. Some from South Korea and two from Italy. We started our new subject, which is "Connectors", so this week will be about coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and transitions. The non-gramatical subject is "Lost in Translation" and differences between cultures.
After school, my friends went to the United Nations. Since I have already been there, I tool the opportunity and went home to wash my clothes. We met in the evening with Harald and David and went to the Lincoln Center, which are theaters for ballet, operas and the New York Philharmonic. We could not see very much because we could not look inside the theaters itself. Unfortunately they didn't have last minute tickets (which you can usually get for 14$ when you are students), but maybe we try again another day. Then Harald went home to relax and David and I went to the Ground Zero. Everything we saw was a big (but not as big as we expected) building lot. We have been in the World Finance Center, which was quite impressive. Next to the Ground Zero there is the "21st Century", a big departement store which has many designer clothes and other things, but they sold it to very cheap prices (40 - 60% less). You can get a Polo Shirt for 80$, which had been 250$ before, but we also found normal prices. After eating something we went to the cinema at Times Square, met up with Harald again and saw the movie "The Taking of Pelhalm 123", which was a very good film. It was an action movie with many great action scenes. The special thing about the movie was, that it took place in New York City, most of the time in the subway, so we have been to most of the places we saw.
I have been too careful with the temperature of the dryer, so my clothes were a little wet when I was home, but it should be dry in some minutes. I will just do my homework now.
Juni 16, 2009
15.6.09 Bryant Park
15.06.2009
Bryant Park
It is already 12:10 p.m. on 16th of June, but I think I will make the note of today anyway. We had school, which was really good. We were three groups, and each group got a different chapter from "The Tipping Point" to prepare, and then we presented it to the other groups. After that we had the test, which was pretty easy for me. After school we (Harald and me) went to the American Museum of Natural History, which is a really huge museum. They had everything about life and the earth there. We have seen the biggest skeleton of a dinosaur and a lot of other dinosaurs. It was very impressive to touch bones, that have been a living animal 110 million years ago. The way, they presented the exhibits was great, because there were many very interesting text about different questions that you may have in mind, but also things that you would never think about. It was very easy to understand and never boring. They also had all kinds of stuffed animals, from rabbits to elephants. Then there was a lot about early humans from different kontinents, how they made their tools and what else is im portant about them. But the most interesting part of the museum was the collection of meteorits, that were found on earth. They had a meteorit, which was a 34-tons-block of iron, which was very impressive. At the end they had a big section about the Big Bang, the formation of the earth and about other stars and the universe. Because the museum was so big, we didn't see everything, so maybe I will go there another day (It is free!).
On our way to the museum we looked at the map, when a man came to help us. He told me, that he had been in Germany and lived in Hamburg and in Nienburg for several years.
After the museum I went home to take my rain jacket, because it was raining and it seemed not to stop (It actually stopped!) and then we met with Harald and David at Bryant Park, because there was an open-air-movie-event. They showed the movie "The Sting" from 1973. The atmosphere was great, because there were hundreds of people watching the film in a park, surrounded by big illuminated houses. The movie itself was not very good for us, because we were not able to understand more than 40%. The sound echoed on the houses and they were speaking so fast, that we had no chance to follow the plot. So we went to a Mexican bar to drink a beer (although I'm not 21 yet) and then went home. In the subway I was very tired and nearly fell asleep several times.
Always when I'm in the subway I read more of "The Tipping Point" and I'm already on page 130. It is very exciting with many interesting examples, so it's a great book!
Bryant Park
It is already 12:10 p.m. on 16th of June, but I think I will make the note of today anyway. We had school, which was really good. We were three groups, and each group got a different chapter from "The Tipping Point" to prepare, and then we presented it to the other groups. After that we had the test, which was pretty easy for me. After school we (Harald and me) went to the American Museum of Natural History, which is a really huge museum. They had everything about life and the earth there. We have seen the biggest skeleton of a dinosaur and a lot of other dinosaurs. It was very impressive to touch bones, that have been a living animal 110 million years ago. The way, they presented the exhibits was great, because there were many very interesting text about different questions that you may have in mind, but also things that you would never think about. It was very easy to understand and never boring. They also had all kinds of stuffed animals, from rabbits to elephants. Then there was a lot about early humans from different kontinents, how they made their tools and what else is im portant about them. But the most interesting part of the museum was the collection of meteorits, that were found on earth. They had a meteorit, which was a 34-tons-block of iron, which was very impressive. At the end they had a big section about the Big Bang, the formation of the earth and about other stars and the universe. Because the museum was so big, we didn't see everything, so maybe I will go there another day (It is free!).
On our way to the museum we looked at the map, when a man came to help us. He told me, that he had been in Germany and lived in Hamburg and in Nienburg for several years.
After the museum I went home to take my rain jacket, because it was raining and it seemed not to stop (It actually stopped!) and then we met with Harald and David at Bryant Park, because there was an open-air-movie-event. They showed the movie "The Sting" from 1973. The atmosphere was great, because there were hundreds of people watching the film in a park, surrounded by big illuminated houses. The movie itself was not very good for us, because we were not able to understand more than 40%. The sound echoed on the houses and they were speaking so fast, that we had no chance to follow the plot. So we went to a Mexican bar to drink a beer (although I'm not 21 yet) and then went home. In the subway I was very tired and nearly fell asleep several times.
Always when I'm in the subway I read more of "The Tipping Point" and I'm already on page 130. It is very exciting with many interesting examples, so it's a great book!
14.6.09 Puerto Rican Day Parade
14.06.2009
Puerto Rican Day Parade
For this Sunday the school organized a visit to the Brooklyn Bridge Flea Market. It was a small flea market, that was not really worth the long way we had. They had a few old things, many things you will never need and some dresses. Interesting was just one stand: They had very old postcards from the 1930s till 1960s. You could see the old New York, but also many other things. The interesting thing about them was the message on the back side of the postcards. It was like what we would send by E-Mail today, e.g. "Meet me next Friday at ...".
But we did not stay there for long and went (with David from Spain and Corina from Switzerland) to the Fifth Avenue, where the Puerto Rican Day Parade took place. It is one of the biggest parades of New York, I only know the numbers of the last years: more than 80.000 Participants and close to 3 million spectators. It was really cool, because there were many trucks with live Reggaeton music and many dancing people. Nearly Everyone had the flag of Puerto Rico (so i bought one for a Dollar) and were dressed in white, red and blue, the colors of the flag. Later that day, the Puerto Ricans were in the subway and on the streets celebrating and many cars were decorated with the flag of Puerto Rico.
After that, we went to Roosevelt Island, which is a long but narrow island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. You had to go there by tramway, which was not very easy for me, but I did it, and it was not as bad as I imagined. The island itself is nothing very special, but there is a great view to the skyline of Manhattan, especially to the United Nations Headquarter. We stayed on the island some time to relax and then walked to the Central Park for visiting the Central Park Zoo, but it was closed at the time we arrived. So we went home to prepare for the test tomorrow.
Puerto Rican Day Parade
For this Sunday the school organized a visit to the Brooklyn Bridge Flea Market. It was a small flea market, that was not really worth the long way we had. They had a few old things, many things you will never need and some dresses. Interesting was just one stand: They had very old postcards from the 1930s till 1960s. You could see the old New York, but also many other things. The interesting thing about them was the message on the back side of the postcards. It was like what we would send by E-Mail today, e.g. "Meet me next Friday at ...".
But we did not stay there for long and went (with David from Spain and Corina from Switzerland) to the Fifth Avenue, where the Puerto Rican Day Parade took place. It is one of the biggest parades of New York, I only know the numbers of the last years: more than 80.000 Participants and close to 3 million spectators. It was really cool, because there were many trucks with live Reggaeton music and many dancing people. Nearly Everyone had the flag of Puerto Rico (so i bought one for a Dollar) and were dressed in white, red and blue, the colors of the flag. Later that day, the Puerto Ricans were in the subway and on the streets celebrating and many cars were decorated with the flag of Puerto Rico.
After that, we went to Roosevelt Island, which is a long but narrow island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. You had to go there by tramway, which was not very easy for me, but I did it, and it was not as bad as I imagined. The island itself is nothing very special, but there is a great view to the skyline of Manhattan, especially to the United Nations Headquarter. We stayed on the island some time to relax and then walked to the Central Park for visiting the Central Park Zoo, but it was closed at the time we arrived. So we went home to prepare for the test tomorrow.
13.6.09 Ellis Island
13.06.2009
Ellis Island
Today I went to the south of Manhattan with Harald (from Austria), to visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The tickets were 12$, included are the ferries to the islands and the museum on Ellis Island. Not included was going into the crown of the Statue of Liberty (which opend today, it was closed a long time). But for that day were no more tickets available, when we were there at 10:00 a.m.
We had to wait in a long line, which took about one hour. After the security check we went to Liberty Island by ferry. It was very good, but I had imagined it bigger than it was. We took some fotos and went to Ellis Island. This was the really interesting part of today. The museum was really good. We saw a movie at first. In the museum they told us what it was like to be an immigrant at Ellis Island and we could see many original exhibits, many pictures and a lot to read. So we spent a lot of time there, after we went back to Manhattan. After that we took the ferry to Staten Island (which is free), but just for the ride. We had an excellent view to the skyline of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. We didn't stay in Staten Island, because there is nothing special to see.
In the late afternoon we were in the Financial District. We were in the Museum of American Finance. It was free, because we were there 30 minutes before closing. This time was enough, which doesn't mean that the museum wasn't good. They showed some historical exhibits from the New York Stock Exchange and there were videos about the trading at the NY Stock Exchange. After that we saw the New York Stock Exchange itself, some historical houses next to it, the Trinity Church and the Trinity Yard.
The weather was good most of the time. There was some rain in the afternoon, but is was very warm all the time. This June is not very typical, because last Wednesday we had had more rain than normal for the whole June. I think most of it was at night, when there were thunderstorms in New York.
Very new to me is how open the New Yorkers are. Very often the ask for my name and where I was from and start a small talk, although they have never seen me before and won't ever see me again.
Today I bought the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell and I think I will start reading tonight.
Ellis Island
Today I went to the south of Manhattan with Harald (from Austria), to visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The tickets were 12$, included are the ferries to the islands and the museum on Ellis Island. Not included was going into the crown of the Statue of Liberty (which opend today, it was closed a long time). But for that day were no more tickets available, when we were there at 10:00 a.m.
We had to wait in a long line, which took about one hour. After the security check we went to Liberty Island by ferry. It was very good, but I had imagined it bigger than it was. We took some fotos and went to Ellis Island. This was the really interesting part of today. The museum was really good. We saw a movie at first. In the museum they told us what it was like to be an immigrant at Ellis Island and we could see many original exhibits, many pictures and a lot to read. So we spent a lot of time there, after we went back to Manhattan. After that we took the ferry to Staten Island (which is free), but just for the ride. We had an excellent view to the skyline of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. We didn't stay in Staten Island, because there is nothing special to see.
In the late afternoon we were in the Financial District. We were in the Museum of American Finance. It was free, because we were there 30 minutes before closing. This time was enough, which doesn't mean that the museum wasn't good. They showed some historical exhibits from the New York Stock Exchange and there were videos about the trading at the NY Stock Exchange. After that we saw the New York Stock Exchange itself, some historical houses next to it, the Trinity Church and the Trinity Yard.
The weather was good most of the time. There was some rain in the afternoon, but is was very warm all the time. This June is not very typical, because last Wednesday we had had more rain than normal for the whole June. I think most of it was at night, when there were thunderstorms in New York.
Very new to me is how open the New Yorkers are. Very often the ask for my name and where I was from and start a small talk, although they have never seen me before and won't ever see me again.
Today I bought the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell and I think I will start reading tonight.
12.6.09 Brooklyn
12.06.2009
Brooklyn
Today school started at 8:30, thats earlier than the other days. We had some more grammar, and then made a game, which our group won, so we got some really good strawberry muffins, Shana (our teacher) made herself. After that we learned more from Malcolm Gladwells book "The Tipping Point". After school, we had lunch and then went to the Brooklyn Aquarium, which was an activity organized by the school. On friday afternoon you just have to pay one Dollar for that. It was interesting, but not very special. We could see different kinds of fish, otters, penguins, sharks, seals, jelly fish (and other alien stingers) and some other animals and we learned something about their lives and their environment.
After that, David (from Madrid, Spain) and Harald (from Austria) and I went to the Brighton Beach, which was next to the Aquarium. It is a very wide and long beach, which was almost empty, but you could only imagine, how crowded it would become in the summer!
After that we went to the Brooklyn Bridge, which is very famous and one of the oldest suspension bridges in the USA. It was very good, because we could see the skyline of New York and the Empire State Building, that I had just seen when I was very close. On the way back we saw the Woolworth Buidling, the Supreme Court, the City Hall and other interesting buildings.
The way home was very complicated because my train is not running this weekend. From different people I got different instructions, where to go. But I finally did it and was home at 9 p.m.
There is another boy living at Sonelius' for rent (I really can't spell his Name) and he asked me if I wanted to come to the BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) that night. There would be a free concert, so I said yes.
It was very interesting, because it was a musican from Marocco (this week they have the motto "muslim voices) and he played an instrument that looked a little bit like a guitar, but with more strings. There was also a trumpet (which sounded very very good), a keyboard and a percussiun-player. I have never heard that kind of music before, but it was great.
When I came home at 12:30 p.m. I just made this note and now I will go to bed, because tomorrow will be a long day, too.
Brooklyn
Today school started at 8:30, thats earlier than the other days. We had some more grammar, and then made a game, which our group won, so we got some really good strawberry muffins, Shana (our teacher) made herself. After that we learned more from Malcolm Gladwells book "The Tipping Point". After school, we had lunch and then went to the Brooklyn Aquarium, which was an activity organized by the school. On friday afternoon you just have to pay one Dollar for that. It was interesting, but not very special. We could see different kinds of fish, otters, penguins, sharks, seals, jelly fish (and other alien stingers) and some other animals and we learned something about their lives and their environment.
After that, David (from Madrid, Spain) and Harald (from Austria) and I went to the Brighton Beach, which was next to the Aquarium. It is a very wide and long beach, which was almost empty, but you could only imagine, how crowded it would become in the summer!
After that we went to the Brooklyn Bridge, which is very famous and one of the oldest suspension bridges in the USA. It was very good, because we could see the skyline of New York and the Empire State Building, that I had just seen when I was very close. On the way back we saw the Woolworth Buidling, the Supreme Court, the City Hall and other interesting buildings.
The way home was very complicated because my train is not running this weekend. From different people I got different instructions, where to go. But I finally did it and was home at 9 p.m.
There is another boy living at Sonelius' for rent (I really can't spell his Name) and he asked me if I wanted to come to the BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) that night. There would be a free concert, so I said yes.
It was very interesting, because it was a musican from Marocco (this week they have the motto "muslim voices) and he played an instrument that looked a little bit like a guitar, but with more strings. There was also a trumpet (which sounded very very good), a keyboard and a percussiun-player. I have never heard that kind of music before, but it was great.
When I came home at 12:30 p.m. I just made this note and now I will go to bed, because tomorrow will be a long day, too.
11.6.09 Chinatown
11.06.09
Chinatown
Today was the third day of school. We learned more about adverb clauses and made a competition, which group of us would find most of some specific adverb clauses in old Newsweek issues. Our group was the second.
Then we talked about the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell and heard two radio interviews with him. What we learned about it was very interesting, so I'm thinking about buying it in a bookstore.
After school, I went again with Jonas and Johannes. We just went to China Town and Little Italy. It was not that spectacular, but I think you must have been there. Originally we planned to eat something there, but there was nothing anyone of us would eat except for McDonalds, which was much more expensive than any other McDonalds we have seen, so we looked for some food later.
Then I went home (it was before 5 p.m. I think), because the other days have been so long and I had to do some homework.
Chinatown
Today was the third day of school. We learned more about adverb clauses and made a competition, which group of us would find most of some specific adverb clauses in old Newsweek issues. Our group was the second.
Then we talked about the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell and heard two radio interviews with him. What we learned about it was very interesting, so I'm thinking about buying it in a bookstore.
After school, I went again with Jonas and Johannes. We just went to China Town and Little Italy. It was not that spectacular, but I think you must have been there. Originally we planned to eat something there, but there was nothing anyone of us would eat except for McDonalds, which was much more expensive than any other McDonalds we have seen, so we looked for some food later.
Then I went home (it was before 5 p.m. I think), because the other days have been so long and I had to do some homework.
10.6.09
10.06.09
United Nations
Vereinte Nationen
Today, it was the second day of school. We learned about adverb clauses, different types, when and how to use them and more things like that. More interesting was again the second part of it, when we just talked. It is very hard to understand, what the boy from spain or the students from asia said. I hope, for them it is not the other way round and we are quite hard to understand, too.
When school was over, Jonas, Johannes (both from Germany, near the Bodensee) and I went to the headquarter of the United Nations. This was really cool, because we had a guided tour which was very interesting. We also went into the United Nations General Assembly hall, which is a historical place, I think.
After that we went to the Rockefeller Center, thats a complex of about 30 skyscrapers. The tallest one has got 70 stories and an observation deck. We thought it was free to get to the top, but it wasn't. It was 20$, which I think it's too much, when we get to the 63rd story every day for free. But the other buildings of the Rockefeller Center were also great, just looking at them from the outside.
Then I went home to do my homework, because it was already late. And of course to write my daily note.
United Nations
Vereinte Nationen
Today, it was the second day of school. We learned about adverb clauses, different types, when and how to use them and more things like that. More interesting was again the second part of it, when we just talked. It is very hard to understand, what the boy from spain or the students from asia said. I hope, for them it is not the other way round and we are quite hard to understand, too.
When school was over, Jonas, Johannes (both from Germany, near the Bodensee) and I went to the headquarter of the United Nations. This was really cool, because we had a guided tour which was very interesting. We also went into the United Nations General Assembly hall, which is a historical place, I think.
After that we went to the Rockefeller Center, thats a complex of about 30 skyscrapers. The tallest one has got 70 stories and an observation deck. We thought it was free to get to the top, but it wasn't. It was 20$, which I think it's too much, when we get to the 63rd story every day for free. But the other buildings of the Rockefeller Center were also great, just looking at them from the outside.
Then I went home to do my homework, because it was already late. And of course to write my daily note.
9.6.09 School
9.6.09
School
Schule
Today it was my first day at school. Lesson started at 9:40 a.m. so I had enough time in the morning. The night before there was a big thunderstorm which prevented me from sleeping for some hours. When I went to school, it was raining, so I had to wear a rain coat, which was very warm, because the temperature did not drop in the rain.
In my class there are around 15 students, half of them from Germany, Austria or Switzerland, one man from France, one from Spain, and the others from asia (South Korea, Japan, China).
My teacher is Shana, a mid-30s-woman. She is very nice and very funny, so it won't be boring I think. The first half of the lesson we introduced ourselves and then learned some grammar (subject was adverbs, different kinds of adverbs, where to put them in the sentence). In the second half, we were expected to speak English, so there were two bar charts we had to talk about. I think if school will always be like that, I will learn a lot and have much fun in the next four weeks.
In the afternoon I went to the Museum Mile Festival. All the Museums were open for free and the streets were closed, because there were so many people. First I was in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they showed Art from all times, so they had things from the Greek and Romans, but also modern art or fashion. For me, it was interesting to see all this, but I do not really understand what is behind the pictures, so I just looked.
After that I was in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. They showed other plans of Wright and some paintings of modern art. The most interesting thing in the museum was the architecture of the building, which is like a snail shell.
When I was home, I was very tired from the long day, but did my homework before going to bed.
School
Schule
Today it was my first day at school. Lesson started at 9:40 a.m. so I had enough time in the morning. The night before there was a big thunderstorm which prevented me from sleeping for some hours. When I went to school, it was raining, so I had to wear a rain coat, which was very warm, because the temperature did not drop in the rain.
In my class there are around 15 students, half of them from Germany, Austria or Switzerland, one man from France, one from Spain, and the others from asia (South Korea, Japan, China).
My teacher is Shana, a mid-30s-woman. She is very nice and very funny, so it won't be boring I think. The first half of the lesson we introduced ourselves and then learned some grammar (subject was adverbs, different kinds of adverbs, where to put them in the sentence). In the second half, we were expected to speak English, so there were two bar charts we had to talk about. I think if school will always be like that, I will learn a lot and have much fun in the next four weeks.
In the afternoon I went to the Museum Mile Festival. All the Museums were open for free and the streets were closed, because there were so many people. First I was in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they showed Art from all times, so they had things from the Greek and Romans, but also modern art or fashion. For me, it was interesting to see all this, but I do not really understand what is behind the pictures, so I just looked.
After that I was in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. They showed other plans of Wright and some paintings of modern art. The most interesting thing in the museum was the architecture of the building, which is like a snail shell.
When I was home, I was very tired from the long day, but did my homework before going to bed.
8.6.09 Second Day
8.6.09
Zweiter Tag
Second Day
It was a very good day in New York today!
There was a english test at the school to find out, which courses we will take. For the test we had to go to another building of the school, where they had a big auditorium because there were many new students today. I went there together with Yvonne, a german women in the late 20s I guess, and a girl from brazil whose name I did not understand. We had some trouble with finding it but we were there on time. In the auditorium there were already a lot of students. We got some formulars to fill out, sign the rules and things like that. I forgot to take my passport so I have to give it to them tomorrow.
THen the orientation event started. The staff members introduced themselves and gave us many information about the school, activities and New York. The were all very nice so the orientation was very funny and very good! Then we made the test, including listening comprehension, generell gramar exercises, and a one-to-one conversation with one of the staff members.
In the afternoon I got my book and schedule, I will take the advanced courses, which is pretty good, because most of the other students were intermediate or highly intermediate.
What did I see of the city?
Today I went to many places, just to look. I have been to the Apple store, which was very cool. I bought a Minidisplayport-VGA adapter there. When I was in the line to the cashier, a staff member came with a mobile device so i could just pay with credit card there. I got the bill by e-mail, a very good idea. I have been in the Central Park, at Times Square, and many other places, just very short so later more about them.
Zweiter Tag
Second Day
It was a very good day in New York today!
There was a english test at the school to find out, which courses we will take. For the test we had to go to another building of the school, where they had a big auditorium because there were many new students today. I went there together with Yvonne, a german women in the late 20s I guess, and a girl from brazil whose name I did not understand. We had some trouble with finding it but we were there on time. In the auditorium there were already a lot of students. We got some formulars to fill out, sign the rules and things like that. I forgot to take my passport so I have to give it to them tomorrow.
THen the orientation event started. The staff members introduced themselves and gave us many information about the school, activities and New York. The were all very nice so the orientation was very funny and very good! Then we made the test, including listening comprehension, generell gramar exercises, and a one-to-one conversation with one of the staff members.
In the afternoon I got my book and schedule, I will take the advanced courses, which is pretty good, because most of the other students were intermediate or highly intermediate.
What did I see of the city?
Today I went to many places, just to look. I have been to the Apple store, which was very cool. I bought a Minidisplayport-VGA adapter there. When I was in the line to the cashier, a staff member came with a mobile device so i could just pay with credit card there. I got the bill by e-mail, a very good idea. I have been in the Central Park, at Times Square, and many other places, just very short so later more about them.
7.6.09 Arrival
7.6.09
Ankunft
Arrival
Good flight, everything went well! Maybe later more about that.
I had problems finding the right way to Sonelius Smith, especially because a train was not running this weekend.
But finally I found the right station. Then I had to find out where he lives. Not easy, but all people I asked helped me or even tried to! The Way was very hard because I had to carry two pieces of luggage with me, one of them I could not pull behind me.
Sonelius Smith was really nice to me. He seems not to be very organized but it's fine. Later more about him!
After I got into my room, unloaded my luggage into the wardrobe, made me fresh and so on Sonelius Smith showed me the supermarkets around and the subway station. He described how to come to Empire State Building, so I went there to find out where to go, so I am sure that I know the way tomorrow. It was quite easy to find. I bought a Metro Card for unlimited trips for 30 days which costs 81$.
It was very interesting and impressive to be in Manhattan and to see so many different people, tourists and inhabitants.
After that I wanted to go home because I was tired. Who wonders, I didn't sleep for the last 24 hours, and the last night, I had just had three hours of sleep. But I doesn't feel as tired as I had expected.
On my way to the Empire State Building and back, four times, I was asked for the way or the right train. I was not able to help very much, but I seem to look like I lived here. Maybe because I didn't take a big bag with me and didn't read the map all the time.
So then I bought some breakfast and water (I really needed that) and went home, to have a shower and go sleeping. The good thing about the shower was the cold water. After a hard and warm day like that day it was the best that could happen to me. But after I finished, I found out how to get warm water.
So that was the first day.
Ankunft
Arrival
Good flight, everything went well! Maybe later more about that.
I had problems finding the right way to Sonelius Smith, especially because a train was not running this weekend.
But finally I found the right station. Then I had to find out where he lives. Not easy, but all people I asked helped me or even tried to! The Way was very hard because I had to carry two pieces of luggage with me, one of them I could not pull behind me.
Sonelius Smith was really nice to me. He seems not to be very organized but it's fine. Later more about him!
After I got into my room, unloaded my luggage into the wardrobe, made me fresh and so on Sonelius Smith showed me the supermarkets around and the subway station. He described how to come to Empire State Building, so I went there to find out where to go, so I am sure that I know the way tomorrow. It was quite easy to find. I bought a Metro Card for unlimited trips for 30 days which costs 81$.
It was very interesting and impressive to be in Manhattan and to see so many different people, tourists and inhabitants.
After that I wanted to go home because I was tired. Who wonders, I didn't sleep for the last 24 hours, and the last night, I had just had three hours of sleep. But I doesn't feel as tired as I had expected.
On my way to the Empire State Building and back, four times, I was asked for the way or the right train. I was not able to help very much, but I seem to look like I lived here. Maybe because I didn't take a big bag with me and didn't read the map all the time.
So then I bought some breakfast and water (I really needed that) and went home, to have a shower and go sleeping. The good thing about the shower was the cold water. After a hard and warm day like that day it was the best that could happen to me. But after I finished, I found out how to get warm water.
So that was the first day.
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