My New York City Experience

This piece was written by Manuel, one of our interns.

Expectations

Before coming  to New York this year, we were in Miami several times. I thought New York  would be a  city like any other, with big cars, people spending most of their time on the phone, and expensive restaurants.

I also had my reservations about the internship my mother had organized for me. I thought that this internship would be something that I wouldn’t like, something that would make me feel more insecure.  I couldn’t have even imagined how  different it would be.

First Impressions

The first thing that I noticed as  I was arriving  was the landing track, which was basically in the water.  I couldn’t believe it! The next interesting thing that I noticed were the buildings. They were so tall. I had never seen something like that, even in Miami.

On the first day with Hi-New-York, while I was going up on  the elevator with my family, I was so nervous that I couldn't even move.  While I was waiting with my two brothers, I noticed that the place didn’t look so bad. After waiting for five minutes, my teacher came, and I realized that it would be ok.  She seemed nice and fun.

Lasting Impressions

I passed the whole day with her,  her assistant and the kids. The same night, I felt much better and relieved that everything I thought was wrong. The days started to pass, and each one was better than the last one.  I think that the best day of all was when we went to the Transit Museum and met someone from the past who told us about being on an elevated train during a blizzard.  It was so interesting and fun. 

Now that my internship is coming to an end, I realize that the biggest difference between Buenos Aires and New York is the people.  The level of focus that they showed in every activity is incredible. It doesn’t matter if it is only a simple activity.  They do it the best they can to prove to themselves that they can do it well.