New York, New York ... the city of great expectations and hopes, a metropolis with a huge energy of ambitious plans. The city of neon signs and beautiful tall buildings. Such common pictures my imagination drew when our plane was landing at Kennedy airport in New York, in anticipation of the fact that for 2 weeks I will myself feel the air and the energy of the "Big Apple". Our school was on Times Square in the heart of Manhattan, five minutes’ walk from the Fifth Avenue, Broadway and Empire State Building.
We lived those 2 weeks as real New Yorkers! In the morning, we went to the school by 9 o'clock, sometimes using the subway. Often we watched inhabitants, at breakneck speed, running past us, probably fearing of being late in their offices. And we watched them having a bite with a croissant from Starbucks, drinking a "Take away" coffee.
Our teachers were Americans, and if during breaks they were simple and funny friends, in the classroom, they became very strict and acted according to the schedule. I was impressed that they could so change. It showed their professionalism. Every day after lunch, we went on New York tours. And if at first I thought that having lived in this city for two weeks, I would know every corner, after the first outing I realized, it was unreal! So many sights and places that I wanted to see, but even if we walked day and night, we would not have time to take part in various excursions during 2 weeks. We had everyday lessons in our schedule, and we could explore New York during free time only.
Central Park
When we went to this park, it seemed to me that I came to the island, suddenly emerged in the heart of concrete buildings, neon signs and bustle. Our walk was dedicated to the performance, organized by young theatergoers. The feeling that you’ve ended up in a green beautiful location, with manicured trees, where everybody suddenly stop hurrying up, can sit directly on the grass or even lie, like puppies. These surprising contrasts, which I saw made me penetrate into the life of a fussy person who could come to the park and start the program "Stop, reset". And after …. work, studies, plans, affairs, and quickly returned to his life!
Empire State Building
The excursion to the sightseeing platform on the 86 floor of this building was fascinating! The city viewing angle of 360 degrees was breathtaking. The sun was setting, and on the other side, the moon already appeared on the post. It was summer, but New York was shining like a Christmas tree. It was so nice to see from a height how the city was turning to a night awake mode. At that moment, when I was looking at the city from a bird's-eye view, I felt proud of the people in general, of the human intelligence, which could create such huge 100-storey buildings, suspension bridges, and that was a symbol of the power of human engineering science.
The Statue of Liberty
Once on a weekend, we went on an excursion to the island of Liberty to take a look at the famous "Liberty Enlightening the World," as the Statue of Liberty called. We got Bedlow island on a ferry, and the queues, in which we spent some time, did not spoil our impressions. It was so great to see the symbol of the country, which is so dear to Americans.
American Museum of Natural History
When we had to go to this museum, we did not really want to spend time on it, to be honest we thought it would be a dull affair. Taking a walk through the halls, we seemed to be walking through the history of our planet, there were so many exhibits, which we first saw in your life, of course we had a very informative and interesting time.
And there was Madame Tussauds’ Museum, brightness and luxury offered in the museum amazed us. Then there was the Brighton Beach, where we swam in the ocean waves. Rides at Coney Island did not leave us indifferent. Shopping on the 5th Avenue surprised us with such a variety of shops and goods. We tasted famous Donuts, and, of course, our favorite McDonalds did not go unnoticed!
A day before departure, at the school, we were solemnly handed over the certificates, and recalling my New York holidays, with a pleasant aftertaste, I can say that I have usefully spent those weeks having improved my spoken English, and saved vivid impressions for my whole life, that I have kept in my camera’s memory.
