Coming to New York

Through the Atlas Corps fellowship program, I have the privilege to come to New York City and serve. This is the most fascinating experiences of my life as it is helping me understand cultural relativity and shocks. Apparently, Living in New York also gives me an insight into how thing works across different contexts.

First Impression

As a New York fellow, it’s only fair that my first post highlights my encounter with the the city. How life and living patterns are and how it is making me a better person already. On the first moment of my arrival, one thing seemed eminent to me; that everything is too fast here in New York. People moving helter-skelter as though they were going to finish with solving all the problems of the worlds at once. I saw the sense of purpose and hard work all over the place.  So this amazed me.

Despite  all the excitements around moving to a new country, I feel overwhelmed being that things are so different here. More so, when I am fully responsible for how I carry myself around. When I arrived in New York City, I shared a room (hostels) with three strangers for a week. My first night sucks because I found it difficult to share a room with strangers for the first time. However, my tenure in the hostels reflects the best kind of accommodation I could ever have at the time. In Spite of adapting well, I built a sense of community and meet couple of folks experiencing similar changes. Moreover, it was also possible for me to manage my budget in the most efficient way as possible.

Diversity

Of all the places I have been to, I did not find anywhere as cosmopolitan as New York City. It seems to me that New York city is the melting point of cultures. Diversity holds a stronger ground here with different race groups living together with a common sense of purpose. Hence, contributing to the betterment of the city. I find this fascinating because this is where most developing countries like mine have not been able to thrive. In contrast, these countries always struggling to cope up with mere tribal/ethnic differences.

Tourist Attraction

Certainly, New York city is also remarkable for its touristic identity. Tourists from all around the globe come to enjoy, learn and explore. My visits to Time Square, statue of liberty, 9/11 Memorial and museum  gives me significant insight into the American history. I also came to appreciate the subway system because it makes mobility to every place in the city possible.

Finally, my encounter with NYC is an eye opener for me to see the world from a different perspective. Hence, I cannot thank Atlas Corps enough for providing me with this all important opportunity.

                                                                                                                Photo Credit

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Cheers!