How did your arrival in New York go?
I arrived at JFK airport in New York and jumped straight into a taxi to head to my dorms, at the Pace campus in Manhattan. I wanted to see everything and visit everything right from the first day, but we were expected at the university. A welcoming buffet was organised for the foreign students (in truth, every event is an excuse for a massive buffet!). Despite the diversity in age and nationality of the students, everyone succeeded in understanding one another.
Were you able to integrate easily?
Contrary to what I believed at first, the language was not an obstacle: Americans don’t mind mistakes and they make the effort to understand you. They never hesitate to help you and are very well organised: they provided the students with brochures and maps and even gave you a rucksack to carry it all in!
I found it quite easy to make friends and I found myself being able to sympathise more with the foreign students than with the Americans. My flatmate has even become one of my best friends. I spent Thanksgiving with her and her family in Texas.
What kind of assessment would you make of your stay?
Thanks to this experience, I am now more open to other lifestyles. You really need to live there at least once in your life! It’s a fantastic experience. When you live in New York, you have a feeling of permanent freedom. Even if everything over there is at a hundred miles per hour – as is the expression “in a New York minute” – you adapt to it quickly. The energy in the city is contagious. And if leaving your family and friends is sometimes difficult, there is also internet, MSN, telephone and the post to keep you in contact!
The hardest part is without a doubt finding good bread!
