1. Learning English from the very first
night
If, when arriving to NY at JFK airport, you don't
write exactly the same name (Maria included) as you are on your
passport, in the Police control, you can be in trouble. That was what happened
to me arriving in NY. I had to wait more than half an hour until I was free!
Fortunately,
instead of spending my first night in NY in jail (ha,ha,ha), I went to a party
with karaoke.
Learning
English!
2. These boots are made for walking...
Today was very cold and windy, but blue skies. I went to Central Park and started walking and walking (these boots are made for walking) because it was so cold; I arrived at the end of the park, 62 Street, and then went to Times Square (busy and full of tourists).
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| Central Park from 103rd Street |
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| Central Park |
Then, I came back home on the Subway. On the train there was a man with a poster pro Bernie Sanders, you know, the left option for the elections. I will show you.
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Some people campaigning for Bernie in the subway
3. The
School
On Monday April 4th, I started classes at NYLC.
The school is on Broadway Av. 100th Street. As I live in 105th with
Amsterdam Av. I can go walking: just 5 blocks. The location is very important
because a fare trip on the subway is $ 2:75 and that’s quite a lot!
Many people come in to learn English;
Especially immigrants and workers: People looking for a better life.
Juan comes from Dominican Republic. In
the class, he was sitting next to me.
He is small, has dark skin and dark eyes;
he arrives on time at class with a shy big smile.
Juan goes every day at NYLC, 4 hours a
day. He has a striped notebook and a yellow pencil.
He also works in a restaurant 8 or 9 hours
a day; it depends on the costumers: If they are talking more or less and
leaving early or late. Fish Tag Restaurant is in 79 Street Broadway and
Amsterdam. He prepares salads, great salads.
His mother works in another restaurant, in
the kitchen, usually 10 or 12 hours.
She lives in NYC since 20 years and she
still has problems with the English. That’s why she encourages her son to
improve his English.
And Juan knows that if he wants a good
job, he needs an English Certificate.
The sooner, the better.
Upper West Side
105th Street wit Broadway Avenue. The Bakery.
Amsterdam Avenue
 
Shopping vegetables in Amsterdam Av.
4. Upper West Side:
First of all, to get to know the neighborhood.
BLOOMINGDALE is the name of the
neighborhood on the UPPER WEST SIDE from 96th to 110th Street between Central
Park and Riverside Drive. The area has been referred to as BLOOMINGDALE for
over 300 years. The name is derived from the town Bloemendaal in Holland' the
town name means valley of flowers. (This information comes from
The Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group)
Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway are
two lively and bustling avenues with people chatting in front of houses or
waiting for clothes in the laundry. There are Indian, Mexicans and Chinese
restaurants, Barber’s shops, and Cleaning shops, Delis… Many people speaking
Spanish or mixing English and Spanish.
An Episcopal Cathedral, St. John
the Divine, another Lutheran, the Trinity Lutheran Church or an old Synagogue,
(Ansche Chesed founded in 1829 by a group of German, Dutch and Polish Jews) are
some of the different churches you can find around this area. All of them are
connected with their community: they have school (“open to children of all
faiths”), workshops for teens and seniors, classes to help students with
homework and even a homeless shelter for L.G.B.T.Q. youth (the Q can mean
“queer” or “questioning” depending on individual preference).
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