In July I had an interesting encounter with a student currently enrolled at Baruch College, located at Lexington Avenue and 24th Street. I was looking for the nearest Staples store to buy computer paper so I looked around and decided to ask a pretty young lady standing nearby.
“Do you have any idea where the nearest Staples is located,” I said. “Sorry,” she replied, “I’m from China and I’ve only been in New York 15 days.” That got my attention!
The Forbidden City, China
We started to talk and she told me she was a college junior and would be a student at Baruch for the next two years. “My name is Annie,” she said, “and I come from a city in China that’s near Hong Kong.” She told me the name of her hometown and asked if I recognized it. I said, “no” and then went on to remark on her excellent use of English.
“I started learning English when I was in kindergarten,” she replied. “And when I knew that I was coming to New York I practiced a lot.”
She went on to tell me that she lived with three roommates in Queens, but that one had already moved out because she wanted to have a shorter commute to Baruch. “She’s moved to Chinatown which is very noisy and crowded,” she added
Annie told me she was with a group of 50 students. I told her that I thought she was quite brave embarking on this venture. She replied, “Right now, my cousin is going from China to Russia for one semester.” I told her that sounded like even more of a challenge to me.
We spent almost two hours walking around together. Annie said, “I’ve seen a lot of Queens, now I want to explore Manhattan.” She also offered a few impressions of the city. “I keep wondering why they don’t lower the sound of those sirens,” she said. “They’re very loud. She also asked me why New Yorkers speak so fast. “Even when I ask them to repeat something they say it so fast that I can’t understand it,” she noted.
After we parted I realized I should have given her my email address because she had an interesting tale to tell. Then I remembered that she told me she had just finished taking her chemistry class. So the next day, I went back to Baruch to see if I could locate “an Annie who had a morning chemistry class.” No such luck.
I went to the registrar’s office and explained what I wanted but the official word was “We have to protect our student’s rights.” I said that when I was at Columbia my boyfriend (now my husband) came looking for me and he was told where I was right away. “Everything is different now,” a young lady explained.
Who is studying in the United States?
MAY WE SUGGEST… Our wrinkle-free, packable tops are great for travelers who want to arrive in great shape – no matter how long the journey.
Shaun Nelson-Henrick
Comments will be approved before showing up.
I just read an article that sounded – to me at least – like “a canary in a coal mine” or an early warning of danger. This piece, written by Joe Pompeo, appeared in the May 2020 issue of Vanity Fair magazine with the title “The British Tabloid Invasion” and a subtitle that read, “How the Daily Mail is conquering American gossip.”
The paparazzi horde, La Dolce Vita, 1960 – photo courtesy of Vanity Fair
Apparently the good old U.S. is a nation of “not great” sleepers. Really? And I thought I was the only one! According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it was revealed that one out of three Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. Yikes!
I think we’re all taken by the incredible mystique of the famous French fashion house, Hermès that has been with us for two centuries and is still owned and operated by the same family. From its beginnings in fine equestrian leather goods, they are – in the tumultuous year 2020 – best known for their handbags and many other items.
My image of Hermès has always been rarified products at equally rarified prices so imagine my surprise when I recently received a very stylish publication of theirs in the mail.
