I arrived in New York a week ago, with almost no trouble at all. The hardest part was just making sure I took the right bus from the airport to the bus terminal (there are about fifty bus lines around the airport, to say nothing of taxis…), but I did take the right one. And when I got to the terminal (which is right by Times Square — talk about a dazzling vision at night!) I was met by the lady who I’m staying with for the duration of the internship: we’ll call her Ms. M.
Ms. M is an exceedingly Godly woman with a great faith and a great testimony: she was suggested to me through someone else, so I was nervous about living with a stranger at first, especially in New York. But the arrangement has really been phenomenal! I’m living west of Central Park in Manhattan (the area looks like a cross between “Friends” and “Stuart Little,” for those of you who — like me — might benefit from media examples).
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| (Manhattan Skyline) |
On Sunday I went to an afternoon service at the church where Ms. M attends. Since I had been at two different weddings in the weekends leading up to my departure, this was my first day in June to attend a church service… and was my spirit ever thirsty! We must have worshiped for nearly half an hour before the sermon even started, and I bawled like a baby for a good portion of it. We sang old songs, new songs, classic hymns, and songs that I’d never heard before but were easy to catch on to and piercing to the heart! As has been the case for me before, I prefer churches with more than just one style of worship or one culture to draw from — well, this church was my kind of place! It was as spirit-filled and diverse as New City Church in Chattanooga (one of my family’s home churches through the years), and the Urbana Conference (which I attended in December of 2009 and would highly recommend).
After the service was well-over, I strolled through Broadway to Times Square and took a few pictures because, well, you just can’t be near a world-famous landmark and walk away without proof for your friends and loved ones that you were there. I’m not much of a “selfie” fan, but this was one of those rare times.
And the next day was more of the same: I met with a fellow intern (and Asburian!), and we were guided by our supervisor through some of the major sections of the city — mostly to capture extra footage for the videos that we’ll be making for our internship.
We basically walked from the middle of Central Park all the way to Brooklyn, which makes for between five and seven miles. We had some amazing thin-crust pizza (eat your heart out, Chicago deep-dish!) and I learned very quickly that it’s almost impossible to stand out in this town at all. Neon spandex suit? Normal. Speaking Danish? Normal. Lugging a cello around the subway? Normal. The only way to brand yourself as a tourist here is to wear high heels (after walking everywhere you’ll eventually figure out that flats and arch supports are the only way to live), stare at every major landmark, or at least just carry a huge camera. However, since I’m going to be in film and broadcast for the rest of my life, it looks like I’ll be stuck with cameras forever and I’ll just have to live with that.
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| The 9/11 Memorial, made to look like two gaping holes reflecting empty sky where there once were two towers. |
The next three days were devoted mainly to my internship: conducting street interviews, editing footage, and learning how to navigate the subways (by Wednesday, I could ride around without glancing at the subway map on my phone — woohoo!). And despite the grunge of it, the subway is actually one of my favorite parts about the city, for three reasons:
1. People-watching. I absolutely love seeing the diverse range of people that suddenly end up sharing the same train car together. But, since eye contact and staring is taboo here in NY, I’ve learned to judge a lot about the character of others from — get this — their shoes. I’ve even decided to start a sneaky little photography series, called ‘Shoes of the Subway’ or something like that (partially inspired by the Facebook page called “People of New York,” which is absolutely fascinating). I could tell you a lot more about this concept, but I’ll leave that for another day and another update.
2. The subway is (once you understand its layout) so easy to use! New York itself is partially to thank for that, because the city is so tight-knit that anything I need is almost always within walking distance anyway. Want a Starbucks? One block east. Want a laundromat? One block south. Groceries? One block west. Tailor? Masseuse? Butcher? Free Yoga Class? Acupuncture? It’s all right here within ten minutes of stepping out my door. And anything* that isn’t that close is still within fifteen minutes, thanks to the Subway. I wouldn’t want to have a car here, even if I could. New York’s streets are so crammed that a car really can’t ever get past forty miles an hour on the biggest roads, even on a really good day. Then there are the usual auto problems like gas prices, oil changes, flat tires, and other drivers. If I really need to transport something large, I’ll hire a cab once in a blue moon.
* (Anything meaning a generic shop or service, not specific landmarks.)
3. Yeah, I’ll admit it… every time I’m in the Subway, I can’t help but peer down those dark tunnels and hope for a glimpse of the Ninja Turtles. I saw a rat once — that’s kind of close, right?
Because, let’s face it — I can barely walk down a street here without seeing a place that was mentioned in a song or shown on television. Every time I’m in Times Square, I keep expecting a soldier with star-spangled shield to sprint by on his way to battle aliens at Stark Tower. Every time I walk through Central Park, I expect the passersby to burst into song about how to know you’re in love. Every time I’m near the Hudson, I expect to see a treasure-hunter leaping off the wharf to escape FBI agents hot on his tail. This city is a movie-nerd’s dream!
I’ve had the last two days off, so I spent those doing a little job-hunting (my internship is unpaid so I’m trying to earn a living on the side to actually, you know… earn a living) and preparing this massive tidal wave of information. I’ve also hunkered down with some writing that I was putting off, which includes a number of screenplays and a potential book.
I’m also editing scripts for different friends of mine, and I really enjoy it… even though I’ve discovered that sometimes I’m a horribly abrasive editor. I guess my opinions are a lot more frank when I write them down, as opposed to speaking them aloud. (Like this blog, for instance…) But then again, I’ve always tended to enjoy surrounding myself with edgy, strong-willed people. Of course not all opinions are right. Most of the universe is made up of mysteries that mankind hasn’t even come to discover yet, much less understand. But if you make it a point to mistrust every stretch of ground you walk on, you’ll never get anywhere. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
So, to sum up my first week: I’m adjusting nicely, I’m enjoying the new scenery and this change of pace (cooking for myself and so forth, which will be discussed another time), I’m close to getting my first grown-up job (keep your prayers flying and your fingers crossed!) and I’m charmed by the constant opportunities for adventure that this city has to offer.
Thanks for reading. There’s more to come very soon.
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