Hellloooo, New York!

I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'M IN NEW YORK! I didn't think I'd ever make it here, but I am, in fact, sitting in the basement of my housing complex on the edge of Harlom in NYC! My friend, Rob, picked me up from the airport last night, and then gave me a walking tour of the city today. Here are my thoughts:

As I exited the airport doors, I felt the heavy air consume my body. It had been raining for several hours by this point, and the air was thick with moisture. The cars were nothing but stop and go--no room for weak brakes. One large truck literally looked both ways (if that) and then simply drove through a red light. Another car saw the red light and stopped under the light, in the middle of the intersection, until it turned green again.

I love the man who welcomed me to the house--dreadlocks and all! "What the pen isn't working? Well, this is a non-profit organization. What do you expect?"

The subways smell like urine and the city a cacophony of fragrances ranging from fried onions to cheep perfume to more urine.

We visited the Manhattan temple, and the security guard at the front door was helping herself to a large cup of coffee. It was rather humorous.

I live in a dorm apartment on the same floor with a Russian opera singer and Tommy.

More than anything, I am SO EXCITED to start my internship with National Geographic tomorrow!

I'll try and keep the updates more regular now. Maybe I'll even get around to recapping on what's happened in the past month.