 Spring
Break in New York
Linnea Haggard
Sweden
Class of 2005 - 2006
The year of 05/06, I got the great opportunity to study at the Brenau
University in Georgia by a most privileged scholarship founded by Rotary
in Georgia, USA. I have gotten to know the customs and the way of living
in the southern part of the U.S. And I have met some wonderful people who
have become very dear to me. I have participated in Rotary conclaves
especially arranged for international students and on top of all that, I
won a flight trip anywhere I wanted in the U.S. So during my spring break,
I headed for New York and I went to stay by the family of Dr. Ellie
Schoenbaum. Her home is located in Manhattan, just by Central Park where
we took a long nice walk in the sunshine. I also got to see the beauty of
Riverside Park where the river was glistening in front of me, with the
background view of bridges and tall buildings. When you come to New York,
Dr. Ellie told me, you must see a Broadway Show. So she kindly arranged
tickets for us to see "The Phantom of the Opera." The costumes, the
scenery and the music were outstanding -- a real Broadway Show is in a
class of its own. Then I had the fortune to come with Dr. Schoenbaum to
her work. She is a professor and an HIV researcher at the Albert Einstein
College of Medicine. I was also able to participate in two very
interesting seminars in her field.
Tuesday at noon time, I was invited to attend a lunch meeting at the
Rotary Club in the Bronx. It was my wonderful Rotary host Nan Brown, who
belongs to the Lanier Forsyth Rotary Club in Georgia, who had arranged
this meeting for me. Of course, I held a speech about Sweden, my home
country, and I got a very warm response from many members of the club. We
exchanged Rotary banners, a custom that I have become familiar with during
my time in the U.S. Many nice Rotarians wanted to show me the city of New
York after the lunch. I got to see Times Square, the Statue of Liberty,
Ground Zero and the Metropolitan Museum. I also got invited behind the
scenes in the House of United Nations. I was lucky to see the famous round
rooms where all the important decisions are made and I saw my country's
sign. I had lunch in their big dining hall, where they served exquisite
food.
One day, I got the opportunity to walk Fifth Avenue up and down, and
explore all the great and famous stores, a thing I really enjoyed. I
learned to find my way through the giant subway system and I really had a
great time. The days passed by rapidly and before I knew it, it was time
for me to depart, leaving behind me a lot of unexplored tourist
attractions. I was sitting in my airplane seat, looking out from the
window at a city which is never asleep, where there's always something to
do. It was so beautiful. The sky was pitch black and New York's many
lights lit up the ground, revealing the water that surrounded and
penetrated the city. I hope my path will take me there again someday in
the future. I had some great days. Thank you, GRSP, for making it all
possible! |
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