Skip to main content

The Simple Joys


Central Park
My answer to people when they ask me how I like New York is to say something diplomatic like “I’m glad it’s only for five years” or “I’ll get used to it” or “It’s the complete opposite of Turku.”

This last answer is my favorite to think about. Turku was quiet, peaceful, homogeneous, clean, easy-going. New York is loud, aggressive, diverse, dirty and rushed. I felt at home in Turku, I do not feel at home here. (Though diversity is one thing that New York has going for it over Turku)



But there are small pleasures I have discovered and so I will devote this post to those small moments of joy in my new, temporary home.



My version of coffee


1.     Coffee. This is not unique to New York— in fact, I actually make it at home so I could make it anywhere—but I have found that nothing compares to making a cup of Indian style cappuccino (hand whipped instant coffee with lots of sugar and only milk) while I read articles for class.

    2. The Teacher’s College Campus. Teacher’s College is the graduate school for education at Columbia. It is old and therefore, the architecture is beautiful and majestic. It feels like important things must happen within these walls. Also, the TC library is wonderfully cozy and my favorite place to study even late into the evenings.

3.     Architecture. While walking down a commercial street, you will suddenly notice a building that looks like it came out of the early 1900’s. It might now be a CVS but you can tell there is history in the walls. Sometimes there are plaques that give you a snippet of this history.

4. The parks. Central Park is a mile away and a very accessible place to go on a stroll. I now understand why New Yorkers are so proud of it. There are so many nooks in the park that you could spend a week exploring it and still not find all the secret spots. I love going on runs through the park or taking some readings I need to do and sitting in the grass with my aforementioned mug of coffee. There are also other parks which are also wonderful running spots.

Teacher's College
  5. The diversity. I do enjoy the many different kinds of people here.  My cohort has people from all walks of life, from teachers who have taught in New York for almost two decades to some who have been studying for longer than we have taught (like me). There is racial diversity, diversity in ages and diversity in experiences. It makes for interesting conversation and interesting class discussions.



So, in the times that I feel lonely or poor because of the exorbitant New York prices, I try to remember these small moments that make New York worth coming to. I know there are many more things the city has to offer but I have found that it is better to take my time. New York is not going anywhere and neither am I. At least for a while.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Waltz

At a Finnish wedding, the tradition is for the newlyweds to dance to a wedding waltz during their reception. It doesn’t matter what kind of wedding it is, the waltz is an essential part of the program. I hate the waltz. Compared to the Latin dances that I have been learning, the waltz is too stately and prudish to be of much fun. So I have jokingly told my boyfriend that at our wedding we will not be dancing the waltz. In part this is to gauge his response to my presumption that we are getting married (a bit sneaky, I know). In part it is also to make sure he knows that I am most definitely not Finnish (though I tell him that I am 50% Finnish, 50% Indian and 40% American). When I last told him there would be no waltz at our wedding, my boyfriend didn’t flinch at this challenge, to his immense credit. He just laughed. At which point I realized I didn’t even know how to waltz, which only made him laugh even more. Somehow, after this exchange, he decided to put on some wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Finland's mark

Today in Finnish class I went up to a Nepali classmate and asked him if he knew a Nepali song that I have been obsessed with for the past two weeks. I told him that I was in love with the song but couldn’t understand a word so could he please translate it? In the middle of asking my question I realized he had no idea what I was talking about and that this was really awkward but it was too late to back out so I ploughed ahead anyway. The result was that I avoided him for the rest of class. But part of me didn’t care. Being in a new country gives you thick skin for awkward encounters. Being in a new country also shapes you and molds you into a different version of yourself. A friend of mine wisely said that “where you live leaves a mark on you.” I’m still only a couple months into my two year long stay here in Finland but it is leaving a mark already. On our way to Naantali, a town 18 km away from Turku. There are the little things. I drink coffee (well, half of it i...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Lifeblood of NYC

As you walk along the sidewalk of New York City, you’ll notice that periodically, the cement gives way to a metal grate. Sometimes, the reverberating rumbling echoes through these grates, telling you that a train is passing beneath your feet. Every time I hear that sound, my heart skips a beat. Quintessential NYC, but the real life blood of the city is its metros I’ve always loved the sound of trains. My aunt’s house is in the heart of Mumbai, right next to the railway tracks used by passing local trains. As a child, trapped inside with nothing to do while the adults slept or were busy in the kitchen, I would stand in my aunt’s balcony overlooking the tracks and watch the trains go by, lulled into a peaceful reverie as I listened to them. But watching trains in Mumbai is very different from riding the dark and dirty metros of New York. Metro stations are gloomy from the lack of natural light and filthy from the many people rushing past, spilling their drinks, spitting, sp...
Post a Comment
Read more