by Jernel Peter
Looking at a place on television, or watching pictures online is one perspective, but being there in person and getting a firsthand view is totally different. When we arrived in New York City I was elated. I thought to myself, ‘finally I have set foot in the busiest city in the world’. Thought it was not a “culture shock” some things still surprised me such as, the metro cards and huge stores and malls, as it was my first time seeing them.
On day one I enjoyed the train ride most as it was my first time riding on a train. I learned that time is of great importance when thinking of catching the train. Being alert, knowing your location and your destination is also of great importance. However, by day two, after a trip on the extremely crowded train, my views quickly changed. I soon realized that a ‘chacked bus’ in Dominica is nothing compared to a packed train or bus here in New York City.
The visit to the American Museum of Natural History was very interesting. The animal history included extinct dinosaurs and present day wild animals. To me, the most interesting part of the visit was the movie we looked at. This movie was about the universe; the past present and somewhat future. It taught me that scientists are still questioning many things as they continue research about dark energy and the universe in general. Despite all the information given and discoveries made, I think the most important question is who is God and what does He look like?
From the museum we moved on to Central Park. This is a very green, quiet, peaceful and tranquil place. While there we took time to recall various movies such as Stuart Little and Enchanted which recorded scenes in the park. This made the walk through the park much more enjoyable.
The World Trade Centre and Pentagon were destroyed on September 11 2001. Today, the 9/11 memorial & museum 
stands where the twin towers once stood. Our trip to the 9/11 memorial & museum on Wednesday was sad and to some extent depressing. The twin reflecting pools were a lovely site to behold. Watching the names of people who died in the attacks engraved on the perimeter of the pool made me feel proud to be standing close to where the towers once stood. The use of technology in the 9/11 museum was evident in the presentation and displays. The museum is much more digitized and the use of digital humanities was ever present. As a result it was more interactive than our visit to the American Museum of Natural History and the experience seemed much more real.
At the museum we saw timelines of the events which took place just minutes before the attacks as well as after the planes hit the buildings. More than one timeline was used to help visitors understand events which took place during the attack and in response to the attacks. Reading the messages sent and phone calls made is one thing but hearing the recordings and the panic voices made all the difference. Tears filled my eyes while listening to calls made by the victims on the flights which were hijacked. I could not imagine what it would have been like to be a passenger on one of these planes or having a family member in that position.
The African Burial Ground Museum was most interesting. Looking at images of the skeletal remains of Africans of different ages which were found was intriguing. I instantly recalled what I had learnt in my Human Anatomy and Physiology class about the identification and classification of bones. Reading some of the descriptions of what slaves went through in the United States brought to mind what I learnt at school in Caribbean History. This made me realize that though these Africans were slaves in the United States, we as Caribbean people are still connected with them in some way since our roots are from Africa. I thank God for the people who fought for an end to slavery.
Overall, New York is a very busy place; people are always on the go. I can’t wait to see what else in store for the next week.