By Jernel Peter
From the hustle and bustle of the city life, to the unexpected entertainment of talented individuals on trains, I have cherished every moment of New York City. We visited numerous places but most importantly many schools such as Medgar Evers College, Columbia University & Brooklyn College. All schools were attractive and unique though there were a few similarities. So far, Brooklyn College has been most appealing to me, mainly because of the presence of sporting facilities.
Tuesday 4th August 2016 was the visit to City College. According to our tour guide, The City College was founded in 1847and was built primarily for city students. It is one of the CUNY schools in NYC and is prestigious for physics, architecture and engineering. This is clearly seen in the design of the buildings. Biomedical engineering and education programs are also offered at the college. There is also a high school and a lab school associated with the College and they are located nearby.
After walking through the St.Nicholas Park, we made a short stop at a New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which contains collections of one of our own, Pan Africanist, Joseph Raphael Casimir who was a poet and writer. It was interesting to know that his collection was part of a New York Library.
The highlight of the day was the Top of the Rock experience. We got the privilege to visit the Rockefeller centre and view the 360-degree panoramic view of New York City, 70 stories up. To get to the top required some patience but getting there was the reward. The view was breathtaking. In the distance we could see Brooklyn, the Bronx, New Jersey and even Long Island in the vast. We also tried to locate places we visited such us the Marcus Garvey Park, Central Park and some of the museums. It was such an amazing site to behold. Below us people and vehicles looked like minute creatures. As I stood there feeling the cool air on my face I couldn’t help but thank God for this opportunity to visit NYC.
I surely enjoyed the last few days in the Big Apple as the trip came to a close. This window of opportunity given to me this trip will forever be kept in my heart. I would like to express sincere thanks to Dr. Esprit and the rest of the board for all they have done and continue to do for Create Caribbean.