- Where I’m from poem – I am from the street lights and concrete floor, the train stations and bus stops, the annoyingly loud songs at night and the late commuting, I am from the city that never sleeps.
- Have you ever been in an unpleasant situation? – An unpleasant situation I have been in occurred on the train ride to campus today. I was sitting in front of a suspiciously quirky man who look like he was intoxicated from drug use. He appeared to be intoxicated because he would put a beanie on and pull it so hard that half of his face was not visible. I was also sitting next to an elderly man that had the smell of cigarettes. I felt uncomfortable and disgusted for the duration of the train ride but then I remembered that some people have to experience worst situations than this, that it’s not so bad. Some people wake up missing family members or wake up knowing they might not eat that day. I realized that this is just basic New York City life, unpleasant characters will always be around you.
- Have I ever been labeled. – I have been labeled but it was mainly as a joke. The last time I took offence to a Latino label was when I was in elementary school. This was because I am of Mexican descent and there weren’t many Mexicans in my elementary school. Another label I would have in elementary school was being called “Chinese” because of my short hair and short eyes.
- An experience I had with strangers. – Upon entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the three of us were dumbfounded when we realized how complex the MET is. We were not sure if we had to pay to enter the museum in the first place. My friends professor informed his class that entry to the MET is free, so we shouldn’t have any issues. We walked into the section of Renaissance era artwork to take photos and analyze the pieces. To the three of us, this setting is unfamiliar since we are surrounded by white Caucasian faces, and we aren’t used to that. After analyzing countless paintings, we decided to leave the renaissance era section onto another one. When we entered the lobby we were kicked out for not having the tickets that were required to enter the Renaissance era, so it was a negative experience for the three of us.
- Overheard in NYC – When you live in the city that never sleeps, you will naturally realize that there isn’t much privacy outside of your home. One day when I was in the train awaiting my destination, I overheard a discussion of how religion is faulty. This discussion was held by three adults that agreed with the concept of the church being evil and only existing to take donations from people.
