A NEW YORK Day!

Everything about Day 2 was how I had hoped New York would be! Cameron, Mary Jane and I were all getting ready for work at the same time. I had prayed we would be friends…and I few minutes later Mary Jane came over and asked if I would curl her hair sometime because she likes how mine looks. I thought it was so sweet! She works on 18th Street and I work on 22nd Street, so we walked to work together. It took about 35 minutes, but it was so awesome to see all the activity. We got to talk really for the first time since I'd been here, so I was glad to get to know her a little better. We left the apartment just before 8:30 and I got to work right at 9 am. We walked some on 1st, 3rd, Lexington and then through Madison Square Park. We were getting HOT and everyone at the office was impressed that I’d walked 2 miles! It was a good workout!

Lauren and I share a workspace, and I had also prayed that morning that we’d be friends…and she turned to me a little after 12 and said she was starving and did I want to go get lunch. I was starving too, of course! So we got our cute bags and cute sunglasses and walked to New York Burger Co. We walked through Madison Square Park to get there, and there was a camera crew and actors filming something (I tried to not completely gawk at it!) We sat in the restaurant at the open air bar that looks onto the street. We had a good time getting to know each other and people watching. I kept thinking this is exactly how I had pictured lunch in New York!

Everyone at my office LOOKS so much different from me – most everyone is Asian or “New York”…Lauren and I are the different ones. I found it to be such an opportunity to get to know people who are different from me, rather than feeling like I wouldn’t have anything in common with them. I had a great conversation with Wenyang “Wen” who is from Taiwan. He is so funny and nice, and he was so grateful that I was interested in hearing about where he was from and who he is.

I took a long walk home as I was stopping to window shop and look at the buildings, talking on the phone – happy birthday Melissa and Ben! – and just still trying to take it all in and realize I’m here!

I got to the apartment in time for a cookout Jane was having with Arthur and Janet from the building and her friend Barry and his son and friend. I got to talk to Janet for awhile and learn about her coming here from Iran and her two children. Her kids went to the United Nations school – UN just a few blocks from the apartment. She said this is the best place to be to learn about other people. Barry’s son and friend are my age and graduated from Brown – the next President and Attorney General of the United States, as Barry likes to call them. They were both very nice and interested to hear about what I think of the city. We had different views on everything from religion and abortion to football and hotdogs!! I prayed for faithfulness and strength and God helped me stand up and express my views and not let them intimidate me into being quiet and just go along with what they were saying. I’ll have to sell tickets to the next debate of Southern belle vs. Yankee Browns!