Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving! This was the only thing on anyone’s mind last week. On Tuesday, we all came together for a lovely Friendsgiving to celebrate what was for many of us, our first ever Thanksgiving, before some of our U.S friends jetted-home to spend the four-day break with their family.
For those of us who remained, we headed down to watch the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade early Thursday morning, where elaborate floats (some with famous people on them, including Jimmy Fallon!) and large-scale cartoon balloons paraded through Fifth Avenue. Our very own Bluey even made an appearance in the form of a life-size balloon.
On Thursday evening, Luna and I hopped on the train to Montclair, New Jersey, where I got the opportunity to have a proper Thanksgiving with Luna’s family friends. And boy, did I get the full-American experience! From turkey to pie, they kindly went all out to make sure my first Thanksgiving was memorable, and Luna and I both left later that evening feeling like our own versions of stuffed turkey.
Broadway, Radio City and Sightseeing
It’s also been a week full of theatre as I frantically try to pack in all the shows I can possibly watch before coming home! As an avid musical theatre fan, I went to see both Aladdin and Funny Girl on Broadway, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that wouldn’t have happened without my incredible boss (yes, the one publishing this right now!). We also went to see the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall, where they dazzled the stage with the glitz, glam and synchronised movements. We also explored Roosevelt Island, visited the Garment District, sat in Washington Square Park, visited the Carrier Bradshaw apartment on Perry Street and biked around Central Park, watching the leaves slowly drop off the trees.
From Books to Politics
For academics, we finished the Books Section, presenting our final podcast projects on the destruction of Seneca Village and the debate surrounding The Met’s historical acquisition of certain artefacts. For our Guest Speaker, we had Editor-in-Chief of Electric Literature, Denne Michele Norris, come chat with us about her role within the industry.
On Wednesday, I had my one-on-one mentoring sessions with my brilliant mentor Steve Eder, and am now preparing to dive straight into Politics with the incredible Ari Goldman, who spent 20 years at The New York Times before becoming a Professor at Columbia University, where he teaches Journalism and Religion. He is also one of the founding faculty of The School of The New York Times.
The time is slowly ticking away and as much as we are all excited to see our friends and family, none of us are ready to say goodbye – both to the program or each other!
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This opportunity was made possible with support from the Philip Leong Youth Programme.
