Vanja13

Pre-thoughts
Whenever one travels one must deal with expectations. To expect is to prepare yourself either for disappointment or satisfaction. It all depends on whether you are a glass-half-full person or a glass-half-empty person. I have always said it depends on what you are drinking. When I first discovered we had a chance to go and see New York, I was ecstatic. I was mostly excited because I had never been to America before and I had always wanted to see America. But the more I thought about New York, the more angst I started having. I was worried that my childhood image of New York would be scattered, and I could never again pick up the pieces.
I am a big admirer of Europe and the city structure and atmosphere. Every capital in Europe I been to has brought me happiness in some way. There is an almost inexpressible emotion you get when walking by the banks of Seine or seeing the Coliseum. It deeply touches a person and I am no exception. Paris is especially a city close to my heart, if I could choose any city to live in I would definitely choose Paris.
When you are a child you have a conception on what a specific place is like. I had a preconceived notion about what New York would be like. New York is a very magical place and it is easy to lose yourself in the city. The town is a concrete jungle so to say. I thought of New York as a beautiful place, filled with delighted people. One could say that I almost thought of New York as the closest thing to a utopia in our modern world. It sounds extremely naïve, and when I ponder the thought now, I can see how unrealistic it sounds. But that is how I felt, before going to New York. It is sometimes almost funny how different realty is.

Overwhelming Constructions
When I first landed in New York I was shocked by the sheer monstrosity when looking at the buildings. Everything was just enormous, from the concrete creations to the people. Super size my surprise. There was no way of absorbing it all. I think the reason New York is so spell bounding is because of the gigantic buildings. When one stands in front of an edifice as tall as the Chrysler Building, you feel humbled in a way. One could compare it to a feeling one gets when standing in front of a Goliath-like church, you can almost not believe that people actually built this. It is like there is a person constantly watching you. The buildings are propelled upon your shoulders so it is like walking around with this huge burden. We discussed this topic in my film group, and we came to a conclusion. The people visiting New York are the only ones with this problem; the people who have lived in New York all their lives have no problems with the buildings because they are not familiar with anything else.

Citizens
I did not really know what to expect when it came to the American people. While I did spend the first few days constantly paranoid about whether the guy beside me on the subway would try to steal my money, that feeling eventually went away. When my mind was put at ease I started to see how wonderful New Yorkers really were. There was a myth in my mind saying that people in New York are in such a hurry that they do not really appreciative the city they live in.
I thought that when people ask them for help, they simply would not respond. That they are very reminiscent to a robot, but I was gladly wrong. It is sort of like an enigma, because although everyone is in such a hurry, they are still willing to help. It is quite puzzling. Every time we asked someone, Is this the way to Chelsea? they would answer and not give a snotty comment on how busy they were. That is quite pleasant, when you are already feeling like a tourist.

Atmosphere
Every new place you travel to has a certain tone the first time you are there. That atmosphere changes every time you visit (if you choose to visit again). Maybe you start feeling more at ease with place or you start speculating why you even visited the place. In New York I felt like I already knew the place. I felt that I had in a strange way already been there before. I think it is because I had predetermined thoughts because of the movies I have seen which took place in New York. The city has a sort of buzzing mood; this has of course something to do with the fact that there are about eight million people vibrating around New York. It truly is the city that never sleeps, constantly going from a to z, never stopping. I most certainly prefer a slower existence; I feel beyond doubt that when you are constantly in motion, you do not notice the things/people around you. You do not notice how beautiful life can be, the way the sun is reflecting through the tree. I am not talking about a slacker metaphor, I just feel that life moves very fast and if you do not look up from time to time, you will miss it.

There is no place like home
I enjoyed myself very much in New York, although it might not seem like that according to this essay. The reason I remember New York with crooked smile on my face is basically because of the people I was with. Even though I was excepting a city that would change my life forever, I was anticipating the wrong experience. I was concentrating on something that I finally realised was insignificant. I was too caught up with the metropolis that I ultimately forgot who I was going with. And one could the real reason I was there. And therefore I have a quote that emphasizes how I feel.

A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes.
           Mark Twain

The quote does not only work when one speaks of voyages, but the quote can be used to describe the ambivalence, that is life.