I’ve been in the US for about 6 months now, living the dream as a French exchange student. My friend Rita came to visit last week and it was her first time ever in the US and for a first timer, New York is pretty much the place to be. We visited NYC for about 3 days and she stayed on campus with me for the rest of the week. When she first arrived we decided to stay in the city for two days and one night to give her the opportunity to see the city that never sleeps at night! On our first day, there was a snow storm. So, in addition to experiencing the American life, she had the chance to experience snow, rain, warm, hot and cold all in just 7 days meanwhile, in the South of France (where we are from), the weather is relatively nice/warm all the time. The funny thing is that here in New York it has been quite cold for weeks with no snow to make up for it so it was such a lovely surprise to experience a snowfall with my friend who understands the magic of seeing a snow storm and understanding the rarity of it.
As young ladies in NY, one of the things we felt like we had to experience was going to a male strip club. This was an in the moment decision that turned out to be one of the best times we had during her trip here and we absolutely loved it. We then walked countless blocks exploring Manhattan with me leading the way and surprisingly we didn’t get completely lost. After our city adventure, we headed up 30 miles north back to campus.
Dorming was a first for her as it was for me when I first came here but we managed thanks to my wonderful suitemates. Speaking a foreign language in an English speaking country was the funniest part, but we still had a lot of fun. When she finally left the room never been emptier. Having her here made me realize how much I miss home. Luckily my other friend is visiting next week so I will get another taste of France soon enough.
The US, especially NY, is like a movie for us and we had fun finding places that we knew from shows and movies we’ve known and loved for so long. It’s was such a nice experience having her visit and share my life here with one of my friend from France and I hope we’ll do it again soon. I felt so proud to introduce my friends from the US to my friend from France and she loved them all! Well, of course, cause they are the best.
Hopefully our next reunion will be in France!