NYC Post Trip Blog: Kylie
Aloha, it's Kylie Butler again, back with another journal. This time talking about what my top highlights were and why, what I learned, and also how this trip has changed me. All in all, this trip was a great experience for me because it allowed me to learn more about the place I want to go. New York itself is everything I dreamed of and more. It's the tall buildings, the honking, the crowds, and the fast pace. I feel like I couldn't choose just three highlights but here we go.
The first highlight is just being able to be in New York. It is exactly what I expected, New York is really the place to find yourself. After talking with someone on the ride through New York I learned I need to find who I am and want to be. Speaking of the ride to New York was amazing, we went through this very long tunnel. On the other side when we reached New York I cried because it didn't feel real. Riding the subway for the first time, not that bad. Overall, the first highlight for me was really just being in the city.
The second big thing was Juilliard, which is my dream school. Our tour guide Tony gave us an amazing tour of the school. We didn't get to see any people working in depth, but just walking past classrooms was enough for me. I feel that being able to just see the campus and meet one of the students really lets you have a good feel of what school there will be like. For me it was incredible, the amount of passion I have for the arts is unexplainable. I think the coolest thing about Juilliard is that they have so many places for you to rent out to practice in. I love how driven everyone is to get things done and just not miss a second. The second highlight would have to be going through the Juilliard campus.
The third highlight, was definitely the 9/11 memorial, it was a huge experience. As soon as you walk in you just get this feeling of sorrow however forgiveness. I personally didn't know anyone who has passed in 9/11, however it was very touching. I remember seeing a small building inside the museum and I walked in and there was another smaller room. I walked into the room and it had two walls with projectors. On the floor was the bottom pieces of the tower, with glass over to protect it. I sat down and as I began to watch I started to tear up. By the time I got to the third person It showed a picture of the man, the day he was born, the day he died, and a small paragraph about him. A woman started talking about him and how his three children will grow up without him. I was so overwhelmed I started to cry and had to walk out. I went into another building, it was more pictures and videos of the actual attack. Then Alysia showed me a message a man left, I believe his wife. He said,”Hey, we’re getting hijacked right now. I just wanted you to know that no matter what happens I love you, and tell my parents I said the samething.” The way he said it in such a calm tone and I started crying again. If you really realize where you are as well as what happened it can be very emotional. I really loved it though because I got to really connect with a part of history.
The fourth highlight would have to be transportation, there is more than you might know of. First I want to talk about the subway. It is very dirty down in the underground area and hot, however riding the subway wasn't as bad. It was still dirty, it wasn't hot, it was really fun, and went fast. One time while we were on the subway a man came through the doors went to the middle and began to play music. He was playing the violin and it was a song from Cinderella. It was so beautiful and reminded me so much of a movie. Second transportation I would like to talk about is driving, it sucks. Brandy, Malachi, Donnell, and I got into an Uber kind of thing. It took us roughly forty-five minutes to an hour to get back to the hotel. If you would like to sleep in New York I suggest driving everywhere. However it was one of the highlights of my trip as well as the subway.
The last best thing about this trip was watching all the shows and meeting the different casts. The first show we saw was Waitress, it was so cool. As soon as you walk in you get the smell of, I think it was cinnamon apple pie. Then we got to see Eric Andersen and he was really nice, humble, and didn't mind taking so many pictures. Then we saw Kinky Boots, we saw Brendon Urie and I was in awe. We also got to meet J. Harrison Ghee who played Lola and he was so sweet. We also saw more of the cast and they were all very willing to answer our questions and were also very gracious. Lastly, we saw Miss Saigon and got to see all of the cast. The show was really cool they had a helicopter and it was just such an amazing story line. All of the cast was really humble and also so sweet. The final highlight would have to be seeing all the shows and meeting cast members.
In the end, this trip had so many great things that can't go into only one journal. I am so happy I got to go on this trip it was an amazing experience. The people there all seem to know what they want, where to get it, how to get it, and go for it.
I have been able to experience New York in the best way, with family. What do I mean by family? Well NPAC has been my home for going into three years now. For me NPAC is the place I feel most comfortable being myself without being judged. NPAC is my escape from school problems and home problems. The people in NPAC give me the ability to act dumb, mess around, and dance my feelings out. I have been able to go to so many people in NPAC even if just for that special hug and they're always right there. And because of NPAC I have been able to decide whether or not I want to go to New York without having to live there for around a year. I’m very thankful for this opportunity I was given. I would like to thank everyone who allowed me to have this amazing opportunity and all the amazing people I got to meet along the way.
