Dear Readers

 

Dear readers of October in New York,

The past few years have been a period in time that will not be easily forgotten. First the global travel came to a halt due to the pandemic and now the wars and other conflicts still rage around the world. These times, if anything, make knowing other cultures and countries maybe more important than ever. Thus, after a year-long preparation and planning I had the great privilege of leading a group of students through both the American Studies 2025 course and a memorable October week in New York – it was the 14^th time.

As always, there was a lot to see and even more to experience. There were twenty-six of us this year. We were warmly received everywhere, and everyone, be it our tour guides or the staff in any of the places we visited, went out of their way to help us. A special thank you goes to the Consulate General and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN for welcoming us for the second time. The Foreign Ministry of Finland as well as the American Embassy in Helsinki have over the years given a lot to my students and the American Studies. I hope we can work together in the future as well. Furthermore, the locals in New York were even more helpful and attentive than any of us could have expected and we will cherish the encounters with them.

I am happy that you found our blog! Do enjoy the accounts written by my students. They certainly had their own favorites on our itinerary. Mine were the Metropolitan Opera, as always, with an extraordinary performance of Don Giovanni; Aladdin The Musical, and our visit to High Line where we met with an American Studies alumna, Heli, who now lives in New York. The enthusiasm the visit to New York evokes in my students is always the best possible thank you from the students one can get.

I would like to thank my wonderfully enthusiastic and active students as well as their exceptionally supportive families. Also, my co-chaperone Pasi deserves to be acknowledged – well done for a first-timer in the Big Apple!

NYC is a city to be experienced in person. I hope there will be new groups of students to do so one day with me.

Until next time, New York!

Love,

Mervi

 

By Ella P. 

P.s. The photos in the October in New York blog are mine unless otherwise indicated.