Tales from Overseas -

Tehana De Klerk

A er living outside of New Zealand for most of my life, I didn’t expect to experience such a cultural shock over the Summer when I went on holiday. Much to my surprise (and delight), the world beyond our country’s borders never ceases to amaze me.

My rst and favourite stop on this trip was New York City. I’ll admit, ying alone for the rst time in my life was utterly terrifying, but to nally be in the city that never sleeps will forever be one of my greatest memories. New York is magni cent; if you can get past the tightly packed streets and sometimes weird smells, you’ll nd yourself immersed in a beautiful culturally diverse atmosphere.

Of course, like any other city, New York has its downsides. e homeless population is at large, and it is incredibly heartbreaking to see. Additionally, on New Year’s Eve, there was an attack on several police o cers. While I would love to dive further into this, that’s not exactly what this piece is about… (I really don’t know how to move on from this without sounding like a coldhearted bitch).

Anyways? Being in New York was quite a di erent experience compared to any other city I’ve travelled to. I’ve seen people say it’s “the Paris of the USA”, but I actually thought it was a really nice place to be. at’s not me saying Paris sucks; I’ve never been there so I wouldn’t know. But NYC was great! I’d love to return there someday, and if the dream my mum had a few weeks back comes true, then I will.