Today could be the most tired day I ever have since I come to the United States, even a little more than my swim team practice and tennis practice. We did a lot of walk, walk and always walk, but it was worth it!

 The first step was the Empire State Building. I regard it as “relax my neck”. Just imagine what the situation of our neck would be while we are walking along the street in New York---raising our heads in order to see whole bunch of skyscrapers, and holding it for a long time. So! Today I finally could stand taller than most of the New York building. Looking up became looking down or overlooking at the Empire State Building, that was awesome! There is a Chinese idiom which means “the tall building standing as if forest”. And today I felt that.

The view from the top of the Empire State Building

On top of the world!

Katrine (Denmark) and Lotty (Germany)

Then just after the highest place we went, our longest walking began. We walked along the Wall Street, especially the sculpture of the bull in the financial district, and the word “bull market” just immediately showed up in my mind. Our super, incredible, awesome, humorous, (etc.) tour guide told us a lot of things about this area, including the World Trade Centre. To be honest I did learn a lot of stuff from him even though the most of time I can’t catch up his world or could not really understand what it means.(sorry, Garrett…)

In the financial district with our tour guide, Garrett

Maxwell (Germany) kissing the bull for luck!

Me and Ignacio (Chile) at the monument of George Washington
in front of Federal Hall

In the Federal Hall on Wall street

During the last time, we walked, took pictures, walked, took pictures again, still walked, still took pictures….And we talking, having fun while we walking on the Brooklyn Bridge. Shopping, was another “long tour” for me, and I found that (not the first time) that most the stores are for girls!!!!! It was kind of hard for me to find some great stores which have many clothes for boys.

Brooklyn Bridge!

The most exciting thing for me was having dinner at Chinatown! As an exchange student all the way from China, finally I met a place where I could understand all the words and signs. The food was awesome and was complete traditional Chinese food I can say. Especially it is the style of Guangdong, which I live in. Using chopstick, the typical china spoon…..and all the taste are not just food, are memory and culture! BUT EXCEPT FOR THE FORTUNE COOKIE. Remember the first time I saw it in my school, I just thought: “Well! That’s amazing! Look! There are Chinese words on it!” Then they ask me whether I have it before. Today, when I told our group that the fortune cookie is not the real Chinese food and I never seen that before until I gone to the United States, I can’t express how shock they felt. Haha, now I am thinking it is better for me to keep the “secret”. Anyway, that’s true. Probably just like an interesting Chinese culture in here, which is no doubt that why the American Chinese food is different from one in China.

Felix (Germany), Matthias (Germany), Chris (Austria) and Sang Woo (South Korea) at Jing Fong in Chinatown

“Today was great!” Oh by the way, the short sentence I wrote just now is how I would describe the day. But somebody said that wasn't enough……

---Fengdi (Peter), China