A warm welcome to the Big Apple

"A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions." - - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Two weeks in, and I can only say that this city and friends living here, have greeted me with huge open arms. Hopping off that plane I was hit by a mini heatwave and the smell of fish in the air. It reminded me of the feeling I get everytime I land in Rio.

JFK 22.09.2010

With a huge smile on my face, I enjoyed every bit of the journey to my new home in east village, thrilled to know that I would soon be living with my best buddy and childhood friend Mer. The view as you cross Manhattan bridge is overwhelming. Everytime. I wonder if New Yorkers ever get bored of it. Huge hugs from Mer, it took me no longer than 15 minutes to feel like I had been living here for months. In no time we got through a bottle of wine and spent a good few hours catching up on our lives while indulging on sushi. Han later popped in and flopped on my bed it was like we'd never been apart. Its amazing how with good friends distance does not separate.
Thursday started with an early rise and a long walk from home down to the Financial District where the Global Potental office is currently located. I ventured through the little backstreets, through neighbourhoods like Little Italy and soaked every bit of this city. At the GP office I met up with some of the other staff and was introduced to the GP program.
http://wings-unclipped.blogspot.com/2010/10/global-potential-program.html

The GP program is brilliant. Having met some of the students that have returned from their trip abroad it is overwhelming to see the impact GP has had in their lives- students take on challenges and turn them into opportunities. The idea of replicating this program in both the UK and Brasil is seriously exciting but overwhelming all the same.

Getting a bike was possibly the best decision I've made since I moved here. There is no greater way to explore a city than to cycle around it -Westside highway, Governors island, Brooklyn, Bronx... Mer and I visited Connecticut and Philadelphia - fun times! NY has so much live music, so many festivals, art, people here are so friendly... the weather has been a spectacular 30C!