Friday, November 2, 2012

In the wake of all this destruction, I'm proud to live in New York. Although I haven't been here long, I already consider myself a New Yorker. These streets seem more like home than my little suburban town ever did.
The traditional New Yorker stereotype is of a cold and uncaring population, but in the past few days the city has united. People are offering their homes to their neighbors, companies are giving away food on the street, and people are letting strangers use their power to charge their phones.

[its time to get serious]

Being able to leave my room and find a hot meal within five minutes.
Plugging my phone into the wall outlet and coming back an hour later to a fully charged phone.
My entire family only just a phone call away.
I've taken these things, and so much more, for granted before and after coming to NYU. I am one of the lucky ones who still has power in a completely dark lower Manhattan.
This hurricane completely decimated lower Manhattan. Days after the last rains hit, you still have to walk up to around 30th st to find anywhere with power, including a place to get a hot coffee or lunch. Subway stations below 34th st are still not running due to flooding and lack of power. Two out of twenty or so residence halls at NYU have power, my dorm being one of the lucky ones. We're sheltering people from other dorms because they've been evacuated. People are staying on the floor of the Kimmel center because that's the only place for them to go.
And still, we're the lucky ones. We're alive. We're privileged enough to go to a university that still feeds and houses us. Others in lower Manhattan are without hot food and running water. The entire Jersey shore has been practically wiped away. A hundred homes in Queens burned to the ground.
It's times like this when I'm proud to go to NYU because everyone has banded together to take care of the rest of our NYU family.
I just can't wait until this is all over.