Flight to NYC
On 19th September we departed for New York City. On our flight we saw a part of the Labrador Sea and Greenland. We landed at JFK airport in the evening and made our way to the West Side YMCA.

Contributors: Vanja, Isaiah, Anna-Sophia

Central Park and Grand Central Station

In Central Park, we were divided into group for a relay race on central park trivia. Each group was given a list of questions about central park, which would be asked after each person ran and if it was wrong, they had to run again and repeat the question before moving on.
Grand Central Station:
We were tasked with reenacting scenes from movies by taking a picture in the filming  spots while posing like the characters in each scenes. The class then voted for the best picture.

Ground Zero

Visiting Ground Zero was a beautiful and surreal experience. We learned about the Survivor Tree, we discussed the meaning of the flowers presented on the victims' birthdays. We talked deeply about the meaning of the memorial and possible themes present. Seeing it in person was breathtaking, it is a very well made and magnificent monument.

Contributors: Tom, Adriana

MoMA

Visiting the Museum of Modern Art was an interesting experience, where we explored different artworks with the help of a guide. We took a closer look at some minimalist paintings, discussed their meanings, and even had the chance to interpret the story behind a painting ourselves.

Contributors: Juliane, Daria, Edie

Ferry Trip

The ferry trip from Roosevelt Island to Downtown Brooklyn was both exciting and memorable. From the water, we could admire New York’s impressive skyline and experience the city from a different perspective. The sunny weather and refreshing breeze made the journey even better.

Contributors: Reidun, Marta

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge was a very memorable experience. We took a lengthy walk there which enabled us to explore Brooklyn a little. Once on Brooklyn Bridge, it was very fascinating to see the architecture behind Brooklyn Bridge and while crossing the bridge we had an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline.

Contributors: Pierre, Catherine, Shahithya

Empire State Building

When we visited the Empire State Building the view from the top was breathtaking, especially because we went in the evening and the city looked like a sea of lights. On the way up to the top there were multiple interesting rooms, some of which even interactive, that shared the buildings history and some impressive fun facts.

Contributors: Souhane, Julia

National Jazz Museum

The visit at the National Jazz Museum was a very fun and interesting experience. We learned a lot about jazz, its connection to other genres of music like blues and hip-hop, jazz in Harlem in particular, and the history of jazz and how we can trace it back to Afro-American culture. Other than that, we could also enjoy a piece played on the electric guitar (first picture below) and participate vocally to accompany the electric guitar.

Contributors: David, Sarah P.

Meeting Curtis Watson: Discussion of American Culture and Music

In the park we learned about the history of music. Curtis told us how there used to be big parties on the street. He told us how the first DJs came from Harlem and were a part of these big parties. It was also interesting asking Curtis about life in Harlem and New York in general. We found out about the many struggles of racial discrimination.

Contributors: Jalal, Derya

Heschel School Tour & Exchange

We visited the Heschel School which was very fun and interesting. They provided a little breakfast which was much appreciated. After we just talked with some of their students and rabbis where we asked them questions about their school, living in New York and their religion. Afterwards we split up and got to experience their prayer groups in which after the students also had the opportunity to ask us questions. It was a very enjoyable activity!

Contributors: Sophie, Anabel

The Museum of Jewish Heritage

In the Museum of Jewish Heritage, we learned about the Holocaust, which was a very interesting experience. There were many interesting facts we learned, even though we had already covered this extensively in school, and especially how interactive the exhibition was and how many original artifacts there were was very good.

Contributors: Marius, Aino

Walking Tour SoHo, Little Italy & China Town

On our guided walking tour through SoHo, Little Italy, and China Town we were taught intensively about the history and culture of these areas. We learned about how immigration progressed in these areas, as well as how society developed as the areas fluctuated with first Irish, then Italian and Chinese immigration. During our tour we visited Little Italy and were luckily there in time for The Feast of San Gennaro, so we got to try Italian street food. In SoHo our tour guide shared its influence in pop culture and how it is now a popular area for many celebrities.

Contributors: Sarah K., Désirée

Yankees Game

For the yankees game we traveled to the bronx. As an activity we got tasked to do a scavenger hunt and find things related to the yankees (for example: find the best dressed yankees fan and take a picture of them). The yankees game was a really fun activity and quite different to the other ones we experienced.  The live camera even projected our classes up above the playing field!

Contributors: Tefe, Anahita, Nicola

Flight Home

The trip back from New York was certainly not the most exciting. But that was probably a good thing as many of us were quite tired (see image 1) from a great week in New York. Overall, it was a rather long but decent trip, but I think we were all happy to get back home and enjoy our holidays.

Contributors: Matthias, Millie