Hi Culture Girls!

Today is my third day at New York University and I could not wait another second to post about my experience thus far. As a bit of a culture-junkie, this university has become my personal piece of heaven. Within two hours of arriving on campus, I met three people from different states and about ten or fifteen people from other countries. To say that it's a culture shock is an understatement.

College is an enigma that Hollywood tries to place into a square box when it's really a circle peg. With utmost honesty, I believed that friends would be few and far between, smiles would be a rarity, and hiking to class or activities would be hell in rush hour traffic. Well, that last part is true, but I have never seen an environment so excited and thrilled to share personal experiences, and, even, smiles. Any fear about introversion vs. extroversion and the incoherent mess that those two opposites can make dissolved from my heart. The city is alive, and so am I. The culture is alive, and so am I.

I live on the International Relations/Human Rights floor of Rubin in New York City. We have had one floor meeting and I have already noticed the diversity of which I am so lucky to be a part. All corners of the globe meet here, in NYU, to share their laughter and eagerness in a language that all of us can understand. Here, I have learned that culture explorations are actually part of every day life and that no matter from where someone resides, all are part of the same community.

I had the privilege of listening to M. Night Shyamalan yesterday during NYU's Presidential Welcome at Madison Square Garden. If you are unfamiliar with his work, Shaymalan has directed, written, and produced The Sixth Sense, Stuart Little, A Lady in the Water, and The Last Airbender - just to name a few. He brought a lively and upbeat tone to his speech and not only did he deliver words of advice in times of failure, but he also delivered words of encouragement in times of success. His breadth of knowledge as a filmmaker is what makes my school - and the college experience, in general - such an awesome hub of diversity.

If lucky is what you are supposed to feel when you go to college, then I feel blessed. I heard a story the other day of a student who travelled all the way from Lebanon in pursuit of an education at NYU. He explained to my roommate and I that over in America, there are much more parties and late-night activities then across seas. He elaborated that he knew over five languages and even taught us how to say some conversational phrases. I am elated to know that I can walk three blocks, sit on a fountain, and see people of all races and genders and cultures and know that I fit in. This great dichotomy of life is epitomized in college, and though I have only been here for three days, I know that this is where I am supposed to be.

Kate currently lives in New York and is a freshman studying Media, Culture, and Communications at New York University. As an avid lover of coffee and a good book, she can often be found with a java and novel in the local park, and she loves learning about new cultures and languages. As Founder & CEO of Her Culture, she has been selected as a member of the National Association of Professional Women and the International Women's Peace Association.

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