Hi everyone! My name is Aneeza Asif and I am a junior studying Cell and Molecular Biology at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. I am a native New Yorker and have been living in Brooklyn, NY since my family and I first immigrated to the United States when I was five … Continue reading Aneeza Asif, Barnard College (Jan-May 2020)
As a small-town girl, enrolling in Columbia University in the City of New York was my first opportunity to live in a huge city, and as a consequence, I am desperately in love with New York. When I decided to study abroad here at Queen Mary in London, rather than being nervous I would miss … Continue reading “You drink tea?” Alexis Buncich, Columbia University (Sep-Dec 2019)
Lights up. A hit to the face from my right. Attempt to escape. No -a hit from the left- I fall to the ground. Attempt to get up but they’ve zoned in on me. One last hit and I’m on the ground… And scene. That was my second Broadway debut as an alien in a Western space musical, ‘Written in the … Continue reading Small Town Girl Takes Over The Big City [Part 3]
Columbia Gay Street Club Cumming Our wobbly stove Harlem brownstones Milkshakes from Tom’s Washington Square Park 4am grilled cheese from JJ’s Skylines - all of them - always Broadway theatre seating plans Being confused by cheerleaders Fayeweather’s juddering elevator Sliding across plastic subway seats Teaching my roommate to cook pasta The wind tunnel along the … Continue reading Blog 4 – Jaz Manville
I fall Caryl Churchill is too good at this. I no longer have to imagine the bullet that shatters the back of my skull at Sound Queue 7, by performance three I have to imagine the Starbucks upstairs to remind myself that the unseen gun is disarmed and my fall is chosen. Enacting death. ‘Heart’s … Continue reading Fall – Jaz Manville
Thanksgiving. A yearly holiday celebrated across America. Many of my friends went home to their families; my surrogate family and I, however, decided to stay in the city for Friendsgiving. Family traditions are an inherent part of Turkey-Day festivities and ours was no exception. My Thanksgiving Day fittingly commenced with a considerable amount of food; … Continue reading Friendsgiving – Shola Lee
Breathe in...2...3...4...hold...2...3....Exhale...2...3...4... Hold on, I’m just... 2... 3...4... Meditating... 2... 3... 4... Oh boy, it started a month and a bit in and now I’ve turned into some pretentious artist. I’m so far up in the clouds I turn to meditation to ground me. Not very convinced by that statement? Fine. It must be … Continue reading Small Town Girl Takes Over The Big City [Part 2] – October
In America, Homecoming is a commonality, a rite of passage that occurs in early autumn and welcomes back alumni and current students to their respective schools. True to its name, the event is a celebration of returning: to your school, to your dorm, to your friends that you parted from during the summer. While the … Continue reading Homecoming – Shola Lee
A queue stretches along the carriage hardened pathway that curls from Mother Goose to Samuel F B Morse. The drizzle reminds me of home but does little to dampen the expectant crowd’s enthusiasm. Organisers almost skip along the line collecting waves, quotes and cheers. Eventually, the queue begins to move forward - this is the … Continue reading Broadway – Jaz Manville
New York. Showtime. Bright Lights. Spinning. Times Square. And the smell of pie tickles my senses… wait, what!? Pie? You bet, my very first Broadway show and the auditorium smells of pie. I’m at the matinee viewing of ‘Waitress’. A new modern, flashy and female empowering musical. And then –flip the switch- I find myself … Continue reading Small Town Girl Takes Over the Big City [Part 2] – September
This is repetition, a new normal, and I love it. Each revolution persuades me, certain as a clock, that I am at home here. At the airport, constantly checking my back pocket for my passport is second nature. In the yellow taxi from JFK into the city, my eyes swivel from window to window, obsessed … Continue reading A new normal – Jasmina Manville
I spent all summer wondering what life would be like in New York; the city is so infamous that before you arrive there’s an innate sense of familiarity. I researched: restaurants, museums and societies, I wanted to see and do everything. During the months leading up to my arrival I had concocted this romanticised version … Continue reading Arriving in New York – Shola Lee
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