My View
By Tijana Vucinic

The author in Times Square, NYC

Her name is Tijana and she is from Serbia. This is a story in sequels about her trip to Nantucket. Nobody knows how it is going to end - not even she.

SEQUELTWO After saying goodbye to everything that is familiar to me I set in the airplane. Bye, bye to the homeland and hello to the "big world"! First impression in my head when I came to the airport JFK was "I just can not do this - definitely." Its size is like a small Serbian village. After I passed all the control points (which includes digital finger-printing and photographing, removing my shoes of and going through the scanner control...) "the show" began.

You can be lost in a second in JFK. You also can be lost on the way to your first New York destination. Of course, if your "red colored glasses" can pass radiation of New York lights and sparkles. That lights can easily mix the things in heads of "hungry of everything" tourists. Your lungs ills with air. You just ignore the smog. Everything that is ugly or bad is pretty. Everything that is pretty - is more than beautiful. That is just the way we are taught. We from "a small world" to watch into "the big world." Especially into the center of the world - New York.

Well, I didn't want to look at these things in that way. No. I took off my pink glasses and I put on those with "observation research-sceptic" coating. At least, while I am writing this text. But, that is not fast enough. So, live and learn, like Americans like to say.

Money is time. While you are having the money, you are allowed to spend a time in New York. It doesn't matter how much money you have with you when you come in New York, that is exactly the sum for which you are going to be lighter when you go away. No matter how much time you have, it's not going to be enough. With money, you are buying time in New York and New York gives you back with the feeling that you are alive. Really alive.

You are happy while you are giving away your first dollars. You are smiling while you are paying for cab drive, wishing somebody to take a photo of you in that action. Everything is magical. Even that cab. Famous yellow cab. You are wondering if it was maybe exactly that cab, your cab, used for some famous Hollywood movie.

You are there. Somewhere where you should be. However, four walls are not ideal habitation for you. No, no. You are teleporting to Times Square. How you got there doesn't matter. As in some sort of trance you are passing trough the subway, then driving in a yellow cab and finally walking with people on the streets. The most important thing is just to take a photograph on the street covered with shining advertisements.

Souvenirs - of course. That is the thing which is implied. As in any journey. Those costs are spared of any reproach, because, who will know that you were there if we don't bring lots of T-shirts with inscription - Center of the World.

It is necessary to visit all prestigious destinations and trap them in a memory card of your camera. Some of them are Central Park, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Statue of Liberty, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum, Wall Street, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square.

Eight million inhabitants plus one equals New York. That's right. Now, you are also part of that "multi cultural-liberal-democraticgrandiose big-pleasant-fast-organic" world.

You are eating the Big Apple very fast. You are enjoying in every bite. Sometimes, you just pretend that you don't see seeds, so they also become sweet and eatable. It's New York. Can you just imagine how I felt there? Now you know.

After first shock I spent five days in that most fascinating city in the world, thanks to my kind employer. I had the unique opportunity to live in the West Village, the friendliest part in NYC, with small buildings and Italian restaurants. With map in my hands I went all over the city. A little bit by subway (scary at first, but later interesting and nice), and a little bit more on foot. I learned how to find on the map all things I am interested in, with unselfish help of people (New Yorkers and even not New Yorkers). Now, I understand that unique eternal love between avenues and those little streets that cuts them through. Now, I understand how this giant city survives even though there are so many differences. Now, I know that there are no strangers in New York.

Every morning, I went to the Hudson River. Before that, I would buy some bagel with cream cheese and coffee. Strong wind was playing with my hair, while I was struggling with thoughts of facing another, parallel universe. Afterwards, I just went anywhere New York took me. I was not complaining to anything. Even when my shoes started to pinch me and when I got seriously big calluses on my feet.

What I saw? Everything. What else I should see? Everything. You see everything, and you want to do it again with the same passion. Amazing. This city you have to feel on your skin. Otherwise, other people can just ruin your impressions about it by saying lots of things about New York from their experience. It's just not the same. So, I will stop.

Facing again big JFK I left the Big Apple. This time, the destination was Nantucket. A new adventure or serious

life? Time will tell… I