My experience on the end of year New York City trip was overall a super positive one. From the walking tour in the beginning, to the free time in the city to get food with friends, to the unbelievable Broadway show, the trip had it all. I loved the flexibility and trust that was given to me to do my own thing for a large part of the day, which led to making memories with friends, and finding some delicious food (a lamb gyro and some birrias tacos). On a different note, there were two big moments that stood out to me on the walking tour. The first, and more well known one among the group was the chalk graffiti writing of the words “Oye ICE nos quedamos” at Columbus circle. This reminded me of how there is injustice everywhere, but there is also hope everywhere, and people willing to fight back, in any way they can. The other thing, from the environmental prompt in Central Park was a man offering bike tours, with a sign that read “burn fat, not oil”. His message was simple and clear, and I appreciate the simplicity of his goal. These global connections, on top of the countless international soccer jerseys I spotted throughout the day, made me appreciate just how interconnected the world is, and how this becomes so clear in large cities.

 

The second piece of the day was the broadway musical “The Buena Vista Social Club”, which simply blew me away. The loud and energy filled cuban rhythms, combined with the vivid colored outfits and set, and fast salsa dancing created an unbelievable atmosphere in the theater. From a craft perspective, the play’s two distinct timelines were combined extremely elegantly, to add depth to the characters, and make the story that much more interesting. Through this show, I learned quite a bit about the Cuban revolution, and its real impact on art, and people. While its true the “theater” component (acting, singing, choreography) was excellent, the depth of the characters, and the historical components were equally interesting to me. Lines like “now there's two types of cubans, people that stayed and people that left”, “they always put the darkest singers in the background”, and “the sweater my voice, the better I eat”, left me sitting in my seat, mesmerized by the genius of the script, and the reality of the characters. Overall, the musical was simply outstanding, and left me with exposure to a new style of music, an appreciation for those working to preserve the arts, and a great example of how theater can be used to retell history.