Another attraction close to New York English Academy is the National Museum of the American Indian. Only a 10 minute walk from our campus, the museum is situated between The Battery and the Charging Bull statue.  Even more convenient, entrance to the museum is free!  The museum is inside a former customs house built in 1907, so the architecture is stunning and impressive.  Inside, Native American art and artifacts, some dating back 12,000 years, are on display.  It was cool to see things that were made before the United States was even a country, as well as work from contemporary artists.  There are lots of exhibitions and new ones are added often, so students could easily come back for a fun visit.  

With Halloween around the corner, the spooky season is in full swing.  We asked our students to tell us about Halloween in their home country. While some are similar to Halloween in NYC, others have different customs to honor the dead.  Keep reading to learn about Halloween around the world from NYEA students.

“China has a traditional festival to appease the souls of the dead. It’s called the Hungry Ghost Festival. It is said that the gates of hell will open at midnight on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month and hungry ghosts will be released to find food or take revenge. So, we need to prepare some food and light incense sticks to let them peacefully move into the afterlife”. – Wenjun, China

“In Korea, most people think that Halloween is a season for some theme parks or wearing costumes. In my opinion, Koreans don’t care about the afterlife on Halloween. It is just a party for them. However, there are some ceremonies honoring deceased ancestors in Korea that are called Charye. They usually proceed in the morning of Lunar New Year and Chuseok, which is the brightest day of the full moon in autumn”. – Soohee, South Korea

“In Ecuador, Halloween is not popular. However, we celebrate the day of the death. We make a special drink called ‘colada morada’ (spiced berry, with many fruits) and we drink it with sweet bread figures. We also go to the cemetery to visit the family members who passed away”. – Rosa, Ecuador

“In my country on Halloween night, children dress up in scary costumes. Then they ring the doorbells of the people living in their village. If a person opens the door, the kids ask: ‘Candy or a spell?’ As for me, I prefer to have a party with my friends; of course, we also dress up”. – Emma, France

Do you have similar Halloween traditions? And what international traditions would you like to take part in? 

Happy Halloween! 

A great thing about studying in New York is getting to experience 4 distinctively different seasons. The northest of the United States has hot, sunny summers as well as cold, snowy winters. One of the best places to see the seasons change is Central Park! At 843 acres, Central Park is the largest park in Manhattan.  Designed to mimic the environment of New York State, the park is home to gorgeous foliage and scenery. 

Last week, our level 2 class took a field trip to Central Park.  New York English Academy is close to Fulton St Station, so getting around in the city is very convenient.  We rode the uptown A/C line about 20 minutes to Columbus Circle, the southwest corner of the park. 

Walking around the park is the perfect activity for exercise and relaxation. In fact, the majority of Central Park visitors are local New Yorkers going for a stroll, playing sports, or taking part in other hobbies like bird watching. Our class visited at the ideal time to see the leaves begin to change to Autumn colors.  New York City is known for its hustle and bustle, but Central Park is a nice retreat.

(09/23/2022)

Downtown Manhattan is full of things to do, but last month our class ventured Uptown to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. From NYEA, we took the 4 train from Fulton St Station.  The express train got us to the MET in about 30 minutes.  

Upon arriving, we took in the stunning architecture.  The museum sits high up on a flight of stairs and is decorated with large columns.  New York state residents and students of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut pay as they wish, so with a NYEA ID card a trip to the MET can be very affordable. 

The MET houses a variety of artwork, from paintings to sculptures.  Every wing focuses on a different region of the world so we pieces from Greece, China, and the Americas all in an afternoon.  We even saw some koi fish in a little pond! The MET is also next to Central Park so we finished our trip enjoying the views from the museum’s rooftop. 

(09/16/2022)

After class, Nathaniel and his students made their way to Whitehall Ferry Terminal.  Located on the southern tip of Manhattan, Whitehall Ferry Terminal is a short 15 minute walk from the academy.  The Staten Island Ferry runs about every 20 minutes depending on the time and day, and the ride is about 25 minutes.  Also, unlike the other NYC Ferries, service on the Staten Island Ferry is free! 

After waiting with a crowd, large glass doors opened and everyone began to board.  The Staten Island Ferries are HUGE, so the crowd quickly spaced out on the different floors.  The weather was warm, so our class enjoyed the views from the outer decks.  Along with views of Manhattan and New Jersey, we saw some cute boats and took some great photos of the Statue of Liberty! 

When we reached Staten Island, we walked around St George Terminal and took some group pictures in front of the water.  Free with amazing views, the Staten Island Ferry is an easy way to get some fresh air while enjoying NYC.