A day before I left for New York, I was wandering down Huaihai Road in Shanghai with a coffee in hand, thinking about how I would soon encounter one of the most talked about cities in the world. The moment when the shuttle bus crossed Queens Bridge on its way from JFK to town and all the glimmering lights of the city suddenly emerged I became silent. “Alrighty, here I am in New York City!” I told myself. At the end of the 2015 Spring semester, I was selected to be a cast member of the NYU Shanghai Reality Show. This gave me the opportunity to go to New York and work on the show with directors from the Tisch School of The Arts. I was excited for rehearsals and performances, but even more so by New York City itself. Before arriving I already viewed New York City as a rough place based on movies and songs I had been exposed to. But what I had imagined was so different from what I saw and experienced while there. Two months into my stay in New York City did not reinforce my preconceptions. On the contrary, New York City gradually turned from skyscrapers, Wall Street, 5th Ave and the Hudson River into tiny pieces of stories. I spent most of my time exploring the city and was very surprised that New York was not as trashy or as noisy as I had thought. The clear, blue summer sky, street concerts on Broadway, graffiti in Highline and squirrels in Madison Square Park made most of my days. My favorite place was definitely Washington Square Park, where I could sit for the whole day, and either appreciate the performances and protests of passionate young artists or peacefully read a book. Although sometimes the smell of marijuana became strong and people got naked randomly, the park’s harmony was never broken. I also often passed by Union Square, as it was only a few steps away from the dorms. The spot had many drug dealers, street artists and protestors. Once when I was wearing a T-shirt bought from Cambodia a street chess player came up to me and asked if I was Khmer. I told him about my experience volunteering in Cambodia, and he seemed upset and excited at the same time. He lit a roll of “grass” and invited me to sit down and talk. I found out that this man was actually so famous and vocal in the square that every policeman knew him. After Khmer Rouge’s collapse, the American government controlled Cambodia for a while and carried out a plan to adopt orphans from Cambodia. The man I was talking to had been illegally taken from his hometown in Cambodia as one of the orphans and relocated to New Jersey where his adoptive family abused him. He went to New York after graduating from Rutgers University but sadly couldn't find a job because of his legal limbo and national identity. “I am fighting a way out of this and I am always missing my home. So nice to see the Khmer language on your shirt” he said, “We should always love, keep in mind, but not hate…I love New York too, expect that I really have a tough life. I wish I could continue teaching English literature in university.” We talked for almost an hour, until the sun went down, and he said “Arkun, I appreciate it” with tears. Usually before rehearsals started, I would go to Grey Dog Cafe in University Place for a big brunch. It was so amazing to sit in the corner and listen to the talk of businessmen on the right and the chatter of artists on the left. The cool Hispanic server always seemed to know every customer. I was nervous because I didn't know how to order an omelet when there were so many choices. And I didn't dare to take photos of the place, because people would probably laugh at me for being a tourist. At one point the server asked me where I was from. When I answered China he became eager to learn Chinese, although he soon quit because he could not get his tones right. I laughed out loud. And two girls sitting next to me who were previously talking about modern art exhibitions laughed. Then everyone around started to laugh. Since then, I was no longer afraid of ordering any kinds of food no matter where I was. Plus, every time I saw the server, he would come to me and say “Ben, teach me Chinese!” although in the end he could only remember NiHao and XieXie minus the tones. I have thought a lot about what going to New York City meant to me. There are hundreds, or thousands of songs and countless literary works discussing the fantasy of New York City. I had a list of them before leaving Shanghai, but by the end of the two months, I found that none of them matched. Everyone has his own version of New York depending on whom he met, where he is from and what kind of experiences he shared during his time there. Some may hate it. Some may love it. But all should share the same core spirit and appreciate it. Appreciating other cultures, values and beliefs can be something that everyone who goes to New York learns. It is the tolerance of different values, the allowance of all people to do what they wish, and the intermingling stories created by these people that makes this city such an amazing place.