On our last day here before departing for China, we hopped on the bus and headed to several of Manhattan’s must-see attractions, including Rockefeller Center, the United Nations, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In between, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant where our new friends taught us the Mandarin words for chard, broccoli, cauliflower, tofu, rice, and duck. We even tried white radish soup, which I didn’t even know existed until it appeared on the table. I am finally making some headway with my chopstick skills, and I’m sure I’ll get used to using them over the next few weeks.
After lunch, we hit up the Met and spent hours meandering through the exhibits, focusing especially on the American and Asian wings of the building to gather resources for our group project.
The students in my group had a lot of questions for me about the art, many of which I couldn’t quite answer. We discussed the differences between art museums in China and America, which was very eye-opening. I really wanted to check out the rooftop, as I’d never been there before. The current commission piece on display is Cornelia Parker’s installation”Transitional Object (PsychoBarn).”
The shabby, slightly spooky nature of the empty structure stood out in stark contrast to the Manhattan skyline. The views were incredible, too. We then gathered more information for our group project and took a quick break in a relaxing room filled with statues of the Buddha.
Tomorrow morning we depart for China, and I’m so excited to touch down in Beijing! It’s sad to say goodbye to our new friends, but I know they’re going to continue to have an amazing time here in New York.