About an Immigrant Meet-up (New York, 2018)

Today I’d like to share some memories from a recent event I attended in here. It was an Immigrant Meet-up, which took place on the picturesque Staten Island. The thing happened on June 9, 2018 – just several weeks ago.

There gathered around 150 people – yes, almost as many. And they appeared to be so diverse in terms of literally everything! Their looks, the length of their stay in the US – and their occupation, for sure.

By the way, I was particularly happy to run into some big-league bloggers at this meeting. Hope to see the guys again soon.

Okay, getting back to our muttons.

There were 150 of us American newbies – and we desperately needed to break this ice. So we played an easy yet quite helpful a game. Let me explain the rules to you. Firstly, we spread paper sheets around and each had to write down their name and profession on this sheet. Next, we in turns came out into the center – before that, we arranged a circle, can you imagine the size? So, we took our turns to speak up and throw in a few words about ourselves, where we came from, what we do for a living.

And, what stroke me most, we also shared how we could be helpful for the community – number one – and what kind of help we are striving for – number two. Sounds pretty handy, don’t you think?

So, right from scratch, we had a lovely chance to start networking, in a truly peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by all the greenery, you know.

When the party was in full swing, an idea popped up in my mind: I must have been a nice person. Otherwise, how could I bump into this opportunity – just two weeks after coming to New York!

Happily, I found answers to most of my questions – you know, the most frequently asked questions any newcomer may have. It was really awesome that the place was not simply stacked with rookies – to whom I relate myself as well. Also, there were some people with around 5 years of experience of living in the US. These were of most help to me.

I learnt that some came from far away – just for the sake of this gathering! Some journeyed from as far as West Coast, unbelievable! Yet, true story.    

I already told you there have been many people of various professions there. And I turned out to be one of the two saxophonists at the ‘party’. So…there was nothing left but to start playing. And I did. Fortunately enough, not only did I happen to fetch my sax – but also I brought along a friend of mine. Unlike me, he has been living in NY for 5 months. And was also ready for a nice play.

So, without false modesty, we made the day for the whole lot. To get you understand it’s more than an unfounded claim, please watch the video below!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj56HRfngjz/?taken-by=nickyorksax

So far, this Immigrant Meet-up has been one of the most memorable occasions in America I took part in. Of course, my late trip across Florida is also noteworthy. But let me save it for another day.

All in all, it’s been a great event. I am thankful for support. Hopefully, someone also got it from me.

I long for us immigrants in the US to shape an entirely new generation – of open-minded, friendly people, who are always ready to give a helping hand to each other.

Have a nice weekend – wherever in the world you find yourself!

And stay tuned: a new story is just around the corner.