Better late than never

Nelson Teixeira, Angola

DAY 28, NEW YORK CITY

New York, Day 28. I waited more than 27 years to see the Statue of Liberty… Most of us were excited for getting to know the Big Apple. This day started at 8 or maybe 9 a.m. As always we were divided in two groups. All the people from the dorm and Mister Achilleas, my great friend whom I call “Mister Last Question”, went with Victoria and Frank. Victoria had to follow Edgardo. She is such a good driver, driving fast and looking furious. While she was driving, we were appreciating the beautiful streets of New York, its huge skyscrapers, the amazing murals on the walls, its people, etc.

We came to a harbor where we were supposed to go on board towards the Statue of Liberty but we had to wait 15 minutes under the sun. We sailed until we arrived at Ellis Island, the first land immigrants stepped on when they reached America.

It was a beautiful place with interesting and touching stories about what immigrants had to go through in order to be accepted in this country. We really appreciated every corner of this museum. Then we went towards the Statue of Liberty. Mister Frank Couvares was taking care of all his 18 kids. When we reached the Statue of Liberty under the scorching sun, we were surprised by this amazing and really crowded place. I met my dear colleagues Zahid and Leon and I asked them to take a picture of me.

While we were taking pictures a woman photographer offered to take a picture of us three, Zahid and I didn’t want to pay but Leon always said yes. The woman was rude because she told us: “You go down and kneel”, and Zahid put his hands up. Everyone who was passing by was laughing at us. That was an unappreciated moment. Then, she told us: “Both of you just jump.” I said: “Sorry, Ma’am, we don’t appreciate this humiliation. We’ll go to appreciate the Statue of Liberty. You can stay with your client”, and we left.

It was time to go back, though and I can say that Zahid and I arrived on time. Once we returned to New York again, we walked down Manhattan and passed by Wall Street, George Washington Monument and the incredible 9/11 Memorial where I took pictures with my dear Fabiola from Chile. This was a really appreciated day in New York.

Nelson Teixeira, Angola