Wow! I’ve been in New York City for four weeks now! A whole
month! Time has really flown by! I still have quite a chunk left but I feel
like I’ll be on my way back to Aggieland before I know it!
This past week wrapped up my third week as an intern with
Deloitte and my second week at the client office. I was quite busy the vast
majority of the week working on different assignments which was great because I
love having work to do! The other two interns and I have all agreed that we got
super lucky when we were assigned to our client. The team is just so nice and
fun. They are more than willing to answer our constant questions and give us
opportunities to experience different aspects of the audit whenever they can.
Some interns switch clients halfway through the internship while others stay on
the same client the whole time. At first, I was thinking I wanted to switch
clients so I could experience different industries or businesses. However, I
feel like I’ve just gotten comfortable at Company ABC and I’m glad I’ll stay
working for them for the remainder of my internship. I can’t imagine having to
switch and readjust to a new team now!
Funny story: Tomorrow I will be on a plane back to the Lone
Star State to attend the Deloitte Intern Conference in Dallas at Deloitte’s
state-of-the-art training facility, Deloitte University. I’ve heard SO many
stories about how amazing DU is from various friends, interns, and Deloitte
employees so I’m extremely excited to finally get to go! The conference will be
until Wednesday and then I’ll be headed back to the Big Apple just in time to
celebrate the 4th of July!
This weekend I didn’t do a whole lot of exciting things but
there were still some experiences worth mentioning.
Friday after work, one of the other interns and I went down
to Stone Street in the Financial District to have drinks with some other
Deloitte interns. Stone Street is this cobblestone street filled with tables
and benches and lined with bars on either side. As you can imagine, it was
packed on Friday afternoon but it was really neat. It felt great to sit outside
and enjoy some nice conversation. After we got our fill of Stone Street, my
friend and I found a little Mexican restaurant where we ate outside and talked
for several hours. It was a wonderful girls’ night!
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| Stone Street Photo Credit: GoldmanProperties.com |
Yesterday I slept in…LATE. I reserve that luxury for
Saturdays and Saturdays ONLY. Once I did pull myself out of bed, I got ready
and went shopping on 5th Avenue near the Flatiron District. I also
explored the area I’ve been living in a bit more to see what was around. All in
all, it was a pretty casual day but I liked just strolling about and taking in
the sights, smells, and people.
Today was much more eventful than yesterday! I met my friend
for brunch at this super hipster coffee shop down the street called The Grey Dog. When you step inside it feels
like you just stepped into a mom and pop shop on the Mississippi River or
something! Then of course, you look out the window only to see a yellow cab,
reminding you that you are, in fact, still in New York. They had music going
that made me feel like I should be fishing on the bayou or riding Big Thunder
Mountain at Disney World. The music combined with the décor of the shop made
for a really fun atmosphere! I would definitely go back! Also, their French
toast was SO GOOD! I didn’t order it, unfortunately, but my friend did and I
got a taste. It was so SO delicious! Next time, I’m going for the French toast!
After brunch, she and I walked to 5th Avenue to
get us a good spot to view the NYC Pride Parade. I’ve never been to a Pride
Parade before, but I figured if I was going to experience one, mine as well
make it the New York City one!
The LGBT community sure does now how to have a good time!
Today was perhaps one of the hottest days I’ve experienced in NYC so far. Those
who were marching in the parade had a LONG trek to make with the bright sun
beaming down, but THEY NEVER STOPPED DANCING!!! They never stopped being
enthusiastic and proud! One thing I took away from today is how proud the LGBT
community is to be who they are.
I will say, there were times throughout the parade I got a
tiny bit emotional. I have always been taught to treat others the way I want to
be treated. Throughout my nearly 22 years of life, I’ve had gay, lesbian, and
bisexual friends. I saw the way people bullied or made fun of them because they
were born different than what some believe to be the norm. To me, it just wasn’t right. It’s never right to ridicule
and show hatred to people who are different. Seeing what I saw today at the
parade gave me hope that one day the hatred can end. That my friends will be
able to marry who they want to marry. That they will be fully accepted for just
being the person they were born to be.
There were SO many people filling up the sidewalks and
cheering as, I can only guess, thousands of parade participants marched by. Corporate
sponsors like Diet Coke, MasterCard, Wal Mart, and Delta, along with LGBT advocacy
and support groups had floats or large groups of enthusiastic people dancing
down 5th Avenue in rainbow colors showing their pride. Governor
Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and many other New York politicians walked
along with them, showing their support. There were members of the New York Fire
Department and the New York Police Department who marched along too. This elderly
couple stood alongside us and the man said there were maybe two firemen and
three police officers who marched in the very first parade. He said it was
amazing to see so many joining in now. The wife just nodded her head, smiled, and
continued watching the flashy parade go by.
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| The start of the NYC Pride Parade |
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| Actor Jonathon Groff serving as one of the Grand Marshals |
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| Governor Andrew Cuomo marching along |
Seeing a community of people so united and prideful was
definitely something I’ll never forget. No matter what your personal beliefs on
this matter are, I think we can all agree that everyone deserves to be treated
with kindness and compassion. That everyone deserves love.
After all, love is louder than hatred.
Love is love.
XOXO,
Alex
P.S. This week I figured out how to open the window in my
dorm! It was quite complex but now I can listen to the sounds of the city while
I write!
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