Veronika Kamenova
Child in the Big Apple
Fear not, dear parents
One recent day in New York City, I was walking toward Washington Square Park with my Sunday paper when I was unpleasantly surprised to find the park overflowing with people. They were clustered in hives, talking, laughing and even crying. The sense of excitement, anxiety and sheer terror rising from the whole scene was unmistakable: NYU Orientation.
Only a year ago, I was part of the mayhem unfolding in the park. Now, lounging on a bench, I feel like I am watching a movie and know what will happen to the characters. The scene was identical to my own experience. I felt almost certain that my mother was hidden among the worried parents saying their last goodbyes.
All parents are anxious about their children going away to college. At NYU, parents become hysterical over the thought that they are leaving their child in New York City – not the city portrayed in the television sitcom Friends but the one from 1,100 Law and Order episodes.
