episode 1: Suyu zhang

September 15, 2017

Last time I was really afraid was this summer. I was backpacking in India. That by itself made me afraid- being outside of my comfort zone. I really got to know myself traveling alone. It’s funny, I was apprehensive about that. Who am I really? Do I like myself? Anyways, I’m sitting alone in the Mumbai train station, feeling lost. There are all sorts of people around me, all headed somewhere. I had nowhere to go, a blank slate. I wanted to throw myself out there, and see what kinds of adventure I can come up with. But then there is always a small part of me that's afraid: “Will people like me?”. I remember getting up to walk towards the exit, hesitating for a second and remembering what my grandma used to tell me "Don’t worry, just keep walking”. So I did, I just kept walking.

I ended up making a bunch of amazing friends in India, and together we decided to climb a peak of the Himalayas. It was a blast, we played the camp game “Mafia” every night, slept in tents, and cooked our own food. On the penultimate morning, we woke up to the sunrise over the Himalayas- the ceiling of the world. How can I describe that moment? Its...that cool crisp morning breeze; the clouds, the clouds! surfing on mountain peaks; peaks like gigantic ice-capped waves; and the rays of sunlight piercing the sky… It was breathtaking, quite literally- we were above 11,000 feet!

We realized that a flock of sheep had flooded around our camp site, and a Himalayan shepherd walked up to us! It was magic. We didn't speak the same languae, but that didn't matter. We offered him our food, and shared some good laughs. Man that was awesome, he just had really good vibes, you know? Good people.

Later that day, when we tried to assent the peak, it started to hail, and then rain heavily. It got pretty bad, my friend from Korea got sick from altitude sickness, so I carried her bag along with my own and my friend from Germany basically acted as her human crutch; another friend from Australia sprained her ankle, so our friend from Finland carried her bag. I was exhausted. We get to a vertical part of the peak, and we start to more or less fall down a waterfall. You could say, “it was all going downhill”. I was very afraid.

But we kept walking, trying to retrace our steps back to our camp site. Then, out of nowhere, the same shepherd from earlier came to rescue us- I will never forget his smile! He guided us to a tour agency’s camp site, where we received medical attention. We ate some Maggi noodles that tasted divine, probably the best meal of my life. Ironically, I got a severe case of food poisoning from those magnificent noodles. Roses and thorns.

I found out a short time after my trek that my grandmother had passed away. That hurt and I miss her a lot. But I keep thinking of myself sitting at that train station feeling lost and afraid. I am glad, and I think my grandma would be proud, that I kept walking.

What are your 5 Most Recently Played Artists on Spotify?
Oh boy, uh…. Rihanna, Radiohead, Eric Prydz, The Beatles, and The Hamilton Mixed Tape.

If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?:
I dream of being able to Apparate/Disapparate like in Harry Potter! I would love to travel to all the different places in the world, and meet the people there.

Tell me something that you love about NYMC!:
Special shout out to Carolyn Ardizzone for being such an amazing all around person. I have felt nothing but warmth, kindness, and openness from her since day 1. I think she makes NYMC a better place, I am blessed and lucky to call her a classmate, friend and boot buddy 4 life. Carolyn! Keep Calm and Carry On! You Will Never Walk Alone!

If someone wanted to talk to you, they should lead with…:
A book recommendation; “Wanna grab coffee?”; “I have a tattoo too!”; “I think this would be an amazing idea to bring people closer/build community for our class…”.