Duke Diary Dispatch: In NYC, learning to block out the noise -- and to cook

A street in New York City

This is the most recent diary entry from Duke's Khilan Walker, an undergraduate interning this summer at an organization in New York City that aids families of domestic violence victims. Read more from Khilan here.

Before I dozed off as I always do on flights, I turned on the Apple Music-recommended playlist, "A Day in New York City." I skipped past a few Ice Spice and A$AP Rocky songs — no offense to them, but that was not my desired 'fall asleep to music.' Finally, Empire State of Mind came on and I closed my eyes. When I opened them back up, we were landing at LaGuardia Airport.

Moving in was exciting, as I approached Gramercy Green with my girlfriend and her family, the NYU dorm that would be my home for the next two months. I could not thank my girlfriend and her family enough for helping me get settled in. Looking back, I did a terrible job packing, but it seemed like everything that I had forgotten to bring, they had been covered. Feeling this type of love made this big jump feel so easy on the first day. To my amazement, the apartment was everything I could ask for, with a beautiful view of the Empire State Building out of the 19th floor window. 

Since that first day, life has been all about adjusting. Getting lost in the train station (multiple times), getting used to sleeping with the lights and sounds (which is no problem for a deep sleeper like me), and learning how to cook! Well, not quite, but I can make a mean turkey sandwich and bowl of Fruity Pebbles. 

I began work at Sanctuary for Families (SFF) last week and everyone was so welcoming! I am already obsessed with the place. On Wednesday, I attended a court session with one of SFF's attorney and shadowed her throughout the day. The work being done at SFF is important, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to contribute.

Also on Tuesday, I was able to witness the Manhattanhenge, when the sun sets between the buildings and above the road, on 23rd St and Broadway. The view was amazing and watching the crowd shut down the busy city traffic to take in the view was a time! 

Of course, I am missing my family and friends back home, but I have been in heavy contact with them per usual to make up for this. Hopefully, some of them can come visit sometime during my stay. With this only being the first week, the bar has been set high, but I am ready for what is to come!