Haya Arabi-Katbi

In the midst of the busy streets of New York City, quiet moments of comfort were hard to come by. One of my most cherished memories from my time at NYUAD was “Bagel Tuesdays” at 19WSN, NYU Abu Dhabi’s headquarters in NYC. It was a simple tradition, but one that became deeply meaningful to me.

As I moved through the fast pace of the city, I often found myself keeping to my own world, walking through the crowds with music in my ears. Yet the moment I entered the NYUAD hub, that feeling would shift completely. Suddenly, everything felt familiar again.

Seeing my friends, reconnecting with classmates, and gathering over bagels and spreads created a sense of warmth and belonging that reminded me of Abu Dhabi. In those moments, it felt as though distance disappeared, and as if we had never left home at all.