ON I his day last war I was in New York, it snowed every day. Most people.

Including my roommate, had already left for home. Getting up In the morning, when it was still dark outside, was difficult, the thirty minute drive to work on the slippery New York—New Jersey highways was downright dangerous. Everyone complained of seasonal .depression. I myself had failed my road test for a driver’s license and had come down with a horrible cold right afterward. The year was dragging to aslow and miserable end.

"So. what are you doing for New Years Eve?” my American friends asked. Most, of them planned to go to a party at a bar. The usual cover charge was anywhere between twenty and sixty dollars. Everyone at work was celebrating at the Intrepid, an abandoned plane by the Hudson River. It was a black tie affair, and the women were busy buying formal gowns.

TV talk shows like Oprah concentrated on all aspects of this great occasion, suggestions on how to spend the night, warnings not to expect too much from the evening, and other Important advice. Meariwhile. It was still dark and miserable/outside. (No wonder these people want the year to end so much.) I thought. (December's awful in this city.)

"So. what are you doing for New Year's? my South • Aslan friends asked. They, had a more sophisticated idea than a bar |>arty — dinner followed by whatever we felt like doing. afterwards. 1 decided to join them. People also came up from other cities. My college friends came from Philadelphia. Indiana and Washington, 'and some high school Bangladeshi’ friends came down from Boston.

We made reservations’ll Beni Hana, a Japanese steakhouse In midtown. This was a

smart idea because most restaurants had a two .hour wait that night. We met at a friend's place In midtown and decided to walk to the restaurant. This was not so smart because we almost froze to death. The restaurant was In complete chabs. People were waiting everywhere for tables, even outside Id tlie cold. We were lucky we had reservations because we had to wait only half an hoi ir.

After dinner we went bAck to a friend's place in order to plan where to go next. The New Yorkers wanted to do something mellow. ■ Our friends from out of town wanted to go to Times Square to see the apple fall from the Citicorp building.

"There is no way I'm going there.” I said, "ItH be cold and crowded and miserable."

1 But the Pennsylvanians thought It would be criminal not to bring in the New Year at Times Square. So they left, promising to meet us' at Greenwich' Village an' hour into the new year. The rest of us took so long to defcide where to spend the remaining time that It was half an hour to . midnight when we finally decided. We would just go straight to the village. Adnan

. and Ati tolcf us to wait- downstairs while they went to fetch their cars.

We stood In a tight circle on the sidewalk, huddled together for warmth. The twins sang to us from Sound of Music. The streets were , already crowded with cars full of drunken revellers. People waved to us happily as they drove by. Our drivers were taking a while to return. Suddenly someone looked at his watch and declared (here were about twenty seconds remaining to midnighf. We

started to count down, right there, oqt on the street.

"Three ... two ... one.

Happy New Yearf" ’1

We grinned at one another happily, whistling and stamping our feet. Then some angry New Yorker th^ew water on us from a nearby building, and told us lo shut up.

It was impossible to drive in the city /that night. Not only lyerc the streets packed with cars and cans, but most drivers were obviously not sobtr. People waved to us from cars, wishing us a happy pew year. All of New York seemed lo be smiling. We parked near Washington Square park in the village and walked to Le' Lanterna. an underground Italian cafe. We were lucky to find a table for the fifteen or so of us. and glad lo be Inside by a fireplace.

The cafe was dimly 111 by shaded lamps arid very conducive lo weighty conversions. We sipped Cappuclnrro and espresso and reminisped about 1993. We were all young and had Just made huge changes in our lives — we had moved to new cities; taken, new jobs, made new friends." Bfit no one could have known how many more changes' would happen in the. future. I had ho Idea that in only another year I would move back lo Dhaka.

Our ’friends from Times Square Joined us soon. They said they hadn’t been able to get very close to the Apple because of the crowds, that it was freezing, and they had been pushed around. But It had definitely been worth the excitement. .

It was four lit the morning by the lime we left' the cafe. 'I went to bed al six and didn't wake up till noon on January one. K>94.