Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
She is not like other people because of the unique cultural experience of being of color in contrast with the people in her environment up to this point, but we hear how she is still like everybody else as she shares the universal experience of being human like any other person.
I am the only colored student in my class. The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem, through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas, Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y, the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator up to my room
The Y symbolizing his connection to Harlem, her African American culture and life. Despite being part of a predominantly white educational institution, he remains tied to his culture down Harlem.