New York City, The Big Apple, “the city that never sleeps”, and now Home for the next two years, at least. This city with an amazing history, sights, wonders and cultures, will allow me two years of exploration not only of this place but also of myself. After much thought and suggestions, I decided to keep this blog. It’s going to be a way for me to keep my friends involved in what’s going on as well as my own personal journal of sorts. As most of you know, I am entirely an open book, so this blog is going to be completely me, uncensored and a perfect way to remember my time in NYC.
My brother and sister-in-law thankfully met me at the airport when I arrived and it was nice have a friendly face. They were only able to stay for a few hours, but having people I know with me in a city that I knew nothing about was a blessing. It has been an eventful two weeks since I moved into an adorable house in Brooklyn. Even after everything is unpacked, I still feel as though I am just visiting. Like I will be packing everything up shortly and heading back to Memphis or Omaha or even Kansas. But the reality that I am staying here, in New York City, has not sunk in.
I am constantly in awe of this city. Luckily, I was able to move-in two weeks before school starts, so I have had plenty of time to explore and get to know my way around the city and around campus. I have wonderful housemates and they have been very helpful in giving advice about the city. (Three new housemates will move in this week, also new to the city and I am very excited to meet them as well) During my first few days in the city, I wandered around aimlessly, by myself, mostly getting oriented with the subway system and the streets. One of my housemates joined me for a few of my adventures which was wonderful having someone to talk to. This past week, another housemate’s sister was in town visiting from Ireland so I was able to explore with her as well. I feel as though I have explored a huge amount of the city, but in reality, I have probably only seen a tiny portion. This place is incredibly huge and even after two years, I know there will be things that I will have missed.
Although it has only been two weeks, I have learned many valuable lessons. I found that when riding on the subway, it is very difficult for me not to strike up a conversation with the passengers sitting around me. It’s a long ride, and y’all know me, I like to talk. But alas, New Yorkers would think I was crazy. I have discovered that people are a lot nicer here than I was expecting, although, of course, there are the token people shouting in the streets. I have realized that walking along you can hear so many different languages. I am surrounded by many cultures, and within my area I can find any and all types of food. This is contrary to anything that I am used to and I am determined to try as much as I can. I learned that there is a store that is 24 hours, within a block of my house that will probably have anything I could possibly need. I also found that although New Jersey is nothing compare to the city, in Hoboken, there is the most fantastic view of the New York City skyline. Finally, I realized that in a time of crisis (such as a hurricane or earthquake), New Yorkers do stick together and they prioritize their necessities and at the top of the list are liquor and cigarettes. I believe that the earthquake and the Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene have been an adequate welcome to NYC! (The next post, I will figure out how to put pictures)
No comments:
Post a Comment