As I was taking the bus to work the other day, a girl came aboard and asked the driver to tell her where the subway stop was. She looked as lost as I did on my first day. Like a new kid at school, it just takes time to get acquainted with a new place and new people. Seeing her brought back all the memories of when I first got to NYC and how much I've grown and learned. Some of them include:
Don't look em in the eye .... something that is extremely difficult for me as I looovw people watching.
There is no such thing as a normal subway ride. When they are quiet its creepy.
Sketchy is completely relative. What would have made me uncomfortable in Florida is completely normal here. The first time at my subway stop completely sketched me out....and my dad told me to get over it. Hahaha...it turns out its really not bad at all.
Gotta blend. If you loom like a tourist you will be targeted as one. So essentially you gotta look impatient and pissed all the time.
Have an issue with people who can't speak English? Get over it... foreigners take over this place. Kind of cool actually.
Gotta get over closterphobia. Buses and subways get ridiculous and having someones gut in your side is completely normal. And if they don't smell you're lucky.
Essentially you have gotta be one strong and tough person to live here. Besides be brutal financially and competitive careerwise, there's a lot of things out there that can make a person run for the hills. If you're scared or made uncomfortable easily, get outta here!!
This is one of the craziest yet most awesome city I've been in and I love it. So much to do and ao many different sides to it. Seeing a homeless man outside of a swanky restaurant filled with the uber wealthy is a sight and feeling unlike any other. The grittyness of New York mixed with its exuberant amount of classiness and richness is what makes it something special.
Anyway, back to the chick on the bus...she ended up asking me about the subway and I was more than happy to help. What I would have given to have someone help me... we chatted on the train and found out she's an au pair from Israel. Super sweet girl. It's those random people and conversations that I love. You never know who you will meet. I can honestly say this place has changed me....for the better, don't worry :)
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