Last week I celebrated the one year anniversary of packing up my life and moving over 1,000 miles from Atlanta to New York City. As a child my desire to star as Annie and passion for musical theater shaped the ultimate dream of moving to NYC, so when the time came to select a PR internship I knew exactly where I was heading. An internship in NYC was the perfect opportunity to spend four months deciding whether or not I could actually be a resident of the city I loved or remain a passionate tourist.
After landing the internship, I established living arrangements, packed up the car and drove to my aunt’s house in New Jersey. It wasn’t until I was in the middle of North Carolina that it hit me my lifelong dream was becoming a reality. After a brief moment of paralyzing fear and “OhmygoshwhatamIdoing?” I continued heading north and haven’t looked back since.
One year later I am the same southern belle, but with a little more “New York Edge.” A few of the things I’ve learned:
- With a little southern charm and a sweet smile, random people will stop to answer a question or help you.
- That same southern charm goes out the window when someone attempts to crowd you on the subway or take advantage of the sweet smile.
- Roof tops are a necessary amenity.
- Pizza, Thai food, crepes and cheesecake sound like heaven the first few months, but this will inevitably force you to join a gym.
- The mysterious cold weather we always hear about in the south is just as bad as it sounds. This year I am far more prepared with heavy clothes and no longer consider 40 degrees "freezing."
- You can conquer the subway system, but regardless of how long you have been here you will get on the wrong train more than once.
- There is no such thing as a "relationship" here, dating is far more complicated.
- Walking shoes are a must.
- A home cooked meal from one of my aunts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Maryland is the next best thing to going home.
- New Yorkers avoid Times Square like the plague.
- Shelling out a ridiculous amount of money to live in a small apartment each month is worth every penny to be here (although I typically fail to remember this when it comes out of my bank account).
This year I discovered that I have it in me to take a leap of faith to follow my dream and, despite many moments of being homesick and the numerous bumps I’ve faced over the past year, I succeeded in making it become a reality.
I am now in search of a new dream and with the confidence that has come with my recent success, the sky’s the limit.
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