I grew up in a small city in Louisiana and I always dreamed of moving to a big city. I am a dancer and knew that in order to do what’s best for my future career, I would need to move to somewhere like New York City. After auditioning to many colleges with dance programs, I finally decided on going to Marymount Manhattan College. I could not wait to move to the Big Apple and live my dream life.
I had painted an image of New York City in my mind as this perfect city that would bring me endless opportunities in life. I thought my life would be perfect because I was going to be living in the “perfect city”. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here, but it’s not all peaches and cream.
Since everything in the city is relatively close together, I end up walking everywhere. I used to drive every time I wanted to go somewhere, but now I walk unless the location I’m going to is far away so I’ll take a subway or reluctantly take a taxi. Don’t try and take the subway on the weekends if you’re trying to get somewhere quickly because it is almost always delayed.
People just aren’t as friendly here as they were in the south. In the south, no one is a stranger to one another. People greet each other on the street whether they know them or not just because they like to be friendly. Everyone told me that I should never make eye contact with people on the streets. It feels weird to me walking down the streets everyday just focusing on myself and where I am going. I wouldn’t say people aren’t friendly, but everyone is in a rush to get where they need or want to be, so they have no time to acknowledge others.
With there being so many people in New York City, everything is always crowded. I used to be in love with the thought of Times Square and 5th Avenue, but now I take any alternate path away from these crowded areas in order to avoid all of the tourists. I used to be a tourist, but now I find them annoying when I’m in a rush.
Everything is expensive in New York. Whether you are just trying to buy ice cream or go out to brunch, you are going to feel like you are spending a lot of money. I’ve had to take more time to find the cheaper options because I can’t bring myself to buy a $7 pint of ice cream.
Although certain aspects of my life have gotten to be more difficult, I truly am living my dream life. I am extremely grateful for the amount of opportunities there are for dancers in the city. There are so many events going on every day and it is impossible for someone to be bored. Even though some people may find the constant sounds of the city to be annoying, I have learned to love it and oddly find it soothing. I love the constant hustle and bustle of the city. Everyone here is motivated and I’m inspired by everyone’s dedication to their craft no matter what it may be. It would be hard to ever leave this wonderful city behind because no place seems like it would be able to match this one of a kind city.