This summer I move to New York City for an internship with Resource Magazine, a photography publication based in Brooklyn.
I’ve lived in Alabama since I was 3 years old after moving from Georgia where I was born. I grew up in Birmingham where I cultivated life-long friendships, developed an interest in politics and began writing and creating art. I grew into myself there.
Throughout high school, staying in Alabama was never the plan. I dreamt of a lot of different places, but mainly New York City. New York, to me, symbolized culture,
I got a scholarship to Auburn University. Thousands of dollars in loans suddenly didn’t seem as appealing as sucking it up for four more years to go to an amazing in-state university. I started classes in the fall of 2015 and soon ended up in the journalism department. In Auburn, I figured out who I want to be.
Over the winter break of 2016–17, I applied to about 15 internships and ended up getting one of my top choices. After six years of fantasizing about moving to NYC, it’s happening in less than two weeks.
Throughout this past semester, my excitement for the three months I’ll be spending up North has morphed from pure excitement to nervous energy. Of course, I’m grateful for the opportunity, but suddenly, the place I’ve romanticized for so long is about to be my home. And it’s a two and a half hour plane ride away from my comfort zone.
For some, the giant leap was moving to college. There are people from places all around the world at Auburn. But for me, this is the first time I’ll be living outside of the South for an extended period of time.
Not only will everybody in my day-to-day life be almost a thousand miles away, but mundane, everyday tasks of living will completely change. Do people carry their groceries all the way home from the grocery store in NYC? Do I literally carry all of my groceries onto the subway and down the sidewalk? Apparently, most restaurants and stores are cash only and air conditioned buildings are much
Along with these fears comes eagerness. There will always be something to do or something to see; music, art and, from what I hear, a lot of
Mixed emotions are at an all-time high.
I’ve never been the South’s biggest fan, but as I’ve gotten older, and especially as I prepare to move up the coast, I have started to appreciate it. Parks are abundant and nature is everywhere. My parents are only a two-hour drive away.
Perhaps the most cliché but mostly true one is strangers are kind. Once on the subway in New York, a woman called me a “dumb, dumb girl” for not adhering to her wish for me to move about 1 inch to the left.
Every place comes with its flaws, and the place you daydream about escaping to is no exception. Your time to leave will most likely come eventually, and when it does, sentimentality will probably kick in. This internship is one of the best opportunities I’ve ever been offered, and New York will be an amazing experience, but leaving is hard.
Cherish your home, but embrace new experiences.
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