Growing up I thought there was one continent where people lived on, but that is wrong. I’m originally from Georgia, born and raised till 7 years old. I grew up with my 2 sisters and my aunt looking after us. I was learning a language which couldn’t be used in America. My parents were here, in New York because of their jobs. My sisters and I had to move to New York too, to be with my parents. Until now I still understand how big of a change it is for me, flying from a country to a state. It’s a big opportunity for anyone, mainly having your family with you through this change. The first flight coming here felt like nothing, it all happened so fast. I wasn’t even worried that I was traveling without a guardian. As for the airplane it felt like home, not a single feeling of being scared of being in the sky. Until the airplane landed, that’s when everything moving forward got scary.

   Once the airplane landed the stewardess found a way to get my sisters and I to my parents. They were so happy to see us and so was I. I remember my mom tearing up. Then we started heading home, which I wasn’t familiar with. On the way I saw so many tall buildings compared to what i’ve seen in my country. It was all exciting till i had to start school in 2 months. I was being registered in school where I didn’t understand the language and got bullied many times by the kids for having an accent. I was in 3rd grade joining clubs, after school programs and taking extra classes for English. I even had a personal tutor just so I could catch up. I was doing hw till midnight, by myself just so i could understand something from the topics given. It was hard for a few years, till 5th grade when i passed ESL. I thought that was the biggest accomplishment at the moment. My grammar wasn’t the best but I had to force myself to do better. 

   Being in a public school in New York was amazing, seeing so many races, religions and languages heard. I made friends and felt like I fit in. I loved being on a team and playing volleyball. I learned what was best for me, slowly. When my mom took the test for becoming a citizen I thought I was finally a part of New York. But i know now that i’ve always been a part of it already without the citizen paper. With it, it just proves we are more privileged than people with green cards. My mom managed to pass the test on the first try with barely knowing English and accomplished it because it’s what’s expected to be a part of America. There were days where I would see people getting judged for their broken English, even as of now. I’m happy it’s not me this time but i don’t want others going through what i had to. It’s not nice in general to judge someone for not speaking English. Why not help them out? But on the other hand they will adapt to it eventually and that anger of being judged will force them to do better. 

   Everyone wants to be good at many things and New York is the place for them. This place is so diverse and everyone tends to share the same goal, which is to get a good career and live in luxury. Once in a while when I visit museums in Manhattan or just hangout on the high line, I see New Yorkers rushing to their work. Always in a hurry to get from one place to the other. I can say that I can relate to this, I don’t want to be wandering around wasting time when I can be getting something done at home. But that something tends to always be around, whether it’s cleaning the house, drawing or hanging out with my friends. At the end New Yorkers like to work and strive with the same routine. That doesn’t mean they don’t like to party once in a while. 

   New York is known for many things; tall glass buildings, graffiti, jazz, movies, and immigration. It’s where everyone comes together as a community and uses their creativeness to create what is here now. I like knowing that where I live now has magical buildings, with over 40 floors and a state everyone wants to visit. People living outside of New York wouldn’t get the vibe that’s here, their views would mostly be depended on what they see on social media. Starting from how dirty it is and going on with the crazies on MTA trains and fights that break out once in a while. Even if they think like that, why not visit it themselves and see how it is living here. There is so much more than thinking New Yorkers are cold people. It’s the beauty of NY that amazes everyone. 

   Joan Didion was amazed by NY at one point too. She enjoyed walking around the East River to Hudson, looking at store windows on fifty-seventh street and the worst kind of parties. She was very in love with the city at first. The way New York is described from her point of view is life between rich and the poor, and for the youth. Didion states “You see I was in a curious position in New York: it never occurred to me that I was living a real life there. In imagination i was always there for just another few months, just until Christmas or Easter or the first warm day in May.” (p. 230), she argues that the time was going fast without her noticing what she really wanted. Her time was given to the parties and the dates till she turned twenty-eight and decided to go back to california with her husband. I agree with Didion, it’s hard to realize what an individual wants in life when they’re caught up with work and the fun on some nights. Even thinking that moving to New York she had to start from the beginning, finding an apartment and adjusting to the new lifestyle. But once she got used to it, she just kept going from there. Till noticed very late that the place wasn’t for her. 

   My own view is that there should be a goal once doing something. Having a plan whether it goes downhill is always good and I feel like Joan Didion didn’t have one once coming to New York. It’s like her coming to this state knowing how it is living here and then what, she didn’t even buy furniture for her apartment. If i wouldn’t buy it, i would know that this place isn’t worth staying but she stayed for years till she got depressed.  I feel like it was a waste of time for her not truly knowing what was the purpose of coming to New york at a young age but at least she got the experience of what it is to live here. 

   Time which most New Yorkers avoid is very special. It can go from seconds to months and years without noticing the change. They have set routines of where they should be and if it changes then they will set a new routine. Zadie Smith who loves New York so much argued that people from other states think the east coast deserves worse, with our attitudes being very bad. From what is seen on the media they expect how things are here without them knowing what it really is living here. But New Yorkers are very much productive and take everything seriously. In words of Smith “It was widely noted that we did not cancel our Halloween marches—neither the kid-sized one nor the adult version—and that we still got crazy-drunk on a Tuesday, and woke up the next day and went straight back to our routines because “that’s what New Yorkers do.”.” (p.3) this shows that nothing can get in the way for a New Yorkers life. Very strict self rules for not giving up. She also includes how people here get together for an event, even though it might have no purpose to be showing up for. This diverse city where people help out each other and still go on with their lives with less communications. 

   Smith’s viewpoint of New York is very clear, she supports the state every way. With every reason for not moving she knows why people here are different. She explains that even though everyone has their routines there’s always a way you’ll see a New Yorker helping out. She knows that it’s the constant hustle that makes the city going. Herself was an example of having a routine without her noticing. The lifestyle is very different compared to someone living in a country. 

  In sum, New York is very eye opening for everyone that lives or lived here. I learned so much from living here, that making a mistake shouldn’t be a regret. It’s just a situation that should push you to accomplish better things in future. Also the everyday lives of immigrants, how nothing is set easy and need to start from the scratch. New York gives so many opportunities and it’s up to the individual to go for it. There will be people that will help you on the way which is shining but everyone has their own lane they follow. It will always work out if there’s a good reason to why you want to achieve it.