Happy 1st NYC Anniversary To Me – April 2022
I remember early 2020 and writing about wanting to leave Florida. When the pandemic started everything stopped, moments of lonliness and anger were more concentrated, and I felt even more restricted. At the time I was desperately wanting to get out and do something new. Since moving to Florida as a kid, going back to New York was always the answer when something didn’t go as planned. As a kid it was a romanticized dream, as a teenager it was a more serious idea and tied to vague career plans, and throughout early adulthood it grew from goal a to a necessery step with an uncertain beginning. In March of 2020, the beginning was postponed.
Just when I was starting to make peace with staying in Orlando and was remaking it my home, I got the opportunity to leave. It was incredible and deeply heartbreaking all at once and now it’s been a year since I landed at JFK with my entire life stuffed into luggage (sans books and coats). A lot has changed. A lot has happened that I’m proud of. A lot of new things are coming. So much that I want to occupy this space on my little corner of the internet to log it all.
- Made so many new and wonderful friends and dance partners.
- Visited so many cafes my coffee journal wasn’t able to keep up.
- Spent a month with my grandma here in Queens, and made a couple visits to the rest of the family in Florida.
- Did a bunch of things that made me feel like my functional adult performance was believable (going to the dentist alone, getting my first credit card, job hunting and the countless interviews, filing my taxes)
- Survived The Winter.
- Continued to share my highest highs, lowest lows, and mundane middles with my two very favorite people and got to show them both around NYC when they came to visit.
- Tried my very best to make my little place homey affordably and as sustainably as I could, grew my library, and made progress towards my ideal wardrobe.
- Started teaching Balboa locally. Although I have a long way to go as an instructor, I’m so so grateful for everything dance has brought me, Bobby White for asking me to teach with him, and the amazing opportunity to learn from him. I’ve always wanted to be a better teacher, but I didn’t imagine being able to do this for several more years.
- Started taking film photography a bit more seriously and have been really enjoying it.
- Pushed myself to spend more time outdoors or exploring new places even on days where I would prefer to stay in bed.
- Found several go-to spots that I can always rely on to bring me some joy.
- Transferred through Starbucks while I job hunted, in the Winter started pet sitting and became The NYC content lead for a startup, and just a couple weeks shy of one year started the first real step in my career in the music industry as digital marketing assistant at 5B Artists and Management.
