New York City | 6 Month Update

Welcome to a new week! It seems like forever since I shared a New York City update. I have been living in New York City for six months now (exactly six months today!). It is incredible how fast the time has gone–it doesn’t feel like it’s been six months but I’ve also noticed I’ve experienced so much in my time here. 

I reflected on my first month and second month here. I re-read those posts and they felt more like adjusting to living in a big city (which I was doing). This post is much more personal–this is more about my life and less about just living in New York City. 

Once Joe moved in at the end of October and we started to establish our life together, things started to feel a little different (in a good way). I began to feel more like I lived here and I began to accept little challenges here (i.e. dealing with public transportation and groceries). I learned how to work around things that are a pain (like having groceries delivered instead of schlepping them up the stairs). You start to realize that quality of life is important while still living within your means. Joe and I have struggled with finances because New York City is a very expensive place to live but this has really taught us how to budget and be more conscious with our money. I’m still learning and I know these skills will be beneficial in the future. 

One of my biggest struggles has been motivation: motivation to work out, motivation to get out of the apartment, motivation to get ready. It may seem strange but doing all of these things requires more effort in a big city. Going to the gym right now means bundling up and dealing with the cold (I’ve never dealt with 15 degree F weather and it’s cold!). Getting out of the apartment means gathering all my belongings for the day and trekking to a study/work spot and then dealing with the stairs later on with all of my stuff. I also tend to struggle with getting myself ready because the cold weather makes me want to work from home in my PJs all day and not attend my classes at night (leaving campus at 8:30 PM is not always the most appealing thing). 

Another hurdle has been leading a health lifestyle–something I’m still struggling with at the moment. New York City is filled with the best food in the world. There is pizza, baked goods, and ice cream on every corner. How can you resist?! On top of the lack of motivation to get to the gym in this winter weather, staying healthy has been a challenge. As Joe and I are on a strict budget, we are forced to cook more (which is good for our wallets and waistline). We’ve been creating weekly menus so we are at least prepared for dinner and this has helped a lot. We opt to go out to dinner once a week to keep out sanity and experience a great new restaurant in this beautiful city. Hopefully in my next six month update I’ll be able to report that we got the healthy lifestyle thing down! 

I want to close with some things I love about New York City, as this post has felt a bit negative. I love that I will never run out of places to explore and things to see. I love that so many events and shows come to New York City. I love that I now have an NYC ID and can get discounts to amazing spots in the city. I love that I get to experience real seasons and watch the snow fall. Finally: I’m proud to call myself a New Yorker.