We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Yesterday marked one year since I stepped on a plane and moved to New York City. I remember how sad I felt leaving Joe at the airport in San Francisco. I boarded an early morning flight with my mom, headed for the east coast. We landed in the afternoon in Newark, New Jersey and took a car to our hotel in Long Island City. I instantly felt like I was on vacation and we hopped on the subway into Manhattan.
The next few months were a whirlwind. I dealt with a fractured toe [made the move so fun], found and settled into my first apartment, I started graduate school, and Joe moved across the country to live with me. Things settled down after the holidays and with less than ideal weather, I spent a lot of time indoors. Once summer hit my life went full speed–I traveled to Italy and Portugal, I spent a week in California planning our wedding, I started a two month internship, I took an online class, and I maintained my social life. Needless to say, life has been busy and exciting this summer.
Over the past month or so, I started to think about this day. August 15th. The day I moved to New York City. The day I took the biggest leap of my life so far. I am a completely different person than I was a year ago. Do I have it all figured out? No. Will I have it all figured out in another year? Probably not. Have I learned a lot? Absolutely.
As per my old New York City life updates [if you’re curious–one month update & six month update], I figured I should share what I’ve learned in my first year living in New York City:
You Can’t Do It All: Fear of missing out [FOMO] is a real thing. It is still something I struggle with. New York City is a mecca of things to do and people to see. Unfortunately, you can’t see and do it all. Luckily time is on my side. I’ve been learning that I can’t see it all in a year but next year I’ll do some of the things I haven’t managed to fit in before.
Less Is More: I’ve struggled to fit it all in to a tiny one bedroom apartment. Along the way, I’ve learned that I don’t need as much as I thought. I’m still working towards minimalism. I think this skill set will get me far down the road.
Have Fun: New York City has so much to offer. Enjoy everything this city has to offer its locals.
Most importantly I’ve learned that things don’t have to be perfect to be great. I’m really enjoying living here while dealing with struggles of my own. My challenges don’t take away from how great it is to live here and experience this city!
