The first New York I knew wasn’t a cramped café or an avenue with expensive stores. It was a street where all the houses were too close to each other. It was a street where the neighbors sat on their porch, front yard barbeques blazing. It was where kids played ball and where drivers honked just trying to get through. It was a few blocks away from a grocery store with familiar provisions from our home country. It was a street where everyone knew each other by their nick names.
I moved to New York with my family at the beginning of high school. My family settled in Queens because we had relatives there. It was a comfort for me to know that I had a few cousins nearby and it was a comfort to my mother to have a grocery store nearby where she could get most of the provisions that were native to our country; cassavas, eddoes, bitter melon and jackfruit.
The move to New York seemed at first impossible to imagine. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but for me, it was an easier transition to live in Queens first. This fast paced city could be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t used to city life. I came to know the city on my own terms. I did the forty minute commute into the city for college and for work. I didn’t mind it at all. I still don’t mind it. After a few intervals of living elsewhere, I moved back to Queens. I enjoy the city but I also enjoy living just outside of the city, close enough to commute.
I have the best of both worlds and wouldn’t have it any other way. I live in a quaint and quiet neighborhood. I can see the city from the rooftop of my building in the midst of clouds and tall trees. Sometimes I reach my hand out and feel just how close I am to one of the greatest cities in the world.
So for those of you who are still getting adjusted to the city or find it overwhelming, there are other boroughs just adjacent to the city that could be convenient and enjoyable. New York City is amazing and there is so much life, culture, entertainment and memorable things to do, but the boroughs of the city could be rewarding in other ways.
While you are still exploring the city, check out the Campus Clipper for coupons for some great places to eat.
Rona, Columbia University, School of General Studies.
Rona, Columbia University, School of General Studies
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