16, Irish and in New York – The Truth

Happy Monday everyone! Lets get the week off to a good start and share some honest opinions on my experience while studying in New York.

1) Remembering The Basics

Isn’t this what we have parents for?! I for one found it so strange having to walk into a shop and buy, well… adult things! Soap, toilet paper, bread… The list goes on. I would get home some days and remember that toothpaste doesn’t magically appear on my sink, but I have to buy it… myself..

2) You work hard to eat in New York

The streets of New York are lined with Thai, Chinese, Indian, pizza, basically any kind of food a girl could ask for. HOWEVER, getting a cab to these places was difficult to say the least. I am so short, so seeing my tiny hand at the side of a busy New York street is next to impossible. This lead to me walking almost everywhere to get food, so by the time I had walk there in 30 degree weather, ate and walked all the way back… The food was definitely earned.

3) Age is just a number

In my experience, New Yorkers treat all ages the same. Not once did anyone question me, a 16 year old walking around New York on my own. But don’t be fooled, this also comes with a consequence. New York shows no mercy! You have to work hard to live in this city, and I only spent 2 weeks there.

4)New York Wont Wait for You

From my experience, New York will not wait around for you. If you don’t move quickly, don’t move at all. You have to work harder, think faster, move quicker, or you simply won’t survive – and it IS that simple. I studied Musical Theatre in New York, and it applied here too. I am not nor will I ever be a dancer, so I had to work ten times harder than some of the girls in there. However, I am a singer and I still had to work harder than I ever worked before to achieve New York’s standard of work ethic. Energy will flow out of you that you never knew you had when you come to this city.

5) From Ireland to Madison

Coming from a very quiet street in an even more quiet town, to Madison Avenue, New York was quite a switch. I remember trying to drown out the noise with Beats headphones in my apartment, but I have to give it to you New York, you are VERY persistent. Falling asleep wasn’t difficult for me because I’m like a log when I sleep – but my housemates were driven insane by the constant beeping and sirens right outside our window. (its not all glamour, even on Madison)

6) Being Irish is like being famous

EVERYONE wants to know your story if you’re Irish in New York. Where do you come from? Did you know St. Patrick? Have you climbed Croagh Patrick? (the answer to that was a solid no, but I did attempt) It is very fun though, having a New Yorker find an Irish girl’s life so interesting, when I know so many of us long to have their lifestyle. Little did they know all I did back then was go from school to home with very little in between.

7) You don’t have to travel far to find adventure

New York is a hub for all things glamour, so a trip to The Plaza was a must of course. My friend Lia and I snook up to the ballroom to see if we could get a peek in at the infamous room, starred in so many movies (one of my favs being Bride Wars). We were caught by a security guard, but this actually ended up being the best trouble we ever got into… He offered us a tour of one of the suites! The picture in my previous post was actually taken in that suite, by the security guard lol. My point is, go sneak in somewhere and see where it takes you, haha! (Just kidding)

8)Money means manners

New York is so expensive, so naturally if you are there people presume you have money. However I was 16, so there was only so much I could buy. It was very entertaining and scary having someone in Macy’s show me an 8000 dollar watch, when the next purchase on my mind was soap. People in retail will sell grass to the Irish, and promise you the world because they think you have money. But in the end, I went to buy soap.

9) Being Yourself is easier

New York is such a diverse place and 16, such a vulnerable age. I honestly think that New York taught me so much about who I am as a person, and also who I want to be. Of course the majority of the people I met were lovely, but the other few reminded me of who I do not want to be. New York is a tough place, but because of the diverse culture it allowed me to find who I was express it and ship it back to Ireland in 2 weeks, haha. No, I’m not saying I came back to Ireland a different person, but I did appreciate how much New York allowed me to grow as a person and I will forever love it for that. Being yourself is far easier in a big city. Nobody knows you, so nobody judges you.

10) Meeting People is magical

Regardless of the strangers I met along the way, I also met an amazing group of people in my time studying here. I honestly think that out of all of the things I experienced in New York, making friends for life is what took my heart. I know it sounds cliché, but the people I met with, laughed with, danced (terribly) with, and sang with are what makes New York a warm, homely place for me.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I loved writing it!

Let me know on my snapchat @basicchic17 what you thought?

Rachel

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