oh new york.

Wow, it’s been way too long since I actually wrote an entry. I’m terrible at keeping this blog alive and even worse at using it to document my summer adventures in New York. Blogging just became impossible to do. Especially when I only had three months, I wanted to spend every minute of it out and about, enjoying the city as much as I could. Two months have already passed and it's even fall now. I still constantly think about New York and I miss being there more than ever.

Many things had happened over the course of three months and I've been finding it difficult to write an entire recap of it all - hence this very late post. Part of the reason though is I'm a little uncomfortable of being overly open online, but then I've also realized New York is a story that hasn't ended yet. My summer was incredible and completely surreal. It was filled with a good amount of new experiences and surprises I've never felt so grateful to have gone through and learned from. I was essentially doing what I love and I'll always feel blessed for having the opportunity to work my best at it in an amazing city, surrounded by the most creative and dedicated individuals I've ever met. The culture, the people, the wild sense of freedom, just about everything was motivating and inspiring.

However, it wasn't all peaches and cream either. There were moments when I wasn't strong and moments when I wasn't smart. Sometimes the two would mingle together and I felt lonely, overwhelmed with uncertainty of who I am and what I was doing. But no matter how unhappy I was, I never once missed home or thought about leaving. I was instead reminded of why I came to New York in the first place. I was there to experience a new world, to have fun, to make friends, to earnestly work hard and most importantly, to grasp everything I could. So the challenges thrown and the mistakes made in the end, led to life lessons that shaped my perspectives and values for the better. From living on my own for first time, maintaining a budget, balancing my internship and job, to putting my walls down, taking it easy and simply going with the flow - these challenges were part of the whole experience.

As much as I miss the city and all the fond memories it holds, I've come to accept that they're memories I can only reminisce about now. Like I said before, New York is a story that hasn't ended yet. I've discovered this is where I want home to be some day and when I said my goodbyes, it was heartbreaking. The transition back to Arizona has been a lot harder than I initially thought and trying to embrace the same old routine of school and work is exhausting. I'm getting there though. I want to keep my focus and stay optimistic because I'm definitely want to return. New York can be tiring and scary, but it's really wonderful and has this special charm you won't find anywhere else. I think everyone should at least experience this exciting place once in their life. Honestly, I can't imagine living anywhere else.