Personal Narrative: My Life In New York City

Even though I’ve eaten lobster rolls, sported L.L. Bean jackets, and cruised lighthouse-studded coastlines, I am anything but a New-Englander. Though this has been by 4th year in Massachusetts, I still feel like I’m still the new kid on the block, the midwestern girl who’s naive to the traditions and expectations of New England. But, I am comfortable here, a result of many challenges I had to face over the time I spent in Massachusetts. These challenges did not arise when I first moved out—I was very unhappy the first and second year—it was during Sophomore year, when I started to adapt and be happy, did challenges from home spring forth on me. These challenges were from the people that I had left, family, friends, and others who felt that

You, a “Chicago kid” as a good friend keeps telling me, are going to have a big change in your life. That sounded like I was some cheesy fortune cookie but it is true. You have decided to go to the suburban area and go to that school full of white people. Oh and do you remember that lady who thought you came from another country when you went with your mom? Yep, that’s the high school you are going to. Anyway, check out this sacred wizardry that I have discovered to get good, or at least, decent grades in a middle school that took steroids.

Growing up in this city of Chicago was very nice. I lived on the Westside of Chicago, Hamlin and Augusta. Our community was not a community it was block. The block is the street that I lived one. My sisters and I was able to go to the park until the sunset. We would walk almost a mile just to have fun. We was able to walk everywhere, candy store, school, parties, and mall. All the houses on the blocks where kept up so nice. Every house had a flower bed. There were no boarded up houses. The grass was cut so well, and the brushes were trimmed nicely. You could smell the food that the neighbors were cooking. All the children on the block were able to play with each other. The neighbor would feed the other neighbors children. The trust for the people on Hamlin was very strong because everyone knew each other for years. The early 2000’s is a year that I will never forget. In 1973 my mom was born in Chicago. She lived in the same house that I lived in on Hamlin. As I was talking to my mother she was telling me that her life living in Chicago was lovely. Her dad

It's been over five years since I have been home, to the north side of Chicago, I cannot believe it has changed so much in such a short time. The streets are filled with new buildings, new businesses, and so much snow. I don't remember the winters being this cold. Leaving Atlanta to go see my family in Chicago is a tough decision but I had to see my grandmother who is turning ninety years old this weekend and my family is throwing her a huge birthday party in Chinatown because my grand loves that culture and the food. I was supposed to meet the family right after I landed at O'Hare Airport. However, I needed to shower and change so I decided to check into the Peninsula Hotel, which I have always wanted to stay in, it is such a beautiful

During the summer of 7th grade my mom and I went on a trip to san Francisco that showed me how real untreated mental health issues, homelessness, and drugs are. I always knew that bad communities existed and they’re not safe but I never knew what they really looked like. That was until my mom and I accidentally walked through the tenderloin. The Tenderloin is one of the most infamous parts of San Francisco. The whole city of San Francisco is a crazy and beautiful place that I learned how many people suffer from drugs, crime, poverty and homelessness.

On a day in which the sun was shining like a new fluorescent light bulb, I sat on a heated metal bench that was located in front of a large, stone fountain where a brace of ducks lingered, and I began to read Chasing Brooklyn.

My dad and I had always lived in New York City. After 15 years of experience and the guidance of my older brother, you could say that I knew my way around town. The coffee shops with the best lattes, the highest swinging swing sets in every park, and most importantly, the buildings with the best views. You would think that after living here for so long I would get sick of seeing the view of the city every day, but it just never gets old. The best spot is at the top of my apartment building, on the far northeast corner, looking over the horizon and onto the Hudson. There was no other way of completing my day, no matter the rain, snow, or blazing heat I sat on that rooftop every night as the sun disappeared, along with the overworked New Yorkers for the night. The most interesting part is, every single night, the color of the sky is always slightly different. No sunset was ever the exact same. Anyways, as I was walking back down the stairs to my condo, 7B, I got the jitters in my stomach, I was beyond excited for tomorrow, the first day of Winter Break. My older brother, Todd, was taking me and my best friend Hannah up to Vermont to go skiing. I opened our apartment door, took a quick shower, and fell asleep with Cooper on my lap while watching Full House.

It was Thanksgiving break and I could not, for the life of me, fall asleep. Given the trend of binge-watching Star Wars with my two older brothers over the previous week until well past midnight, it did not surprise me. So I went downstairs to the living room and picked up my Mom’s latest read, “Humans of New York.” As I opened it I couldn’t help but chuckle, “Mom, reading a picture book? She’s usually a serious reader.” However, as I read the captions to each picture, a realization dawned upon me. There was a common element threaded throughout the stories. Life, can be a struggle. It is one long game and you only get to play once. We all deal with life differently, take different routes, and end up in different places. But the important thing

My move to NYC ended up being an abrupt push into adulthood that was more daunting than I expected. I found myself in a large,expensive city.Due to my family’s financial situation,all costs of living were on my shoulders, and I attended a university with a demanding course load. I found myself needing to learn to manage my time, make money, and navigate this foreign place. This led to a rocky start academically. Determined to succeed, I considered all my resources: college events, my advisor, and academic centers. I created an increasing trend in my GPA,and I took a major I was passionate about.I worked multiple jobs sometimes up to 30 hours a week, while still gaining unique life experiences. Although my path to this point may have been

Here in Boston, I did have to be forced to do the work. I myself manage my time and that took me to do better in my work and lifestyle. I learn how to speak English in one mouth, something that surprised my sins English wasn't my first languish that I spoke. I learned how to code in several different computer languages, including HTML(Hypertext Markup Language), Python, and C++, and planning to learn another call binary code!. Being in Boston, things were much better because in the US there are laws and programs like ABCD that help support children and prevent physical abuse. Her I have the thing that I did have to support me into success. Now I have built mine own in passways to succeed, greatness in this country full of opportunity and

Have you ever gone somewhere you never thought you would get to go? I have. Washington D.C, just somewhere in America. The capitol city; the most important city in America. Where the presidents lived, where Lincoln was assassinated. That’s all I had ever thought I would know about Washington D.C. I never thought I would have the chance to go. I never thought there could be so much history in one city. My whole viewpoint on this city would change in the span of 1 week.

Growing up as a child the youngest of five siblings raised by a single mother from the south side of Chicago, Illinois I experienced many obstacles that I had to overcome daily as a child at a very early age. Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the United States. The environment I grew up in was very detrimental filled with drugs and violence on every corner. My neighbors were drug dealers and drug addicts who were constantly fighting all the time. My mother worked two jobs full time seven days a week to maintain the household and financial responsibilities. At times I would sell chips, candy and juice in front of stores to make money so that I could help my mother pay the bills and I’d often have to take care of my sick grandmother

Heavy raindrops spilled from the gray clouds above and people were scattering in all directions. I remember tightly clenching my mother's wrist out of self-assurance as we continuously bumped into frustrated strangers. "Let's wait this storm out in the local library," she had told me in between shivers. At the craziness of the moment, I wasn't sure if her decision was due to home being five blocks away or my nonstop complaints. I wanted to ask what a library was, but I figured that my question would just add to my mother's stress and annoyance. We stopped before the doors of a typical building that displayed the following words in huge yellow print: "Welcome to the Brooklyn Public Library." I specifically recall breathing a sigh of relief

The year was 1910 , I just made it to the Golden Door in New York City . There were a tons of people , everywhere I turned I seen Italian , Greek , Slav , Russian , Jewish , East European , and even Armenian people . I then met a Jewish family that helped me get to The Office of the Superintendent of Immigration . Me and the family were approved and admitted after hours of waiting . Then I asked one of the officers where should I go now ? He told me I should head over to “ Ellis Island .” So me and the family followed the crowd of people to the New York Harbor , were we sat and waited for hours to get on the boat . When we abroad the boat , people were pushing and shoving to find a secure spot on the boat . Everything happened so fast that

When people ask me where I live, I simply reply, “Boston.” This is both somewhat true and misleading at the same time; the reality is that I do live in Boston, but not the prominent and well established part that many people are familiar with. I really live in Dorchester, part of the inner city of Boston; however, during the school year I spend the majority of my time in the dorms at my school in Belmont. Whenever I tell my friends from my neighborhood that I spent a year aboard in Spain, they look at me like I’m crazy and ask, “Isn’t that the type of stuff you do in college?” I mean, studying abroad is something many people pursue in college, but nowadays its possible to do it high school too, but they wouldn’t know that because it’s not something