Existential Crises on the Hudson - NYC Day 3

Yesterday, Izzy and I told ourselves we would go to bed at 11 pm. Add 2 hours to that and that’s when we actually went to bed (are we surprised though? no…) So we woke up this morning, well I woke up this morning at around 9:30 and went to make Izzy breakfast so she would wake up. We ate a shockingly normal time (for once during this trip!)… 10:30 (aka boujee brunch hour). By the time Izzy did her ab workout, finally put together an outfit, and stared at her face for a year and a half, I had not only given birth to my first child but my SECOND child, yay me! Just kidding, it doesn’t take Izzy that long :)

At around 11:30 we made our down to Chelsea to visit Umara (Claudia’s roommate) at work! We took the right subway - quite a feat - but got off at Time’s Square to go get some post cards. We spent all of 3 minutes there before well, we knew we just had to get out of the sea of tourists - kids screaming their heads off while running berserk towards the M & M factory, and people whacking others in the face with selfie sticks (yes, those still exist. SOOO 2016 :/) One amazing thing, well two actually, that I recognized whilst we braved the rough streets of Time’s Square was 1) Izzy and I were never handed one of those tour bus guide things. In fact no one promoting tourism etc. approached us! Real New Yorker status = success!! 2) It’s really kind of cool to walk around Time’s Square, and New York in general, because every step you take you hear a new language. It is absolutely incredible. I think in the span of 2 minutes or 2 blocks in New York measurement, I heard at least 10 different languages and well that, that is absolutely spectacular.

Instead of opting for the Subway to get from Time’s Square to Chelsea (42nd to 15th), Izzy and I decided to walk! Yay endorphins! Yay blisters! Yay health! In all seriousness though, it actually was a nice walk. We saw Madison Square Garden, lots of new sites, and if I had a penny for every pizza store or hot dog stand, well, let’s just say I’d give Bill Gates a run for his money. It has been really nice out, so a long walk was much needed!

We got down to Chelsea and went to the Chelsea Market to sample chocolates (aka shovel the entire sample tray into our pockets), look at flowers, and get some post cards (Time’s-Square-free). Then we went to see Umara! She works in such a beautiful area and she so kindly let us come and do our work on the 9th floor café which looks out over the Hudson! Talk about a view!!

I took the leap of adulthood and started looking for internships. Daunting task I must tell you. I typed into Google “internships”… well that really narrows it down. But to me I was like, “Yay adulting!” I then realized the importance of narrowing my search when internships for corn fields in Kansas seemed viciously abundant. If anyone has any (and I mean any… maybe no like math based stuff because, well, you know me!) suggestions for what I should intern in, please feel to text, email, call, telegraph, morse code, pigeon mail me your thoughts! My stress of the future was very much appeased by the abundance of snacks and coffee in the upstairs café. I felt like a kid in a candy store, except I’m almost 20 and I gave up candy for lent… but you get the metaphor! A Nespresso machine shone in gold (it was silver but it was like gold, like AHHH… ugh you get the metaphor!!) and my inner coffee addict turned into a full on Gollum (Sméagol) and went all “my precious” on me. A few cups of coffee later and I had mmm approximately 20 tabs open with possible internship ideas and had very dramatically texted my dad “Help me” around 1 maybe 2… hundred times. At least I had a nice view though!

Umara came up to join us in the café (or “caff” as they call it) and we talked about life and being an adult. I’m about to be an official adult, well at least I consider it a big step. I’m going to be 20 in less than a week. AHHAHAHAH, funny. Sometimes I’m all, “I just want to be 25 and work and live in my own house and blah blah blah” But then I think about the economy and the fact that I don’t have a fritockin’ idea of what I want to do in the future and I’m like, if I could just rewind to being a 4 year old finger painting stud that would be just so so nice. But, I’m about to be 20! Out of teenagerhood! I remember turning 10 and thinking, “Woah! This is a monumentous huge (lol @ my 10 year old vocabulary) moment! I’m double digits YESSS!” But nothing really changed. I still lived in my parents house and didn’t have much autonomy and went to school, you know the drill. Then I turned 13 and I was like, “Hell yah! I’m a woman now - don’t mess with me. I’m some hot sh*t” (Humble, I know). But again that didn’t really bring too much change besides for a menstrual cycle, depression, and deeply embedded self hatred. When I turned 16 my only thought was, “I’m driving. It’s over for all y'all” Apparently my driving is so bad that it might actually be over for you all… just kidding :) 16 was the biggest change so far. I was responsible for a car and gas. I had more responsibility in school and then started working so with that as well. But still, most of my life was “taken care of” Then 18 was adulthood! Voting! Tattoos! Lottery Tickets! Signing my own field trip forms! Yay! I guess that was kind of a big change because I went away to college and kind really did have to step it up a little.

But now… I’m going to be 20! Two decades… yes decadeSSSS (plural) of life. Maybe it’s because I am prone to existential crises, maybe it’s because New York gives me the feels, maybe it’s because sitting in an office building and getting work done made feel something… I don’t know what but it was something! 20 is a weird age. I’m no longer a teenager (thank you JESUS!!!) and now I’m in this period of life that involves a lot of people finding jobs (ah!) married (ahh!), having babies (ahhhh!!!!) and they all happen at different stages. I feel like that’s kind of a nice thing - the fact that there is no blueprint plant of “Your 20s” I mean, besides graduating college at 22 (ah!) and getting kicked off your parents health insurance at 26 (hahhaha I’m screwed), there aren’t any exact ages where it’s like you have to get this done. I mean you really should find a job and get a house or place to live… with running water but there isn’t too much of a timeline. I think New York and just being outside of Westmont has really helped me to realize that. Don’t get me wrong, I love Westmont, but sometimes I feel like the majority of people have the same goal and life becomes very linear and well, I just don’t want that. My life so far has been so up, down, backwards, and forwards, why would I want a straight line now?

Ok, well you’re here to read about NEW YORK not my existential crises!!!

After leaving Umara’s office, Izzy and I headed towards home. By the time we got home it was already 6:15 - I swear time flies ultra fast in New York!! I get it, you know hustle and bustle, but you walk a few blocks and all of the sudden the sun is setting and midnight strikes and your carriage is now a pumpkin… wait I think that’s a different story - hmmm? But in all honesty, time really does fly and there’s only so much you can do in one day! When Claudia came home, we all went to Chipotle and then went home for the Bachelor round 2. Ok, sorry about it but I did NOT just wait 10 weeks for this BS! California folks, I know it is just past 8 pm there but I swear to you do not waste your time and save yourself some MAJOR yikes!!!

Anyways - New York is great. I really love it and while I might be doing just some “normal person stuff” and not all the touristy Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ellis Island type thing, it’s nice to just be in the city that I love so much !! Also walking everywhere is super nice!

Here is Izzy’s recap: “F***. *silent pause* We just did work today. Chill. The Bachelor sucks. That’s it”