The Difference Is

Day four of my new life here in New York City started off with a delivery of fresh groceries (did you know they deliver your groceries here?? Right to your front door!) and one very cold walk in little flurries of snow. I was finally able to sleep last night; after all of the excitement and stress of packing and moving, sleep was more elusive than the lochness monster. So I took today easy. Managed to find a tiny little cash only grocery store that has the bare minimum of ingredients: lettuce, carrots, ginger, mushrooms, flour, sugar, soda. I have applied for two receptionist jobs and four nanny jobs today. I have heard from one but the employer doesn't seem inclined to employ me.

 I still hear the ferry horn and I love it more each time.

Every time I take Daisy for a walk, I try to discover a new place. A new diner, the Subway with the nice man behind the counter, a man who will cut my hair for thrity-five dollars and give me the scoop on the new restaurants and shows in town, everything is so new and I am learning my surroundings bit by bit.

There are a lot of things I have had to learn in a very short time. How to read a map of the train. How to recognize the stop I'm looking for. How to figure out which way I'm walking. North or South? East or West? How to find items at their stores.

In New York, there is not an H-E-B or a Walmart that carries everything from shampoo to fresh produce to organizing solutions and household appliances. All of these things are in different stores in different places in the city. Not only do I need to plan my route to hit all the stores that are needed, I have to plan what I'm buying in terms of what I can carry for long distances and the bag I will carry these things in. The difference is: I can no longer go on a shopping spree and load up my car to drive it home. I have to be very selective in what I choose to spend money on and that has helped tremendously.

My adventure in the city consisted of a trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, the pet store, and my very first live comedy show (thanks to my new roommate, Nick! Great show, friend!). Bed Bath and Beyond is intimidating in Texas. It is overwhelming in New York. The difference is: Everything is so much more compact. It is sensory overload from the mounds and shelves of inventory to the multitude of accents chattering their way around the displays to the odd smells that accompany a move to a new city.

Petsmart and Petco are rare, they do not exist within the standard strip mall of Burlington, Office Depot, and Ross. So the pet store was independently owned and called something like, "The Pet Shop". The difference is: Everyone just finds a place for their store. Location is key so one jumps at the opportunity for a great location, regardless of space or ease of access.

I rode the Staten Island Ferry for the first time yesterday. It is a gorgeous and peaceful ride. Lady Liberty waves at me each time I pass her by. There is something comforting about the knowledge that she has waved to new comers and residents alike for the last one hundred nineteen years. So calm and stately, robed in that singularly identifiable shade of green, she stands much closer than pictures can capture and represents the new life that America offers to those who visit her. The difference is: I am already American. And yet, I am still beginning a new life, starting anew. The opportunities are limitless and I am the raw material for my own potential.