The Cruise

By what seems to be an unexplainable twist of fate, something almost totally out of my control, I’ve landed safely in the state of New York. But this was all meant to happen. I packed all my boxes to be shipped earlier this week, lived off of a few favorite articles of clothing for about four days, washed my hair every morning knowing it would be the third to last, second to last, final time I would use that specific bottle of shampoo in that specific shower until Christmas. I sent in all applicable immunization records, secured housing, made sure my financial aid was ready for dispersal, thought I was entirely prepared for this situation.

Nothing could prepare me for what was to come.

My neighborhood, Stuyvesant Town, is what I’ve always pictured when I imagine the East Coast: millions of trees, at this time of the year lush with greenery; red brick buildings stretching at least ten stories with windows outlined in forest green, window AC units sticking out against the force of gravity; parks every block; uneven sidewalks riddled with cracks and unhinged bricks; sidewalk farmers markets offering organic selections at reasonable prices; just a few blocks from almost anything you could imagine (great food, groceries, drug stores, convenient stores, bars, liquor stores).

My apartment is more than I could ask for (ask me for photos, but I’ll try to post them on Facebook soon). My room comes equipped with a bed, desk, chair, and dresser, albeit a teeny tiny one. I definitely have enough room for a loveseat at the foot of my bed, and almost love the way that all of my books look comfortable snuggled together on my windowsill and stacked in a tower next to my heater. My living room is seriously enormous, my kitchen fairly quaint (yet loaded with a dishwasher, gas stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator), my bathroom suitable.

If one were to see our toothpastes lined up in the bathroom, one would notice how eclectic my roommates are. I have the expected Sensodine toothpaste with sub-headings in English, Maria’s is whitening toothpaste with Greek text, and Julia’s (pronounced HOO-lee-ah) completes the mix with Spanish lettering. The girl from Greece is a Drama BFA student, the Columbian a Historical Studies major. I couldn’t have asked for a more diverse house. 

Day two is wrapping up, and it's time for shut eye for the first night in a completely made bed. I already have two other entries I'm dying to write, but the jet lag is catching up with me.