by SADIA J. CHOUDHURY
Growing up in India I always fantasized about living in America, New York City to be specific. Never in a million years did I imagine that my fantasies would come true. A lot of it felt unreal and difficult but I’m so grateful for this journey. Moving here flipped my life upside down. New York was a place filled with things that I was foreign to. I was curious and a little scared about this new world I was in. Wherever my eyes went there was something new to see. Going to Manhattan which is packed with tall buildings made me feel so small, and it still does. And also the people I would talk to who taught me new words or showed me a part of American culture that I wasn’t aware of excited me.
Moving to New York City has changed me completely as an individual. From my personality to the way I dress, everything. This big change struck me hard in every way like it does to every immigrant in a new city. Even with the lows of this journey, I rose back up with the help of amazing people that I found during my time in New York here who love me and support me unconditionally in every way possible. I’m grateful to live in such a city that is filled with different types of cultures and people which doesn’t make you feel out of place. Also grateful for the opportunities given by the city to its newcomers. I will always be thankful to New York City for what it has done for me and for who it turned me into. I can’t imagine
