little girl, big cities

Week 3 of living in NYC marks the beginning of a settling in of sorts for me. It's the beginning of me settling into a routine. Settling into my new life. I completed my first week at my part time job, went out for the first time since moving here, and made some new friends. Working at a bagel shop, while fast paced and a touch stressful during the morning rush, is fantastic and I considered myself smitten from day one. I get to drink coffee all shift and at the end of the day take home a bagel or two if I'm in the mood for a fresh bagel for breakfast the following day that I also don't need to pay for. And because the majority of the employees speak fluent Spanish, I'm hoping to pick up on at least a little bit, especially since my Spanish, while having studied it for almost 8 years, is embarrassing at best. But my week consisted of so much more than just going to my new job and getting my assignments done. Growing up on Long Island, I would come into the city ...

Affording to live in NYC without subsisting totally on ramen and 5 for $1 bananas from the local fruit vendor and/or begging my parents for extra cash requires some form of steady income. Bearing this in mind, I wandered the streets starting last Tuesday, armed with copies of my resume and an air of desperation which so clearly screamed "hire me!" until someone finally, finally, FINALLY took me up on my offer. So now I am gainfully employed at the local Bagel Boss, where I will be living out the minimum wage dream of constantly smelling warm bagels and coffee all shift long for a few days every week. While job hunting is normally anything but enjoyable, it did give me the opportunity to wander at my leisure rather than being cooped up in the apartment during the days when I had no class to attend. However, as much fun as walking wherever and whenever I wanted was, my feet are aching in the way that makes me just want to curl u...