Wednesday 14 June 2017

Where I've been and where I'm going

                                 New York, New York. A city so nice, they named it twice. 

               
                                                                 Instagram: Nova.York

Obsessed with a city that I have never even been, does in your dreams count?

I have been transported in TV shows to a city that apparently never sleeps, I've googled and saved more pictures of the iconic skyline, I follow every Instagram account that has pictures of this city and of course the obsession with the 90's dream show: Sex and the City where a blond runs around the city buying the most expensive shoes in the world, drinking cosmos every night all the while writing one small column for a news paper. 

Or Friends, where a group of 20 something year old all gather round a cafe during the day not working all the while living in dreamy New York apartments. 


                                                                    Instagram: Rachel Murray

New York is somewhere I have always wanted to go and I am one step closer as I sent off my graduate visa application to Boston to the Irish Immigration Centre last week.  

In the last few months I have been telling people I am moving and most recently I told a customer at work (more on work later...) and he look so flabbergasted that I was planning on moving to a city the other side of the world on my own. "Why?" he asked, to which I responded, "Why not?"

Instagram: Finn Harries

I have been very absent on this platform. I had such high hopes at the beginning of 2017 to keep updated and establish myself a lot more as  a writer, I don't think the word blogger can apply to me but life got in the way and here I am 6 months into 2017 and I haven't ticked too many things off my bucket list.

I no longer work as a journalist *sigh* but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to pursue other dreams. But I think my time in my local paper gave me a lot of insight into myself personally, this blog and my career. You can get lost in wanting to be like every other 'blogger out there' and my time writing about real stories with the paper made me want to create content on this blog with real people and not simply 'here is what I am wearing' etc etc. My short lived, first real job in journalism was the experience that I needed to make me realise that yes, creating content and writing articles and stories about real people and real life subjects is what I do want to do with my work life.

I am back working as a waitress in a hotel and made that choice so I could make more money before the big move. I have to keep repeating to myself that I am not going backwards in life leaving journalism to be a waitress and keep reassuring myself you have to make some sacrifices. If you had told me that this time two years ago I would have my Masters and be moving to New York I would have laughed and then probably cried because it was something I really wanted. Yet here I am making it actually happen. 

The closer September looms around the more excited I get, I am aware how different it is going to be. I won't have the comfort of a 20 minute car journey to my home in Bunninadden, nor will I be able to pop over to one of my best friends house at the drop of a hat. I won't have my dog, parents or nephews or nieces to visit but I need something to shock me out of this comfort. This way of living, because to tell you the gods honest truth: I. Am. Bored. 

Bored of the same conversations, bored of the same scenery, bored of the lack of adventure. 
I want to be thrown into the deep end, because how else do you learn how to swim?

Instagram: Retro Flame

So the man that asked me why, why why why would I want to move to New York? an on my own?
Well I couldn't think of any other place in the world to chase after my dreams (cringe at even writing that). I am aware of how much effort it is going to take. I don't think I will land the dream apartment, job or friends at the drop of the hat. But if I don't take this chance now I never will. 

The majority of my friends are settling down, getting married and having children (yes even at the young age of 25...) and while I am so happy and pleased for them, it is not something I want for myself right now. 

But what if you end up hating it? is a question that keeps popping up in my mind time and time again. While falling on my face, failing and having to return home is something I would not like to happen I am aware that if I did at least I can say I tried.

Instagram: Lcs Closet

So if there is anyone out there who needs an intern for Journalism/PR/communications in New York city and the surrounding area or perhaps needs a new housemate for September, let me know, I'm sound I promise and I have several people who can vouch for this (sineadhealy5@gmail.com.) 


                                                                                  x


                                                    (Shout out to my No.1 reader: MMG)