When my sister, my friend, and I decided to buy flight tickets to New York, I felt a calmness that I knew would soon turn into bold excitement and joy with the stress and uncertainty of the way the trip would go as we planned it as we went along, I didn’t give myself the space to fantasize and actualize the fact that I was going to a place that I always dreamed of. New York was what I thought of when I daydreamed of a better life in my math class, as I sat uninformed and unaware in my private catholic school in the Congo. New York represented the United States. It was what I imagined and pictured when I thought of America. It was always illustrated as inaccessibly lively yet tangibly ordinary in books, films, television shows, and sang about in music. It was the place where many artists, authors, and film directors that I looked up to found their inspiration and created their best work. It was the first place my family and I landed before we continued on to our journey to Michigan. It was and is New York!
All those expectations and realizations of New York only occurred to me as I left and got on my flight back to Michigan. It was a slow yet steady wave of emotions that didn’t overwhelm me, but actually inspired me. Of course, I had the usual exhilaration of going somewhere new as I got on the plane and mentally prepared myself for the well known overwhelming city. That exhilaration wasn’t enough to give me a Paris syndrome-like response as I reverted to the reality that was New York. With the unyielding slap of fusing humid heat and staggering encounters with strangers as I abruptly got out of the taxi in the middle of a busy street, New York became a reality that I accepted unexpectedly swiftly.
Prior to arriving in Manhattan, an idea of adventure and fury elation rose as I talked to a woman informing me that taking the subway was an easy way to get to Manhattan. At first I was obviously unsure and scared. But later, the thought of being in New York filled me with courage and curiosity. Through taking the subway, I believed I would get to know the city in a unique and almost intimate way, as its residents use subways for transportation on a daily basis. That romanticized idea of discovering New York in a new and personal way quickly evaporated as I found myself one hour away from Manhattan with a dead phone and a huge luggage to carry around. From that moment on, I had to recuperate the courage and curiosity that led me to that point in order to get back to my hotel in Manhattan. With large luggage to carry, I found myself in a Korean town-like place filled with grocery stores and restaurants. Every sign was written and titled in Korean while also hosting many different restaurants and food trucks from different cultures ranging from Jamaica to India. In awe and fascination of the various cultures and identities I encountered, I wandered and analyzed a town that I knew I would not have the opportunity of finding if I had taken the simple route to Manhattan.
New York constitutes many triumphs and tribulations that people have experienced over the years to build this fruitful and unique place. A New Yorker can be twenty four years old, but because they’ve lived in New York for three years, they carry with them five lives and sixty years worth of knowledge and experience. Coming from a town that insists on normalcy and routine, finding the courage to outrageously express myself through fashion was simple and effortless. New York is fashion. Through my morning walk to central park with my sister dressed in sportswear, we spotted different looks that were essentially universal and completely diverse. From a well fitted and colorful suit set from Zara styled with strappy heels to a flowy and vintage Love Shack fancy dress paired with classic Alexander Mcqueen white sneakers, New Yorkers inspire and bring excitement to the concept of self expression. They face the world with aggression, rawness, and elegance that cannot be copied. They have lives that keep them on their feet as the city they live in refuses to let them die with placidity.