Why New York Stole My Heart
It’s been over four months since I first visited New York and I still find myself obsessing with the city - thinking about the week I spent there brings a huge smile on my face, needless to say it was ‘the highlight’ of the recent two-month long trip I took to the US.
My friends tell me I’m always gushing when I so fondly regale them with an account of my time spent in New York so much so that if a distant observer was to look and guess the subject of my conversation, they’d probably say that I’m talking about someone I am romantically crushing on…
I often find myself thinking what exactly is it about New York that I loved and why I couldn’t get over it… Well, it all boils down to how being in New York made me truly feel.
For me, New York was a vibe - it was an overpowering infectious feeling that gripped me right from the moment I landed in the city.
As some people might know, New York is a melting pot of eclectic cultures but what might be less known is that these people are unapologetic about their diverse backgrounds and they proudly wear their diversity like a badge of honour - it’s exactly this acceptance that fuels the fire in their belly to make it big in ‘The Big Apple’ and to not lose themselves in the process. It was this palpable energy that instilled in me a sense of pride in who I was and where I came from…the sense of pride that was perhaps missing ever since I packed my bags and moved outside my home country in search of greener pastures.
As an immigrant living in Australia, the sense of ‘fitting in’ ran so deep within me that I was subliminally trying to hide my intrinsic personality, why? well, because I was embarrassed to stand-out as I was different from the rest - different in the way I looked, the way I talked and the way I thought.
Being in New York helped me flip the lens; all this while, I felt beholden to countries like Australia, the US for giving immigrants like me an opportunity in life - I was truly grateful and I did not want to let Australia down so I was putting my best foot forward every single day, I was trying too hard and being too brutal on myself in the process - it’s like how Indra Nooyi likes to describe her personal experience as an immigrant in the US ‘…my immigrant fear always motivated me to work really hard..’.
While my immigrant fear was serving me more than just motivation, unbeknownst to me, I was losing a bit of myself every day and was often always undermining my contribution to Australia and the (small) difference I was making in its growth. Little realising that countries like Australia, the US are in fact built on immigration and it was immigrants like myself who give their best shot every single day and work harder than the local population because being away from their home country, they couldn’t afford to take things for granted (like the locals). Since we were so integral to the growth of these countries, we should give ourselves due credit and shouldn’t sell ourselves too short. The immigrants in New York already seemed to know this…is that why some don’t even bother to work on their English and cling strongly onto their cultures because it’s supposed to be a two-way street? Locals ought to respect them, their culture, make room for them by giving them the proverbial seat at the table and acknowledge their contribution while the immigrants should feel proud of their heritage and embrace their true selves, that’s when they can truly make a positive contribution to the economy …win-win for all!
For me, this switching of the lens was profound, it empowered me to own my life’s narrative and to realise that the relationship between a country and its immigrants is at worse symbiotic and at best lopsided in favour of the country. There was absolutely no need for immigrants to feel subservient or beholden to the country they immigrate to, in fact the country should feel privileged to have them….to have me.. and this is why I should stay honest and true to myself. This epiphany was profound.
While I was in New York, I finally felt unencumbered and was struck by a strong sense of liberation and it is for this reason the city has stolen my heart and has arguably become one of my favourite cities in the world.
Of course, there are several other things. In fact, there’s something for everyone in NYC - from delicious food to arts and museums to broadways to Wall Street...well, the list is endless.
But no matter who you are, when you are in NYC, I’m sure you too will find liberation and I bet you’ll fit right in.
