Home away from home

                       

Never in a million years did I ever think I would find myself saying "Gosh! I miss Texas." Yet as the years pass on, I sometimes finding myself doing just that more and more. Growing up in my family, it was a rule that unless you were granted a full ride, you did not go to college in Texas. My Gramme's thing was "you're not coming home every weekend for me to do your laundry! You need to get out and  carve a path for yourself." Needless to say none of us went to school in state... well with the exception of a few who attended law school, and my uncle who went to Rice for basketball. 

I personally found myself all the way up in Rochester, NY at the Eastman School of Music (where my mother also attended). As a result, we all grew up to be strong and independent people, but are still able to appreciate where we came from.

The perfectly planned-out streets of The Woodlands, Texas seem so peaceful to me now in contrast to the city that never sleeps. Seven years ago, those same streets felt confining and fake, as if I was living on a movie set. Now living in New York City and experiencing the stereotypical "starving artist" lifestyle, I can fully appreciate my childhood on a different level. Being a babysitter in NYC shows me a different side of the city. Everything is twice as hard to do and less accessible when you're dealing with a stroller. I had never heard of a "play date" before moving to the city.

For most people who grew up in middle America, playing in the streets and riding your bike to a friend's house was something your parents didn't think twice about. In metropolitan areas, it's a different story. Granted, there are more things to do and places to explore. Everything ends up having to be planned out so meticulously. I don't know how parents do it sometimes.

Luckily, Brooklyn has a more spread out and peaceful feeling to it. It seems to create balance in my life. Things seem to slow down every time I enter my lovely borough. Not all of the streets are tree-lined like back at home, but on long walks with my boyfriend through Williamsburg and Greenpoint, there are more than a fair share. A feeling of peacefulness sets in as I walk through my imperfect tree-lined street. Who knows - one day I might find my way back to some part of Texas. But for now, I'm perfectly happy with my imperfect New York.