Shortly after finishing high school my biddy Anouk Govil and I decided that for our college option, we would make the short trip from Connecticut down to New York city for both educational and of course, cultural purposes. We had both visited NYC before with our families but to live and study there as a student would be an altogether very different experience. It wasn’t the university that shocked us so much, but rather the new way of life and if you are planing on moving to New York, either from Connecticut or elsewhere, here are the things which you should expect to shock your system.
Price
Whether you are a student at university here or simply a worker who is moving here the first thing that is going to hit you pretty hard is the price, of just about everything. Now that I am a couple of years in there are spots where I know that I can go for the cheapest food options for example, but that doesn’t make living here that much cheaper. With this in mind it is always a good idea to check the prices of things before you buy, because some of the stuff here is exorbitant.
Sardines
Whether we like it or not most of us have to travel during rush hour and this provides you with an awful experience which you have to get used to. Rush hour traffic is absolutely horrific and you can expect to be waiting for a very long time to make even the shortest of journeys. I generally travel via the subway and that is also an experience which I probably wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. On the subway during rush hour you will quite literally be packed into the train like sardines in a can and it is both hot and sweaty when you get underground. This is something which is unfortunately unavoidable.
Rudeness
I have learned how to take the locals now but for a very long time I believed that they were some of the rudest people on the planet. When two New Yorkers are having a conversation you would genuinely think that they were about to start punching each other but the fact of the matter is that they are simply having a normal conversation. I guess it comes down to survival because the locals here are very direct, they do not stand on ceremony and manners are not something that you will easily come by. There is no point in trying to be a nice guy here either, or you will get swallowed up by the city, I used to let people have my cabs and try to be a gentleman but all it causes is for you to lose out, sharpen your elbows and leave the manners at home when you live in NYC.
Would you like to live here one day? I promise you that it really isn’t as bad as I have made out, these are just things to watch out for.
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