Welcome, new home

It's always hard to start a story, especially when this story is about you, and will be the strongest memory of your 6 months abroad.

I've been in NYC for 2 days, after months of job applications, interviews, administrative paperwork, stress.

But why on earth would I want to go to New York for an internship, you would think.

The first answer would be the challenge. I had some opportunities in France, but finding a new job abroad, where no one knows your school either you is another thing.

The second answer is more about getting out of my comfort zone. I moved a lot during the last years, but moving to a different country is nowhere near as easy. You lost your habits, have to deal with a new culture.

I took the plane with all of this in mind. Why would I work so hard to leave everything behind me from family to friends and girlfriend? What was I trying to prove to myself?

The flight didn't give me answer.

Manhattan seen from our rooftop on the first night

A friend was waiting for me at the airport. He has been there for two weeks and had already started working.
The first night, I just felt so lost. It was like I was in someone else mind, life that wasn't mine. It's a very odd feeling. Honestly, in a moment of panic, I could have taken a plane back to Paris. But we make it through the house check-in, ate at a MacDonald's in Brooklyn, and that was it for the first night, lost between overthinking and feeling lost, but full of hope.

Manhattan in the distance

The night was short, but I woke up feeling tired of a short night, but determined. After a rainy morning, my bank account opened, almost all the last paperwork done, it was time for exploration! We spent the evening in Lower Manhattan. It was my first time in Manhattan since I arrived.

A mall they built near the WTC

Everything is gigantic. Paris looks like a country village compared to New York. It was a very calm friday night, probably because of the virus.

Inside of the mall

I was stunned by that mall. Not for the shops, obviously. I felt like I was in a sci-fi movie like 2001 Space Odyssey. It really resonated with me as a show of U.S. strength. "You've tried to challenge our power on our land? Look how much stronger we get up!"

A calm friday night in Lower Manhattan

We spent the end of the night roaming in Manhattan, still unaccustomed to the city's vastness.

Irish Hunger Memorial, commemorating "The Great Hunger"

Heading back to our house in Brooklyn, I just felt the urge to come back and explore a little more what seemed to deserve a lifetime of discovery.