What are you doing?

This year for my 19th birthday I planned a 2 week long trip to New York and New jersey for myself, little brother, father, and partner.

It is more like I planned a trip for me and my partner but everyone else wanted to join; this honestly gave me anxiety as I wanted to keep them safe and happy the whole trip. Me and my partner ended up having 4 days together after my father and little brother returned to Atlanta earlier than expected. After that me and my partner moved to a new Air bnb in a brooklyn Bed Stuy, and honestly I was still anxious since the area was so unfamiliar. I caught myself being very afraid because I assumed I was going to be harassed like the night before. But I didn’t want to be stuck in that negative thought during the few days I get to spend with my partner. The sceneray was nice, so I started taking pictures at the subway stop to relieve tension.

I started to realize me and my partner were probably the only tourists in this area. I tried endlessly to seem like a local, yet I could never find the right side of the tracks in the subway so my cover was blown. I saw people going to work, coming home from work, and just living their life confortably while I was letting my anxiety get the best of me. My partner also pointed out to me the jazz music humming below the subway platform which truly set a nice mood. I can’t imagine how many times I have seen a scene in a movie of a perfect rainy New York day with bustling people, street food, buskers, and countless pigeons. I was finally experiencing that in person, but I wasn’t appreciating any of it. Slowly I took some breaths; I felt the Brooklyn air in my lungs. I tried to enjoy it no matter how bad the quality was, because I brought myself here. After this trip my partner would be going over seas for months, and I realized I don’t want to waste any more time being on edge. So since the trains were delayed from weather, we sat back and enjoyed.

People watching was a new concept to my partner but this was the most perfect opportunity. Like our taxi driver once said, “There is no one way to do anything in New York, and that’s why I love it.”. The types of people at the subway all seemed to live with that philosophy. Classy business workers talked into their headpieces next to models with translucent thigh high boots that morning, and probably every morning somewhere in this city. That coexistence it beautiful to see compared to where I am from. I see more why people write love songs for Brooklyn. Including this one pedestrian with bright flaming dread locks while we all waited for the subway. My mood started to elevate. No matter the situation, my partner could only say good things about Brooklyn so far; I wanted to advocate that. Since I am the one who chose the area for our vacation, I need to show the best of it for my partner. This time was more precious than any worry I had for that moment. It could be because it was Brooklyn, or because I was with my partner. But the time I spent in Bed Stuy I will remember forever. Until I traveled, I saw the world as very two dimensional. The longer I live and the more I see however always proves my ideals wrong. You can be safe in an unfamiliar area, you can trust some strangers, And pigeons can live under train tracks.

A simple sentence and a gaze at others perspectives can really put me at peace.

Thank you Brooklyn.