Moteque Magazine

Like the majority of middle class Americans, I was raised in a suburban area with dreams too big for my town. Most of us, as children, experience a sort of disappointment upon grasping the reality of... well, of our reality. Our lives aren't set up to lead us in the direction of living our dreams. Typically, this is an accepted fact and most people move on to settling for the life they have set up for them.... I'm here to tell you the truth. You have the choice. I decided to refuse that so called "fact of life." My theory is - you are in control of where you are and what you are working towards. You have the ultimate choice.

Since I was a child, I dreamed of living in New York City. At the age of 16, my choir director announced plans for taking us all to NY for a spring break trip - My best friend, Tyler, and I basically soared to the front of the room to write our names down on that list. I worked doubles every weekend and every day after school at Chili's to help my parents pay for the trip. When we got to the city, March 6, it was FREEZING cold, completely the opposite of Texas, and I felt right at home. One look at Tyler had me convinced he felt the same way. His eyes were filled with disbelief that we'd actually made it here, together. It was at that moment that we made a pact - we would move here together one day, no matter what happened. That week was the most memorable, eye-opening and exciting 6 days of our entire high school career!

Unfortunately, 2 years later, we grew apart. I graduated early, joined the Navy and lived in California and Hawaii while Tyler continued school for a while in Allen. We didn't really talk much until I broke out of the Navy, unexpectedly, 4 years earlier than my contract required. Upon receipt of my newfound freedom, I decided to take a risk and just do it. I knew no one in the city, and had only $4,500 saved up from the Navy. I called Tyler, told him what my plans were, and he said he would come with me. Within one week of getting out of the Navy and leaving Hawaii, I was in NYC searching for a job and apartment for us.

My experience moving here, thus far, has been much more stressful than I expected. Fortunately, I have met two wonderful people, one being the editor of this magazine, Karin, who have helped me tremendously regarding a place to stay and friendship. I seriously would be out on the streets or at least out 1,000 extra dollars if they weren't helping me!! The first mission I had was to find an apartment. Leon, Karin's boyfriend, is a leasing agent at a Brooklyn real estate company, so that was pretty much set. He found me a great apartment in Bushwick for 2100$ a month, 3 bedrooms. You won't find much cheaper than that anywhere in NYC! The number one concern of most people moving here is safety... and I'm here to tell you, pretty much ANYWHERE in Manhattan is safe, Astoria in Queens is very, very nice, and most places in Brooklyn are great too. The real thing, I found, to be concerned about is commute to the city and, the obvious, quality of what you're getting for what you're spending. Most places require a broker fee + first month’s rent + a deposit (equivalent to first month’s rent) to move in. It adds up pretty quick. 4200$ just to move into my apartment and they didn't even charge a broker's fee!

The second thing I did was find a job, which turned out to be muuuch easier than I expected. When job hunting, always have lots of copies of your resume on hand. Employers here don't just have you fill out applications - even for serving jobs. You ALWAYS ALWAYS give a resume. After you have that all settled, all you really have to do is walk around and look for places you'd like to work, go in, ask if they have any openings, and drop a resume. Simple. I was hired literally 3 times in 2 days after interviewing. Usually, starting wage is around 9$, unless you're serving. In that case, it's about $5.25 (plus tips).

New York City has a pretty bad rep in most places. People who either have only visited here, or never been at all, automatically assume that all the people are unfriendly and keep to themselves, the price of living ensures that no matter how much you make, you'll always be tight on money, and that crime is unavoidable - you're pretty much guaranteed to be stabbed at least at one point in life, if you live here. None of that is wholly true! In my opinion, New Yorkers are some of the friendliest people I've ever met. The only reason it seems like they're inconsiderate and rude is because, on the streets, there are SO MANY PEOPLE, that, if they were to be friendly to everyone, it would take 10x longer to make it to point B, and it would be annoying to deal with everyone in everyone else's way. Just get where you need to be, and THEN be friendly. One on one, they are much more accepting, less judgmental, and more inspiring than the majority of Americans. That's just my opinion, though. You could have a completely different experience, especially if you go in expecting the rep to be true. Your mind will make its own reality! Cost of living, yes, is higher than where you are from. You get paid more, too. It'll be fine. Plus, look how much more fun it is to live here! In the end, you get more for what you're paying for. In some places, yes, there is crime. But, you're actually safer here than in other cities. There are SO many people around all the time, even at late hours in the night - it’s really rare that you will see someone mess with people with that many other people around.

Overall, I am so glad I gave it a shot here. I know that as soon as I settle in, get a solid group of friends, and can stop trying to get my affairs arranged, I'll get to start really getting into a life here. Follow your dreams, guys! It's hard, sometimes, and it can definitely be discouraging, but you can do it!