New York. I had only ever dreamed of such a place. I’d only seen it the movies of a small-town girl with enormous dreams and so she travels to the Big Apple, and so on and so forth. I had never thought that it would be me. Born and raised in sunny San Diego, California, the sparkling yet dirty streets of my city were all I knew. I had small dreams. I never thought I’d make it to high school, let alone college. Throughout my high school years, I had found a passion for theatre. I’ve always had this passion, but with the help of my chorus classes and musicals, I discovered an even deeper love for it. As a theatre lover, my college desire was to go to the greatest- Juilliard.
With all the planning for my big Juilliard dreams came the realization that I had no way to get there. Money was tight, and plane tickets were expensive. Through much prayer, and loving hearts I was able to get to New York with my family for only $90 on a bus. My excitement and anxiety were spiked up from then on. I knew my monologues like the back of my hand. I even had backup monologues just in case. We arrived in New York at about 5 in the morning. New York was stunning, even in the darkness of dawn. The lights, the people, the air was still buzzing. New York is indeed the city that never sleeps. One thing about New York that was a hard hitter as well, it was dead cold. We were there at the end of January. It was at its peak of winter. The air was brisk, and through the fog of my breath I could see the tallest buildings and the brightest lights.
After my Juilliard audition (I didn’t get in), we traveled through the city just for the sights. My family and I ate lunch at a very big McDonald’s restaurant. I went to a thrift store and acquired a couple gem items from my craft of thrifting. I didn’t get to see the Statue of Liberty, though I wanted to. The whole energy of New York yanked at my soul. I knew that despite my disappointing audition result, I was destined to learn and inevitably perform in New York.
Throughout all my high school years, I have loved the idea of New York, and when I had finally gotten a taste of it, I’ll never let it go. The whole aesthetic of New York is indescribable, unexplainable and quite contagious. I am a fashion child, and I love the originality of New York. As we walked around the city and through the subway, I saw so many forms of self-expression and originality and self-love and acceptance, it was amazing. All these qualities can be found in my own home, but they are hidden behind prideful ideals and moralities. New York felt like home in the best way. Everything I felt I was missing from my own state, was ideally found in New York.
All my future dreams? New York. My plans of living? New York. My education? New York. Though the education part hasn’t panned out just yet, I do solidly see my future in the big city of New York. Inevitably. I will be in New York; living among the fashionable, open-minded, liberal, free people.
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