RVing Life: Monday - Day 43

My personal journey took me from New York to half way across the country. New York is a fast paced environment, with a lot of people in a rush, a lot of stress and a lot of pressure to be one thing or another. I can still remember the day I announced I was moving to Texas, it seemed very far away to my New York natives. Cowgirl jokes were all the rage. I knew nothing of what lay ahead, but I took a leap a faith and had everything to learn.

I left my New York bubble, the one that molds people to be tough, street smart and fearless. New Yorkers are expected to have judgments and opinions, there are jokes only New Yorkers understand and an undeniable self importance that guarantees success to those who strive for greatness. The saying, ‘If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.” absolutely has an element of truth to it.

If you were not born and grown in New York, you may never know New York the way New Yorkers do. There is a special kind of mindset, and no matter where you meet a fellow New Yorker, there is always an instant bond. We understand one another immediately. There are mannerisms, certain looks and nods, that are characteristics of New Yorkers. We can sniff each other out a mile away.

Pull a New Yorker out of New York, and there is an unlearning of the New York way, which can be challenging for some. Life is very different outside of the New York bubble. So different, that I found myself relearning many things the minute I ventured out. Today, more than ten years later, with two moves to Texas, two to Florida and one to Georgia under my belt, I have learned we are who we are based on our attitudes and our willingness to adapt to new environments and new people. I work hard on both of these attributes every day. I have also discovered, most people, regardless of where they are from, do not like to venture far from their childhood roots, they stick close to home and expand their families in the most familiar environment they know. Living in my own childhood town until I was twenty-three and deciding to move out of state at twenty-seven, I was simply ready for a change. It was time for something new.

Leaving all my comforts of home forced me to reevaluate everything I was taught in life and also understand how other people think in other parts of our own country. Interesting to me, each state has it’s own personality and it’s own set of values, based on the people who live there. This is why the United States is a fabulous World interest. Americans are so similar, yet so different depending on where they were born. I also have found visiting other states does not compare to the immersion that takes place when you live there with respect to politics, local news, and how people treat one another. There’s level of respect that forms when you share your life and break bread with people you never knew as a child, people who did not grow up thirty minutes from your hometown. It creates a deeper understanding of who we all are as Americans.

I can expand further on this. When we live in another country, this same understanding moves deeper, learning and sharing new cultures and different ideals. I can only hope I get the opportunity to do this eventually in the future. I have friends who live in the UK, Spain, France and Japan. I embrace the idea that who they are at the core has changed, simply due to their own journeys through life.

I currently have had the opportunity to meet people from Canada, France, Germany and many parts of the U.S. while using a campground as my home base. Individuals who come here share many things in common, their love for camping, the beach and travel, regardless of their upbringing. It’s a fascinating environment that I feel privilege to be experiencing at such a young age.

My New York roots have often come in handy to make connections, but I am also aware that I can’t always rely on them. There are times when people hear I’m from New York and their face drops with uncertainty. Everyone does not love New York the way New Yorkers do. I say this with a smile, as my own bubble burst once I left my beloved state. There truly is a fine line between love and hate. People either love or hate New York and New Yorkers. Those of us who didn't grow up in New York, are intrigued and either have longing desire to visit NY or fear it. Those who do visit, often share they could never live there and felt overwhelmed, too much to take in, in such a short time. Occasionally, I meet the adventurous soul who would move to New York in a heartbeat, but have not made the leap of faith just yet. And of course there are all the wonderful people who do move to New York and embrace it and love it making it such a fabulous melting pot of interesting people.

It’s a leap of faith to move from New York. But, no matter where New Yorkers find themselves, you can never take New York out of the New Yorker. I still find myself looking for incredible Pizza and my favorite bagels when I visit my family in New York. I could drink New York City in any day of the week and I get that baseball is a big deal. I can't say I've gone unfulfilled over the last ten years, but I will always appreciate and enjoy my colorful past.