JFK to Dreams: A Welcome Sans Taylor Swift

Turns out "Welcome to New York. It's been waiting for you, welcome to New York, welcome to New York" by Taylor Swift does NOT play in the background when the flight lands at JFK in New York! Neither does "Newwww Yorkkkkkk. Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of." How do I know this? Well, I was on one such flight four days ago and had the first-hand experience of landing with complete silence (except for the sound of seat belts unlocking and overhead cabins opening) while I was still in disbelief. I mean, I had been for the entire hour after the "We'll be landing soon at JFK" announcement because this thing (me coming to New York and watching the city's skyline from the airplane before landing) was actually happening. It wasn't just a dream anymore. Nor was it a Youtube video. It was REAL LIFE. I was grinning but had tears in my eyes. Joy or sadness - unclear. 

Although I wasn't welcomed by the gorgeous voice of Taylor Swift, I was welcomed by a series of (mis) adventures right after landing. I mean, not a surprise really. I was mentally prepared for it but that wasn't enough. After multiple long lines and checks and carrying 100 kgs of luggage across the street to the Lyft (which was somehow, fortunately, booked after many, many attempts), I was ready to head from Queens to Manhattan. Wow! Typing out 'to Manhattan' feels so weird!!!!! 

The next few sentences (as per my plan) were supposed to describe the views of the city that I saw from the car on my way to my to-be apartment, but allergies (NOT EMOTIONS) had other plans. Tears in my eyes, rolling down my cheeks, glasses fogged, mind numb - because of allergies of course - made everything out of the window look blurry. I only remember the color palette - yellow, black, and green. I could not process the fact that I had ACTUALLY traveled for over 30 hours and had come 7783 miles away from my home and was no longer just LOOKING FORWARD to it! I could not comprehend the fact that what was in front of my eyes was not my TV with a recorded drive playing and that I won't be transported back to my home once I turn it off. Funny, how I had seen the same route and its views multiple times, imagining a time when I would be on the said route, but when the time actually came, I could not take it all in. All I could do was "breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out." 

Upon reaching the destination, I was greeted with an empty street and complete silence, something I am not used to since there are always people or dogs on the street back where I am from. Struggled to locate the apartment, managed (with great difficulty) to carry the 100 kg luggage up the stairs, and opened the door to what will be my 'new home.' At 11:30 at night, after more than 30 hours of travel, unpacking is the last thing on anyone's mind. But even after all this tiredness, I couldn't bring myself to sleep. I was overwhelmed. I was jet-lagged. I was in a very weird state of mind. And without the internet or mobile network to help me escape into the virtual world, it all started to sink in. And I didn't know how or what to feel anymore. I was excited, happy, anxious, nervous, scared, worried - all at once. And to postpone dealing with any of those "allergies", I somehow managed to go to sleep for a few hours, with the realization that when I woke up the next day, I will wake up to a whole new life waiting for me - with new challenges, difficulties, and compromises and none of the "homely" comforts. 

All of this happened in the span of just 5 hours of arriving in New York so it's safe to say I'm in for a wild ride. For someone who's never been on a rollercoaster because she is shite scared of them, this one is gonna be a hell of an experience. But she isn't turning back, she's saying "Bring it on!" (feigning confidence in hopes that I'll actually get some of it ><)

~ vee 🗽