Welcome to New York
(Written January
2015)
Now,
after spending all that time catching up and posting the remainder of my
travels, I’m writing from yet another ‘home base.’ I’ve been living in New York
City for the past five months, and so far it’s been one of the best decisions
I’ve ever made. It hasn’t been easy, by any means, to live comfortably and
survive here, but it’s been an adventure filled with new opportunities,
experiences, and excitement.
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| Ice Skating field trip in Bryant Park! |
I’m
working as a part time English teacher in Midtown, the area with most of the
‘big stuff’ such as Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Grand Central, Empire
State, etc, in the mornings. My school is an international language center, and
my students come from all over the world to study English in one of the United
States’ most dynamic cities. Imagine how exciting it is for a foreign student,
young and ready to see the world, to come and live in the city they’ve grown up
seeing on television and in movies. They come here, they want to improve their
English, and they want to enjoy New York City. Most of my students are early to
mid-twenties, within the five year range of starting, in the middle of, or
ending their university studies. Most of them want to improve their English for
their jobs or future job potentials, and most of them have studied English in
the past, in their home countries.
Teaching adults has been a wonderful transition after three years of teaching kids. They listen to me, they do what they're supposed to do, they don't try to kick soccer balls in class, they don't crawl under their chairs or out the window, and they don't try to hide behind doors to jump out and scare me. They're the best behaved students I've ever had! What I love most about teaching adults is their willingness to learn. They make me want to do a better job as a teacher, and I strive to create engaging lessons that will interest them and provide practice for what they're learning. Another bonus for me is that most of them do more sightseeing and touring in one month than I've done in five, so I get excellent tips and advice from them about museums, restaurants,
and even bars.
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| Middle School swim |
In the
afternoons I’ve been fortunate enough to make coaching swimming my second job.
When I first imagined coming to New York, my dream was to do some combination
of teaching and coaching, which is exactly what has happened. This past fall, I
coached for a pre-season club team at a private school on the Upper East Side.
Now, I’m coaching for both a middle and a high school team for a different
private school on the Upper East Side. I hadn’t been involved in the sport for
nearly four years, but these schools and athletic facilities gave me a chance
and I’m happily immersing myself back into the smell of chlorine, writing
workouts, and learning how to transition from swimmer to coach.
I’ve
been working with wonderful co-coaches, which has made all the difference, and
we’ve been able to use each other for help and balance, and I’ve seen it as an
opportunity to shadow and learn from more experienced coaches and athletes.
Though the evenings can get late with away meets, and the mornings can get
early with 6 am practice, that’s the life of a swimmer, and I’m happy to be
reliving it on the opposite side. I remember so clearly thinking “I would give
anything to be the coach right now” while swimming an especially tough workout,
and now I have my chance. I wonder how many of my swimmers think the same…
So
that’s enough about me. I’m sure you would love to hear more about New York
City. First, I’d like to draw attention to the title of the post, and mention
that Taylor Swift’s new album 1989 has been playing on repeat in my headphones
ever since I got my hands on it last fall, and her title song about moving to
and living in New York City has become my new anthem. It’s fun, it’s catchy,
and it’s the perfect song for those days when you choose to take the long way
home and walk the extra ten blocks instead of taking the subway. As a bonus, I
got to see her perform it live in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, which I see
as the epitome of my New York experience.
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| Hanging out with Taylor Swift on New Year's Eve |
Present Day, April 2016:
Speaking of Taylor Swift, she just released a live recording
of her 1989 tour concert on Apple Music, which I jumped at the chance to watch
and relive my New York days. I will always associate that album with that city.
New York seems like a dream away, a year later, but I still have flashes of
nostalgia for walking the city streets, being a part of all the rush and
hustle, and even cooking in my tiny apartment kitchen. I’ll be meeting up with
my former New York City roommates this weekend in Boston, and I’m sure we’ll be
reminiscing about “the good old days.”
I will be returning to New York City this June, to coach swimming
for the summer. Although I’ll be away from my soon-to-be husband, the time will
pass by quickly, and he’ll even be able to visit me for a few days up there. I
have another post to come about NYC, so stay tuned!
