Living in a new country - when I arrived in New York I had a little voice that said "mhhhh, wait and see" yet, I also had an inexplicable feeling of being brave. I had lived in two foreign countries before, but I felt this was a bit different in an exciting yet cautious way. It wasn't love at first sight, I must be honest, but "the love thing" developed over the course of time. Generally, NYC is a tough city to live in, but I felt up to the challenge, even before I knew what the actual challenges were going to be. I had to push myself to the limit - I can proudly say that I have adjusted well and whenever I leave Manhattan, even to go to another borough, I can't wait to get back to the hustle and bustle and the crowds.

What shocked me upon my arrival to NYC was the apparent brashness of the people, the terrible customer service, the full (make that packed) subways, the flaring tempers and the fast, fast pace of the city. Also, I had to be extremely patient with myself because I was getting lost all of the time. "Take NorthWest or SouthEast as you come out of the subway" seemed to be the popular phrases and that was so different from "take the M1 towards the City or towards Sandton and keep to the left on the Sandton/Pretoria lane, then take the onramp or the offramp...") I had to adjust quickly. I have since discovered that the people in NYC are always willing to help you and that is a breath of fresh air.

Did I mention the cold winter, it was terrible at first, and everyone kept reminding me how lucky I was to have experienced such a "mild" winter. I had lived in Europe before, but never had I experienced such cold in my life. The wind tunnels in Manhattan make it worse! But I survived it (I did spend a full three days in bed because of a terrible flu though :-) and that was a first for me.)

All these factors have made me appreciate the city even more and they have made me grow so much. Whoever coined the phrase "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" was wise indeed. In my heart I am true New Yorker because I have learned to be present and embrace the power of living in the moment! After all, the present is all I have.

Belinda Mapongwana