The smoggy air hit me as soon as I stepped out of my car. I grabbed my bags and walked down the busy street. The high altitude of the building peered over me as I felt afraid of how little I was. I came through the gates of the university only to find a multitude of people that I had no acquaintance with. I felt as if I was a freshman walking into a new school, terrified with not knowing anyone or how everyone around me would perceive me. I lived on the opposite side of the country and did not know if my personality would transfer across the distance gap. I was living in a new and terrifying environment and starting my life all over again.
I felt my worries and anxieties drop as I met Filip. The blonde-haired Swede quickly reminded me of a friend that I had back in California. We became good friends quickly on in the program and as I was his friend, my stress and worried attitude quickly went down because his quick outgoing attitude which allowed both of us to make friends very quickly. He introduced me to many people that became my friends, and I soon began to start having fun.
Halfway through the program, the epiphany finally opened my mind and my eyes. I was walking through the crowded streets of Times Squares with my newfound friends that I felt I known forever. Walking from place to place, laughing at the high-socked, cameras-in-hand tourists that were walking in front of us, it seemed that I was becoming part of the city in only a week. It was through that moment in time that the tall building around me soon began to seem smaller and I seemed to enjoy life there.
As soon as the city embraced me, I felt my confidence rising and with it I felt myself growing stronger. I felt as if I was important as I walked down the busy streets and enjoying life. The skyscraping towers were as if they were praising me for finally growing up. I hailed the crazy driver in the mustard colored car and jumped in smoothly. I felt as if I had no boundaries. I finally realized that I could survive in the real world. I was not a kid, and I finally figured out that this city taught me just how I need to live.