Bye Bye My Love - Leaving NYC
(Pls play youtube video at the bottom before you start reading. I am hoping to share this moment with you)
Today I spoke to my boss about my decision to leave NYC in June/July 2009 to go back to my home country Korea. It was a tough one, but I really think it's now or never. After coming home around 11pm, I spent the next 30 minutes on my building's rooftop regurgitating the memorable moments, places and people, trying to capture the moment by clicking away my camera of the beautiful city views, feeling the night breeze from Hudson River brushing against my cheeks.
I love NYC and I really think NYC is the best - today, even my facebook "where should you be living" quiz told me NYC was the place for moi! I love everything about NYC, even the:
- super-packed subways at 8:45am
- eurotrash blowing smoke on my freshly washed & blow-dried hair, brand-new white furcoat and just-drycleaned silk dresses (it's indoors dammit!)
- ever so non-committal men who are probably texting/emailing 5 other girls on their blackberries, telling you it's for work
- never-ending 90+hr work weeks (thus the never-diminishing dark circles)
- drunk B&T teenager spilling reddish/pinkish drink all over my brand-new designer sandals
- super hot, rich, skinny girls with all the time in the world to hang out (with similarly hot men) / shop / sleep, making me feel bad about myself
- slow tourists blocking / stopping you for directions when you are running late for a meeting in your 4 inch heels
- and yes, the cab drivers who can not stop fuming about why I shouldn't pay with my own credit card b/c of 5% interchange fee they pay for CC transactions (I give you more tip, ok?).
After all, NYC is the place where I have felt so excited to go to work everyday, even with 4 hours of sleep, at the prospect of what new things I will learn, who smart people I will speak with, what cool deals I will look at (which translates into oh-so-sweet bonus).. In NY, I have sat next to/ said hello to Julian Schnabel (!!!), explored the diverse cultures incl. Purim/Indian Wedding/chinese hotpots, squeezed my wallet just so that I can relax/party in the Hamptons, loved being hollared by truckers, felt alive running in the Central Park (yes, I did like the hot men running shirtless ;-) ), randomly appeared on NYT and Glamour magazine - I am content. Great thing is, every NY'er has a story like this.
So what will I do in Korea? I am hoping to spend some quality time with my family, help my parents launch a health product business, get re-acquainted with my culture, while preparing to come back to US/EUR for bschool.
Meanwhile in NYC (until June 2009), my plan is to try to grab coffee/drinks with as many people as possible, so please allow me to get the first round. :-) (pls scam your way in to getting free coffee/drinks). Also, if I can be helpful with anything, please feel free to reach out to me. I will be there.
