Two and a half years ago, I spent three weeks in Manhattan.
Those three weeks changed everything.
It was a small study abroad trip from my university, but it was my first trip away from home for any real length of time. Aside from a few group outings, I had total freedom to go anywhere and do anything. When I returned to Georgia a few weeks later, I was a totally different person.
My idea of constant, round-the-world travel had been building for some time at that point, but when I spent an evening standing on the Empire State Building, watching the sun drop below the horizon and counting as the lights of the city below winked into being, I knew that I wanted to travel more than anything in the world.
I wanted to see the sun set from every shore, to go to places with names I couldn’t pronounce. I wanted to eat strange foods and meet interesting people. I wanted adventure in my life.
During those weeks in New York, I felt different than I ever had before. My energy was nearly unlimited. I could stay up late into the night, partying and dancing with friends, then wake up early the next morning, fling myself into work, and do it all over again. I never felt tired.
That feeling lasted a few weeks after I returned, but I eventually adapted to the more laid back, slower-paced lifestyle of the American south. Even so, the memory of that time has never left.
Many of my peers were ready to leave New York by the time those three weeks came to an end. They’d had their fun, but they were ready to get back to the familiar. I was one of the few who would have stayed there, possibly forever.
All I know is since then, not a day has gone by when I haven’t wished to return to the city. Even here in Vietnam, where I spend my days having fun, working at a job I love, and having the adventure of a lifetime, New York City still calls to me.
Tomorrow, I leave Bien Hoa to live in Saigon for several weeks. During that time, I’ll explore this city more thoroughly; it’s been called the New York of Southeast Asia. I can see why. It’s just as busy, and the amount of activity there is similar. It just doesn’t feel the same.
There are probably multiple reasons for this; in a way, New York City has become such a part of the collective American consciousness because of 9/11, its prevailing presence in popular culture, and a number of other reasons that going there is almost a requirement. It’s the cultural and artistic capital of the entire country.
As Sinatra put it, “If I can make it there, I’m gonna make it anywhere.”
When I visited New York, I kept that lyric in mind. I didn’t just make it in New York, I thrived. And now I’m working harder than ever in order to one day buy my own place there.
Every traveler, I think, has certain places that call to them. After all, there have to be destinations that make them want to get out and see the world — that’s why they hit the road in the first place. For me, those places have always been New York City and Japan.
I’ll arrive in Japan on March 15th. In June, I’ll return to the US for a quick visit home, and then I’m going to Manhattan. Strange as it may sound, I feel like I’m going to visit an old friend whom I haven’t seen for some time.
After that? Well…
The world awaits.
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