Little girl, big city - Episode 1: Restaurant etiquette, air conditioning and the United Nations.

I’ve been in the Big Apple for almost two weeks now and I’m feeling quite at home. It’s a livable city under the right circumstances and I’m favorable to moving here for a period of time if I end up getting a (very well paid) job after graduation. These 10 weeks are a trial run if you will. 

I’ve not lived in the US for eight years, so there are a few things I’m having to get used to again. Like tipping in restaurants. Waiters in Europe are salaried and the service is included in the price, so tipping isn’t a norm - something I find quite efficient. Of course I want to support waiters everywhere in their pursuit of the American Dream, but it gets hella expensive. It’s a bullet I need to bite unfortunately. Everybody eats out all the time here and I am inclined to follow suit since I’m sharing a minuscule kitchen with four boys, three of them very messy. Needless to say, this doesn’t inspire me to go at it in the culinary department. And so I’ve resigned myself to returning to Sweden destitute and rotund…sigh. 

Another thing I’m reacquainting myself with is the aggressive usage of AC. Within one hour I experience the gamut of temperature variation during my daily commute. It’s a wonder I haven’t gotten sick yet. The air in New York is still heavy with heat and humidity, and by the time I’ve walked the four blocks from my apartment to the subway station, I’m dripping sweat. It gets worse. By the time I’ve descended the stairs into the furnace that is the subway platform, I want to shoot myself. Then I climb onto a train that blasts ice cold air and I have to sit there for 30 minutes as I feel myself growing hypothermic. Then it’s out onto the street to defrost before settling into a chilled office for the day. Uff, it’s a tough life. 

But like I said, New York is a livable city under the right circumstances, and I am learning my way around. It’s not the city of my childhood and I feel like a little girl stepping out into an unexplored yet distantly familiar world. The people around me are stressed, but I’m still excited. 

I attended my first UN event this week. It was a panel discussion on revolutionizing data on women’s leadership in public life. Data collection is not my favorite topic by any means, but I found the tensions and dynamics in this area of development work nonetheless interesting and important to discuss. Besides the fact that the seminar was held during the exact hours I yawn uncontrollably and struggle to stay awake - between 2 and 4 pm every day without fail - I was glad to be there. I mean my goodness, it’s the freaking UN and I’ve dreamt of setting foot in this place for years. 

One thing though: My introverted self hates to mingle. I always cringe when the mediator says it’s time for a coffee break and wouldn’t it be a great time to have a chance to talk and exchange ideas. NO!! Even though I may be bored out of my mind, I’d rather sit in the seminar and not have to interact with any of the strangers in attendance than make small talk during the coffee break. Oh the agony! Oh the discomfort! 

Obviously this is something I must get over if I’m to rule the world. Hmm…