Photo Credit: Wikimedia

As I lie recumbent on my comfy sofa, with my fluffy Maltese ensconced on my lap, I look out through my backyard’s glass wall and soak in the suburban glamour. Finally, I have the uninhibited and limitless time to reflect on my influential, cosmopolitan experience in Manhattan. Aside from my first year at Georgetown, my SoHo summer has been the most fast-paced, intense, formative immersion into the real world and life.

When I was first given the opportunity to intern at Haute Living, I considered working at the Miami office. I could stay at home, be with my family and still work for a prominent luxury lifestyle magazine. The possibility of living alone in New York at 19 hadn’t even crossed my mind. Once my aunt found out, she summarily convinced me to break out of my shell and live life to the fullest. Thanks to her positive and forward thinking, and my mother’s unwavering determination to provide me the best in life, I decided in January to spend my summer in the city.

I will admit that I was very reticent at first. Everyone else I knew from high school, and nearly everyone from Georgetown, was planning on staying at home. After all, it was only the first summer in college- fresh out of year one. I knew I was taking a big risk and doing something that was virtually alien to me. Of course, venturing to D.C. for college was a big step, but it was in an organic and structured setting. This was different; I wouldn’t have classes and professors; I wouldn’t have a meal plan; I wouldn’t have my closest confidants and cluster floor mates. For all intents and purposes, I was thrusting myself into the big city life at the ripe age of 19. Somehow, I sagaciously knew it would be worth it.

Interning in New York City this summer was one of my wisest decisions, hands-down. Yes, there were nights when I was plagued by malaise and devastated by homesickness. Yes, there were times when I was harshly hit by the financial realities of the Big Apple. Yes, there were moments when I envied everyone else in their cushy, roomy comfort zone. But more important and everlasting than those fleeting, ephemeral moments of insecurity is my experience. I’m more comfortable in my skin and confident of my abilities than ever before. I know I can take care of myself in one of the toughest cities. I can write, read and interview better than before, especially in a new arena of journalism. I’ve had a taste of my ideal future of Manhattan fashion journalism. Most crucially, I did something new all on my own and made it out alive.

Before I close this post out, I must mention and endlessly thank my family and my editors. Without both of them, I couldn’t boast such a divine experience. Through it all, my family helped me out and supported me; I couldn’t have gone to the city without them  and ultimately, I owe it all to them. The editorial team at Haute Living was equally helpful and nurturing during my ten-week stay. Regardless of their unspeakably busy and stressful schedules, they answered all of my questions, guided me in the right path and molded me to the writer I am today. I legitimately and genuinely could not have asked for a better set of editors or friends.

Although I terribly miss the fabulous, glitzy glamour of Alice + Olivia sample sales, Ladurée macarons and late-night old French film screenings in Washington Square Park, I’m enjoying my Pembroke Pines sojourn. Even more, I look forward to returning to Georgetown and learning more about the world of classic literature and apt rhetoric.

I’ll always cherish my first summer in the city. I’m hopeful for future summers, and eventually, a life in Manhattan. I love you, New York!