“New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American.”
Djuna Barnes
Are you a typical (fill in your nationality)? I saw this quote and editorial of Alexandra Elizabeth for Elle Canada October 2019 in my beloved home city and it reminded me of how New York City is unique. Sometimes, it seems that the 63% of people that live outside their hometowns make at least a short stop in the NYC area. I truly took part in a melting pot experience and met people from so many different ethnicities and backgrounds. The cool thing is that I kept on meeting people with such interesting stories. When I worked there, I met a Latina Jew with a firmly identified with both her religion and ethnicities, an Asian guy from Ohio that wanted to finally live in an area with more Asian Americans, and a trust fund kid who was fervently trying to pave his own way.
I always thought I was somewhat typical as well. I attended a mainstream high school and college that pleased my Asian parents, went on a typical white collar career path, and explored the LES with great satisfaction in my 20s. But, in retrospect, I was only typical perhaps for a New Yorker; I was always pushing a little within my niche and not content to be stagnant. I explored different cuisines and traveled relatively early on in life. Now, I’m not even a typical New Yorker because I’ve lived in a few other places and realize that expat life is a whole other ballgame.
For the most part, I’ve lived in a city of some sort so I’ve been used to meeting many kinds of people since more people are attracted to those areas. Maybe there are actually more atypical Americans than typical ones. But I think it’s a good thing for people to learn about others with such different backgrounds. I’m guilty of actually knowing quite a few Americans here in Asia, but am also glad to have met good friends from a few other countries too. So I’ll keep on living that New York mentality and forge my own, meandering path.
Have a lovely week!
These are gorgeous pictures!!! x