JESSICA

'Fast paced' is often a cliche used to describe New York City. But in a real way I believe it is true. From the beginning, it was a city built upon commerce, with that comes the 'rat race.' I believe the character of the city was and is strongly influenced by this 'struggle.'

I would say it is not always an easy city to live in. More than just working super hard every month to pay your super high rent, it is the pace of the city that is hard to keep up with. From first thing in the morning being shoved into a dirty subway car with a million other people in rush hour traffic with little to no personal space or people jumping into the middle of the street trying to cross when it is still say's, 'DON'T WALK' everyone is getting somewhere important and fast! ..Or at least that's the way they make it feel. And most of the time it's just a momentum that people feel that they have to keep up. I guess that's why New Yorkers have the reputation they do. But mostly I think New Yorker's are really nice people they are just busy with being 'busy.'

For me though, I have always thought of New York as home. My whole family has lived in Brooklyn or Queens since they immigrated from their respective countries over a century ago. I feel like my family has been so influenced by the city that even after moving to New Jersey, about 45 minutes outside New York, I felt my family was different from other suburban families.

Living on my own in New York for the past 5 years I've noticed a lot of people who move to New York and don't stay for a long time, not as their permanent home. I think because they experience a pressure and density of living in the city that was unexpected. But for the people who were born or grew up there have an immense amount of pride and love for their city. And even though I feel like New York is my home, I recently moved to Berlin. I attribute this to a desire for change, exploration and a more relaxed way of life for the time being.