I started writing this blog post over a month ago, as soon as I got home from my internship this past summer, and then OHMYGODAPPLYINGTOGRADSCHOOL happened. Well, anyways.....
I had the crazy
opportunity of interning at basically my dream job, located in midtown
Manhattan. Out of sheer luck, one of my best friends, Jessica, was also interning in the city (though living in a different place and interning at a different company). Going into this, I knew I was going to experience some awkward
moments; I experience so many in daily life that me and my friends have an
inside joke of saying “TSM” as in “Total Sarah Move”. (We all think we are
hilarious). But awkward moments can also be teaching moments, so here I will
share a few with you.
1.
It is
legitimately necessary to carry half of Duane Reade (the Walgreens of NYC) in
your purse.
Because you never know when you’re going to
be walking through the large metal turnstile in the subway station, casually
minding your own business, when the person behind you is suddenly in a BIG
hurry, and pushes the sharp bottom edge of the turnstile straight into your
ankle. You will inevitably end up hopping on one foot to get out of the way,
trying to make eye contact with the 80-year old culprit who is giving you a
total “sorry not sorry” look. And then you will probably end up on the side of
the street bleeding semi-profusely with no napkin or tissue in your purse, and
you will be SO THANKFUL that you have that band-aid in there that’s half the
size of your face.
2.
Walking
on top of the grates on the sidewalk can help you save time by getting around
people fast, but it’s just not worth it if you’re wearing a dress.
Because do you know what those grates are
for? They let (minimal) oxygen into the subway stations, and every 60 seconds
or so a subway car whizzes by under those grates you’re walking over. And a
subway car whizzing by creates wind, which creates a not-as-classy-as-Marilyn
moment.
(these are screenshots from a video Jessica took of this happening in real-time. Great.)
3.
Coney
Island DOES have a place to wash your feet when you come off of the beach.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that two of the
beach entrances don’t have a spicket. Don’t give up looking and think that that
thing over there that spurts water up into the air at random intervals that
kids play in is your best option. Don’t think that the pools of water that that
fountain leaves behind don’t have total grime in them that will slather your
foot. Because if you do all of the above, you might end up in the most randomly
fancy bathroom with your foot in the sink, which is all fun and games until a)
other people walk in and b) there are no paper towels in the bathroom. You will
look at your best friend who also has her foot in the sink and she will mutter
“our mothers would not be proud of us at this moment”.
4.
Be
prepared for when it rains.
Because you might think you are already
prepared: you have an umbrella, and you even have that new pair of crocs flats your
mom sent you for occasions just like this.
So you might roll up your pants, slip on the crocs, and feel ready to take on
the rainy city when you step into the street to cross and suddenly realize that
those crocs are a solid size too big for you. And you will literally step out
of your shoe in the middle of the street, in the pouring rain, and have to hop
back to get it, whilst the time on the crosswalk blinks in red at you and there
are at least 4 cabs ready to run you over.
5.
When
eating alone, make sure you check your face after you finish to make sure
there’s no bits of food left over.
This is good advice for any person living
anywhere, but is especially important in a city such as NYC, where you are
surrounded by thousands of people at all times and under bright lights. Because
after eating a heavenly nutella-filled croissant you might have to walk through
a park full of people, and wait in the brightly-lit subway station for 20
minutes. And you’re going to feel pretty stupid when you get home to find large
spots of nutella on your face and realize that you must have looked like a
total drunkard when you tripped in the park and suddenly those judging looks
that that couple gave you make sense.
6.
Don’t
believe everything the native-New Yorker interns tell you.
Because as it turns out, Norwegian is not
taught to every kindergartener in NYC private school, brunch IS legal to have
on both Saturday and Sunday, it is NOT commonly accepted by New Yorkers that
mice will run across your bed roughly 3 times a month, and Chipotle did not
start a new “green” initiative in NY where you pay half if you get your burrito
served into your cupped hands. And they will present you with a list at the end
of all of the lies they told, and you will face-palm for believing them.
(the list------------>)
And lastly, when you get home, and you have had your fill of the whataburger and chicfila you haven't had in 3 months and have pet your cats and taken a glorious shower in a bathroom that you don't have to share...
Don't pretend like you don't miss it.
I miss the specialty cookie place down the street from work, and listening to pieces of people's lives on the subway, seeing a new street or part of the city almost every day, my hilarious roommates, weekend walks through the endless central park, and most of all, the wonderful other interns who I spent hundreds of hours with this summer!
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