So my South American adventure is over, but my trip is not. I couldn't deal with the idea of everything just ending with a flight straight back to Oregon. Plus, exploring all those other countries reminded me of how little I've actually seen of my own. So, I flew back to the opposite coast with plans of checking out a few places I've never been in a cross country tour of goodness. First stop, NYC. I've got three things on my to do list: eat a bagel, eat a slice of pizza that I have to fold up, and yell at an infringing cabby as I'm crossing the street, "Hey! I'm walkin here!" If there is still time after that, I will hunt down the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and we will fight crime together.
I figured life would get easier since everything would be in English. Wrong. I found some humor in the fact that my first conversation with someone here was in Spanish. Then, I attempt to decipher the metro system maps. I'm pretty sure I need a cryptic decoder to be successful there. And finally, even though I think the black people here are speaking English, it seems like Spanish, but only in the sense that I can understand just half of what they are saying.
Yes, I now realize that my choice for readjustment back into the states was an interesting one. Just a week ago I was stranded in the Amazon jungle, wielding a machete, doing battle with mosquitoes and crocs, (I do understand just how ineffective a machete is against mosquitoes, but at least I looked hardcore). Then, my first day here, I stumble upon a place called Times Square just two hours after landing. Talk about a mind explosion. From places and people who have nothing, to Times Square where there is such an excess that it is just ridiculous. I was only able to giggle, shake my head, and wander off.
Another thing I was quick to notice involved the girl to guy ratio in my age range. There are a ton of ladies here. Everywhere I go, girls, girls, girls. And when I do see a guy close to my age, he is usually holding hands with another dude. So, I guess whichever team I choose to play for, I'm hitting it out of the park.
So I'm checking out Brooklyn by just strolling around and I soon realize that a poo is on the cusp of needing to happen. Panic sets in. It takes me a while to realize that not only do I not have a hostel I must to retreat to, but that it doesn't matter that I'm far away from the place I'm staying. Public restrooms are abundant here, and even better, they supply their own toilet paper. So I just pop in the closest store, do my thing, and carry on. Afterwards, it takes me several blocks to realize that I totally could have tossed my used TP in the toilet instead of throwing it all in the garbage can. Oops. I suppose this readjustment process could take a while.
Anyway, I love the vibe this city emits. There is just this tangible energy that you can feed off of. It is impossible to run out of things to do, the food is amazing, and the people, in general, are way friendlier than any stereotype would have you believe. This would be a super fun place to live for a couple years. I am definitely putting NYC in my maybe pile.
Next up, our nation's capital. Show me what you got, DC!
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