Promo-Mentors Writing Challenge - My first years in NYC

My most memorable experience were my first two years living in NYC right after college.

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I had met a group of people from New York on my vacation in Costa Rica the year before, and I’d decided to go visit the Big Apple as soon as University was over. It had always been a dream of mine to go there, and it was finally going to become true.

As soon as I landed, I knew that this was going to be my new home. There is something magical about the atmosphere in New York, the distinct smell of the asphalt and trash, the rush, the melting pot of people from all over the world.

I can’t describe the adrenaline boost well enough in words, but I told myself “this is home”.

Upon my arrival, a friend of a friend helped me find a place to live, in a tiny room that just fitted a single sofa bed at an elderly lady’s apartment in Brooklyn Heights. It was a very good neighborhood, and I was lucky to find such a cheap place to live at the time. My roommate Kathy didn’t live with her husband anymore, and was happy to have some company. She was a true New Yorker with a heavy accent (she would say coawffee instead of coffee), and smoked like a chimney. She also loved to drink her white wine while we shared some takeout Chinese on the sofa at night, discussing our days.

Kathy and myself

I was told that “if you make it in New York, you can make it anywhere!”

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So I took the bull by the horns and started looking for a job. Which job didn’t matter, just any job. Anything that would enable me to stay to in New York. I didn’t want to go back to France. My city had become too small for me, and I needed this new adventure. I couldn’t fail. So I started walking my feet bloody, and I mean that quite literally. I walked all day in a pair of slacks that had purchased to look presentable, and covered every street in the center of Manhattan to distribute my resume and hand in applications. My blisters were so bad that I bled through my socks and eventually my suit pants which were beige. I must have knocked on hundreds of doors, from translation companies to all sorts of weird businesses. I even landed in a shady diamond shop on 6th avenue once, where one of the hasidic Jews hired me for a brief translation job. I remember him telling me that I would have to marry someone in order to remain in the States, and I told him “we’ll see about that!”. I won’t lie, on many occasions I felt extremely frustrated and wanted to give up, but I didn’t. I had to travel back to France once or twice just to renew my 3-month tourist visa, but I kept trying.

I scored a bunch of little jobs while I kept looking for a good one: I did some odd modelling gigs, I spent some time experiencing as the "French" nanny for a rich couple who couldn't bother spending time with their kids, to being a hostess / waitress in several restaurants. The most serious one was a non paid internship at a translation company.

Finally, on one of those endless job hunting trips, I knocked on the door of the Luxembourg Mission to the United Nations. I’m from Luxembourg, and thought, maybe my people will be able to use my skills somehow. To my surprise I was called almost immediately for an interview. They talked to me a for a short while and I went home feeling like a million bucks. I had a great feeling about this.

However, the days started passing by and I didn’t hear back from the person who interviewed me. I grew increasingly anxious and decided to send him an email asking for an explanation. To my surprise, my interviewer responded that he didn’t think I really wanted the job because I was overqualified. It turned out that they needed an assistant for the Ambassador, which entailed secretarial work. I didn’t care about the position, I would have agreed to do anything to remain legally in the US, so I told them to please hire me.

They did.

The great thing about New York is bumping into celebrities everywhere

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Some of them include Ice T, R. Kelly and Jay Z who I saw at our regular bars, Richard Belzer from Law & Order SVU who used to walk his dogs on Broadway, Rosalin Sanchez from Devious Maids, Cynthia Nixon from Sex and the City whom I met on the subway and in my regular sushi place, and Paul Giamatti who lived down the street from me in Brooklyn.

They are part of the decor and nobody bothers them.

I finally became a Legal Alien

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Before being hired, I had to justify my presence in the USA at the immigration office in Newark. You know, the regular questions such as "what's the purpose of your visit" and "how long will you remain in the US". I had become suspicious because it was my third trip in a row.

To my great surprise, after I was hired I could use the diplomatic lane and would be greeted with “welcome home” instead. What a contrast with the previous officer who told me that it was the last time they were going to let me in on a tourist visa.

My work experience

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My time with Ambassador H. was not always easy. He was the old fashioned kind, and had very distinct ideas of what a woman’s role should be. On one hand he would get his own coffee (like a true feminist), and on other occasions, he would call me into his office to stitch a hole he found on his sofa. Despite his powerful position, he was pretty helpless when it came to everyday life situations. He didn’t know how to change an ink cartridge on his printer, let alone add paper. Every time I heard my name being called from his office, I ran over wondering what it would be this time. I’m remembering this with a smile as I'm writing this, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mind at all. I grew very attached to the entire staff at the Mission.

The Ambassador

The only negative side, is that the world of the United Nations and Permanent Missions is one of luxury and unnecessary spending. Our ambassador had a driver with a limousine, just so he didn’t have to walk a few blocks. The entire staff had their rent paid for by their government, including school expenses if they had children (this didn’t apply to us assistants!). I was once sent to buy ink by His Excellency, from the company Mont Blanc. As if the brand of the ink ultimately mattered on a piece of paper. It was a huge change for me to be around persons who indulged in such excesses, and were supposed to make this world a better and juster place. I had a hard time reconciling my ideals with the reality, but I can safely say that these 2 years were among the best of my life.

I made great friends while working there, especially among the interns who were mostly my age. We bonded and remain in contact to this date.

me at my office

Being able to enter the United Nations Headquarters with a badge as a member is a tremendous experience. I felt immensely proud, as if I were part of something big. Ambassador H. kindly allowed me to assist in various meetings of my interest, even if it wasn't part of my job description. I wanted to learn everything there was to learn, and was especially interested in Security Council meetings. I was also able to attend Russian lessons during my lunch breaks, all thanks to the generous United Nations package.

in front of the gift of Luxembourg to the UN

I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to experience this world. It’s thanks to this position that I decided to get a Masters Degree in International Relations, because my goal was to come back, but not as an assistant this time. I wanted to be a diplomat and make a difference in this world. That was quite naive of me, but maybe I’ll leave that for another post. It's also thanks to Ambassador H that I was accepted in my Masters Program, and I will always be grateful for his help!

Always in my heart

I still feel nostalgic when I reminisce about my time in New York. I will never forget my years in this concrete jungle, and will always go back to visit my friends. Hopefully I can make a trip again in August or September this year if my finances allow, because it’s been way too long already. In any case, New York, I'll be back!

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