the past month or so, i’ve been having writers block. not that i’m a writer by any means, but i’ve found it difficult to produce something i felt worthy of sharing. when i write, i like to inspire and share stories that i think people would enjoy to read. i attempted posts here and there but nothing felt real, only forced.

so i thought about how i’ve been feeling, what i’ve been up to, and how my first year in new york has unfolded. i thought about what’s important to me and all in all what makes me happy. the first thing that comes to mind, is friendship.

i’ll start with my time in japan in which i accumulated some great friends. what many international students experience is that our friends come and go. that is something i had to get used, knowing that i may not have a close knit group of friends from kindergarten onwards (like my stepdad for instance had, all of his 15+ buddies from grade 7 still meeting every year for boys weekend). instead, i would have a lot of friends but rather than growing up with them, they are now all scattered around the world. sometimes, lots of the time actually, i find myself craving a group in which i can meet up with or constantly text and be in the same time zone for instance.

having now traveled for work however, i am definitely more appreciative of the fact that no matter where i go i know someone. it really helps you feel at ease going to a country in which you have a friend waiting for your arrival. so i guess theres both good and bad in growing up in an international community and for the most part i am extremely grateful.

now, having left university, a safe community in which you’ll meet probably a lot of your lifetime friends and jetting off to a city in which everyone is doing their own thing, i’ve found it extremely difficult and a lot of the time i’m quite lonely. you would think that with a place like manhattan with just over 1.5 million people, it would be easy to find a stable group of friends. but in new york, everyone is trying to make it some way or the other. whether it be on wall street or in the fashion industry, a majority of the population is locked into their power-walking routine which makes it quite difficult to branch out. another likely reason is the difference between the school and work lifestyle, especially in the fashion industry. in school we are in a comfortable community which makes meeting new friends and sticking together quite effortless. sure you have your fights and whatnot, the inevitableness of young gossiping girls, but you leave with a core group of friends that you know you can always turn to and who you can easily picture catching your bouquet at your wedding.

for new york perhaps i’ll have to try a bit harder to meet new friends. what i have noticed, especially in my industry is that like the international school community, as soon as you meet a cool model who you know could be a great friend, they get a job in paris and you’re staying in new york and you probably won’t see them again. thats one more friend to add to the international community and one local friend lost.

i’m not exactly sure what the point of this post is to be honest. i’m by no means unhappy in new york, it really is the city where dreams are made of. but what i have noticed is how much friendship means to me, so maybe that means i’ll make it here while i can and then return home where i am most comfortable with my crew.

so thank you to my japanese friends who have kept in touch with me through my travels and whatnot and have been there for me no matter what the distance between us. for my toronto friends who were there for me before, during and after my move to japan and new york thank you A BUNCH for keeping me in your thoughts and always picking up the conversation where we left off. for the group i met in university, although a year that went by way too quickly, thank you guys for making it an amazing time that i will surely never forget. and for the friends, although few, that i have met in new york (a surprising amount happening to be canadian) thank you for keeping me sane in a city where i would for sure go crazy without a close companion.

josh and i are both trying to make it in this city and although we’re making our mark in some way or the other, we have both realized the importance of friendship. so come for a visit in new york–we are more than willing to accommodate all of our friends!! and if you know any good spots to meet people, do let us know;)