I moved to New York City from a small town in France called Saint-Genis-Pouilly, near the Swiss border. I lived there for eleven years. Every evening, the sun set behind the Jura Mountains, and the green colors of the valley disappeared to give way to the pink, orange, and blue colors announcing that the day …
Category: New York City
One Time and Never Again
One day, on the way to Brooklyn, a blond boy no more than twenty-five years old enters a train car full of people. The train starts to run and he continues standing because there is not much space to sit. In front of me, a young girl with Latin features moves a little to her …
Wicked Snow Storm
Each weekday morning, Monday through Friday, I would wake from my sleep at six o’clock to do my daily routine. I would get in the shower and then have breakfast, which would consist mainly of toast, eggs, milk, and tea. Next, I would wake my daughter, and she would shower, dress, and have breakfast. We …
Suddenly in a Stomach
You don’t realize that suddenly something has taken you in what seems to be the cradle of a huge spoon, transporting you to some new place you never knew existed. At that moment, you don’t know that you’re just another piece of food, and you might not find out; even if someone tells you, you …
Lost in the City, Found in My Dreams
Arriving in New York City from Albania with my eighteen-year-old daughter was like stepping into a whole new world. At fifty, I felt like I was hitting the reset button on life, and the challenge was real; the language was different, and everything seemed unfamiliar. Learning English became a big task, and it’s still my …
The Park of Happiness
Recently, I relocated to New York City. As a child, when I watched movies set in New York, I was not impressed by the magnificence of the skyscrapers, but by the beauty of Central Park. When I began my apartment search, I was unfamiliar with the neighborhoods, but I had two priorities in my mind: …
Four-Legged New York
White, gray, and chocolate; big, small, and medium; many breeds and many mixtures; with jackets, overalls, and colorful shirts, four legs take the streets of the Big Apple at different times of the day. They each have their particular way of walking, some with their owners, others with their walkers or some volunteer friends who …
My Name is Masae ( 正恵), aka Cathy
My name is Masae. I was born and raised in Japan’s Shiga prefecture (next to Kyoto), and I chased my dream to move to New York City seventeen years ago. I didn’t use to like my name. Masae sounds old-fashioned and feels like the color of deep blue, which represents trust and responsibility. As descendants …