Firsts

My mind races all day everyday and there are only a few things that can ameliorate this situation. I'm plagued by the uncertainties of a new beginning. Is change always good? No, not always, and i have been led to question my decision to move to the USA. But the more i think about it the more, i realize that i am driven by the urge to prove naysayers wrong.

Friends and even some family members don't seem to believe in me... but i'm a man of few words and one that always keeps his word. I made a promise to myself to make this work no matter what. But still, i am in a quandary. The swarm of ideas and insights that people are giving me taint my own ideas that lead me to begin this saga of my life. "Do this, do that, go here, go there," they say, shrouding my own intentions. But at the end of the day i run the show, and i will make the decisions.

There are some small things i am beginning to realize.  Imagine having a brother for 23 years that you seldomly interacted with. Then imagine that this brother is thrusted into your life after all that time. Talking about everything from girls to credit scores, It's almost like making a best friend in less than two months. It's all a new feeling to me. But it's a great feeling to have someone not far off from your age to give you pointers on life. Scotto big up yourself.

Since we're on new feelings, I should address me and writing. It's a newly found outlet for me to express feelings and slow the wheels of my mind. It wasn't prescribed by any physician but words have become my medicine. Calming, soothing, mellow. I like it. I decided i was going to make a book in my lifetime. "Out of many 1" Jamaicans will understand the relevance of that title as it stems from the country's motto "out of many one people". That's what writing is doing for me. 

There have been new acquaintances an old ones that have been rekindled. Someone told me that they respected that fact that I didn't judge a homosexual individual whom I had known in Jamaica. I didn't know he was gay now, but the revelation hasn't changed how I view the person. And I must say I respect the fact that he understands the unspoken boundaries. Having openly homosexual friends is taboo in Jamaica, but in New York i have made two. They are people, just different people. And at the end of the day, everyone is different...

City Lights

Work Life

Work, work, work. A job is necessary to provide oneself with income which can be used to assuage the needs of life. Thats why i came to this country, to find that job that would provide me with personal and professional growth while soothing my wallet's appetite. I wont lie, its hard to find a job in Jamaica where i'm coming from, but in New York its a whole new game. Jobs are equally, if not harder, to find in the Big Apple. However, there are a plethora of available jobs in the state. TD Bank, PNC, super markets, Regus, and Reuters, you name the company and their HR department probably has my resume on record.

Within a month of moving to the city i landed a job as a executive management trainee at The Alta Vista group. Sounds nice huh? But it wasn't as sweet as it sounded... This job focused on person to person marketing to raise funds for one of Alta Vista's commissioners, Children International. Everyday i would visit a new territory and solicit sponsors for children living in poverty stricken countries around the world.

I started this job on September 11th, a significant day in US history for obvious reasons, and at the end of that day my feet ached from excessive power walking. But i'm not one to complain so i trudged on and was present on day two. After the first week i got accustomed to being on my feet for 10 hours and  looking back, i guess my bulging calves could be attributed to this job and the daily cardio that it provided me with. I wanted to leave from day one, but helping kids was something that appealed to me. I have been helping less fortunate children voluntarily, so why not do it for a living? The environment at the office also contributed to my staying on board. I was working with the most diverse set of coworkers in my life. Mexicans, Africans, Ecuadorians, Hondurans, Italians, Spaniards and Trinis (thank god for the Caribbean connection). I was the token Jamaican and everyone loved me because of my accent, swag and personality. I was known as "Yeh Mon" to my coworkers who asked me daily to teach them some new yardie lingo. "Yuzimi!" "Wha gwan!" "Zeen!," and "Likkle more!" where my favorite phrases to teach to the wannabee Jamaicans. I guess Jamaicans are really cool. Thanks Bob.

Working everyday in the streets fueled my knowledge of city even more. Within the first few weeks of employment I had been to Delancy, Astoria, St Albans, Ozone Park, and some other places that I can't remember at the moment. I can't forget to give kudos to my guide; Google Maps! Always ensuring I knew which train, bus and roads to take in order to arrive at my destination. I worried incessantly about getting lost, but nope! Not once was i lost except on one occasion due to an incorrectly inputted address.

The head honchos at the Alta Vista Group informed me that this executive trainee program would pave the way form to run my own marketing office and they sold the dream very well. Not just to me, but to everyne else looking for success. This augmented my reason to stay with the company.

Coercing people to sign up to sponsor a child was not an easy task though. The program had systems that allowed us to go circumvent the objections of potential donors and heighten our chances of getting them to support. However, not everyone was good at soliciting sponsors. I was included in this collection. "Keep a positive attitude" they said, but after pitching for more than a month and only getting a few sponsors, its almost impossible to stay perky. But despite this i did utmost my best to keep smiling and exude a positive attitude at every door i knocked.

With talk of my performance buzzing around i decided it was time to preempt the big wigs and hand in my resignation, and now i'm back on the prowl for a job with my positive attitude in hand.

Several applications have been distributed and my fingers are crossed on all of them...

The First Few Months

I only started writing about my New York adventures a few weeks ago in the notepad on my iPhone and felt that it was something that should have started from day one in Big Apple.

My first entry, which was on the 12 of October, started out something like this...

The move to New York hasn't been bad, but in most cases, there's always room for improvement. the fashion, people, food, and new places to party and have fun have smitten me. There's always something different to do, somewhere different to go and someone interesting to meet. Its kind of like Mario world for me. Everyday I complete a new level and go on to a new world, and in some cases i return to replay a level because it was just that good.

Notably, the new food has gotten to me. Fast food eateries on every corner, street, lane and avenue. As a result of this, I have developed love handles that I have no love for, and gained an inch and a half on my waist. (Me and skinny jeans might not get along in the near future)

 As an avid party-goer, new clubs have been snatching up my interest. so far I have been to club Whip, Slate, Rooftop 760 and Motivo. All of these spots offer such a different ambiance from the smaller clubs in Jamaica. Some had beautiful lights, graffiti on the walls, but all had a great interior design. Out of them all, I would say Slate was my favorite with its urban feel, hip crowd and large bar! However, I cant leave out Rooftop 760 as this club carried back home to Jamaica! The reggae and dancehall beats pulsated with a high energy and the Caribbean crowd definitely makes me reconsider my number one pick.

Another thing that I definitely love is the diversity that I am exposed to while in the city. Walking through the city streets on a day-to-day basis i hear several different languages. Spanish, French, Creole, Russian, German, and other undecipherable dialects. And even even at work! There are Mexicans, Ecuadoreans, Africans, middle easterners, Brazilians, and Hondurans. I won't lie, I have fallen in love with a Honduran beauty while working for the Altavista group. Catalina.... even her name is beautiful.