Moving to NYC was a transition. Not only was I a freshman all over again, but there was no one to wake me up, no car rides to school, no home cooked meals, and worst of all I was on crutches because of my torn ACL. I knew that Jay-Z said “and since I made it here, I can make it anywhere” but to crutch around NYC for a month and a half, there was no way I could do it. At that specific time in my life the only line I could relate to from Empire State of Mind was, “city is a pity, half of yaw won’t make it.” Despite my challenge I knew that attending college in New York City was something I always wanted to do, and I wasn’t going to allow for one ligament to stop me from achieving my goals. Everyday that I woke up I made sure I took three things with me; my faith, my book bag, and last but not least my crutches and knee brace, it was my daily routine.
My faith has always been an important part of my life, but during this time in my life I needed it more than ever. After the first night that my mom dropped me off at my dorm, I could not fall asleep ! I knew the city was nothing like New Jersey, but I thought there’s no way in the world someone needs an ambulance every 15 seconds, or that one person could single handedly wake up one street by blasting Rick Ross. I wasn’t home sick, it was just a new environment and I had to be more independent. Without my faith I know that I wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did.
I’m sure we all know that one person who turns their purse into a suitcase or that one person that brings like 10 bags with them when they only need one. Well let me tell you I am that person! It was as if I had turned my book bag into my purse, my wallet, and my lunchbox. I was shocked that I had developed this habit but as I mention it was a part of the transition. The less that I carried the easier it was for me to get around the city with crutches.
The very last thing I made sure to grab everyday was my knee brace and crutches. The most difficult thing about the knee brace was that it took over my entire leg and messed up the other pant leg, specifically near the zipper. One day I went to fix my belt and realized oh crap! I have a hole in my pants! It was then that I knew it was time to get rid of these crutches and buy a new pair of pants.
Although my first month and a half of college was probably one of the worst times of my life, I’ve come to appreciate the struggle. Subway stairs, waking up early, and large amounts of reading all helped me to appreciate where I am today, and that’s college. Had I not come to Baruch I wouldn’t of met some of the amazing people I know today. My roommate Iyana, my teammates Alicea and Sheridan made crutching one of the funniest things ever. Not only were they helpful in helping me to get around but they also gave me the nickname of “broke leg.” Now that I’m back on my feet and used to the loud music at 3am, subways, and dollar pizza I can honestly say that I have an Empire State of Mind.
