1 year living in NYC...

One year of NYC!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! Time has absolutely flown by.
I am so sorry for leaving the blog behind :(:(:(: Life has been maniac and I have never had so many visitors in my life. Our house has become a hostel and I am exhausted. But happy, very happy :):):) It has been an amazing year for us. So much has happened. The biggest news is that we might be moving back to London in June. Hubby's work is transferring him back. I am happy whatever happens...Miss my London and will miss my New York <3
This Sunday we are going to have our first proper holiday since we have moved to NYC.
Jamaica, here we go!!!! So excited :):):)
Me, myself and NYC, I am back!!!!!!!!! I have missed writing her so much as well.
Can't wait to share with you my recent experiences in the city that never sleeps :)

Getting out of our comfort zone...

So true!!!!! It was posted by one of my best friends on her facebook this week. It is how I am feeling in my new life in New York - outside of my comfort zone. I believe it is a common feeling among expats...
My relationship with New York is getting better. I feel more and more like a local and I have stopped thinking about London that much. In the end of the day, it is not just about New York but about what we are learning from it :)
After nearly 8 months, all seems to be going well. Apart from my "9am to 5pm" job I have finally started working as a translator too. So far, so good! It is the sort of job I can take with me wherever we go in the world. Very happy about that!!! I had done a post graduate course in London but for some reason never did anything with it. Now, here I am....Bring it on....Let's see where it takes me to.
You never know where the magic starts if you don't take any risks, do you? Happy to be here!!!!! For me the magic is already happening and I could not be more grateful for having this experience.
Loads of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

London feelings in a New York life

So sad to have spent such a long time far away from the blog :( Life has been just hectic!!! There is hardly time for anything at the moment. The house is a mess, my laundry is so behind, I am exhausted and on top of that we have started preparing to go to London this Friday for 10 days. My brother-in-law is getting married and it will be good to see everyone and catch up. Can't wait to see my sister either!!!!!!

Disclosure

I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about landing in the Old World. I miss it so much!!!!! It will be interesting to go back and see how we feel. Miss having little trips planned all the time...It is the first time since we got married that we do not have tickets bought to go somewhere. Everywhere from London is so close and cheap!!!!!! Besides, in Europe we get so many holidays to do as we wish. Now, we have to split ourselves between England and Brazil to see the families as we do not get many holidays!!! Therefore, there is hardly any days left to think about new adventures in new places :(:(:(:(

I am enjoying life in New York though. Let's see what happens....It is still early days and so many things can change. Everything will be alright!!!!! :):):):):)

Art and Beauty...Inspiring thoughts

I have found this quote at the Strand bookshop. There are quite a few of these messages spread across the shop floor.
Such uplifting and inspiring messages!!!!!

Hope you enjoy as much as I do :):) Nothing like the power of words. It is all in our minds!!!! Art is beautiful and there is so much beauty in Art and in life, do you agree??

Have a great week everyone!!!!!

Love

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Happiness is...So true!!!!

“Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”
― Og Mandino

5 months after....Life in a New York minute

Today we celebrate 5 months living in New York. Sometimes it seems we have been here much longer than that!!! Mainly now I have a job. It is my 3rd week at work and now I do not have time for anything else lol

Everything happens just so quickly in this crazy city. No wonder why we have the New York minute expression :) The New York minute is taken from the general belief that everything in New York moves faster than the rest of the world. According to Johnny Carson, an American television host, it's the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn. So true!!!!!!

Not sure if things happen faster here. All I know is that I am already dreaming about holidays in the middle of nowhere, close to nature, animals and no traffic lights around please!!!!!!

"In a new york minute
Everything can change
In a new york minute
Things can get pretty strange
In a new york minute
Everything can change
In a new york minute"

"New York Minute" by The Eagles

 

 

Working in New York - so exciting!!!!!

My first week working in New York was so happy and surreal at the same time. I am lucky enough to be able to walk to work and to work one block away from the Chrysler building. 

I am still amazed and in shock!!!!! It seems I am in a movie with all that craziness and yellow taxis around :) 

The Chrysler building is my favorite building in the whole New York. Can't get bored of looking at it. It was the tallest building in the world for 11 months, when it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. Now, it is New York's 4th tallest sky scrapper alongside the new New York Times Building (By Renzo Piano), on the 8th Avenue (between 40th and 41st).

I love the Chrysler's building Art Deco style and its elegant lines. Every time I go for my lunch break I keep looking up!!!!! Just to stare at it :) Awesome!!!!

Feeling very, very grateful and happy!!!!! 

Life in New York has truly began and I like it!!!!!!!

Phrase of the day :)

What goes around comes around and the more you give the more you get :):)

Beautiful day in NYC!!!!!! Have a lovely week everyone

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Life in NYC is truly beginning....Inspiring thoughts :)

Couldn't agree more ;-) Sometimes we have to shake it up and go for it. Everything is possible!!!

I did get out of my comfort zone and it happened to me. I have a job in NYC!!!!!! So happy :):):):) Now, I can say my life in NYC is truly beginning. Very excited with this new challenge. So happy to say bye to my housewife days. After nearly 7 months, I am ready to focus on my career again.

Couldn't have made it without the support of my dear friends and family. Thank you very much people!!!!! Love you all so much <3

Fingers crossed it will all go well. Happy Easter everyone!!!!!!

Loads of love xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Phrase of the day :)

Life has been so hectic this week that I haven't had time to write here :( But it is all for a good reason though. I have been interviewing and full of hope I will get my dream job in New York. Fingers crossed!!!!!I am very happy and feeling very positive!!!!!!! Hope I will have good news to share with you very soon.

In the meantime:

Have a lovely day!!!!

Love

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Those expat feelings...Nathaniel Hawthorne

Talking about life as an expat reminded me of this beautiful text written by the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne in the book "The Marble Faun". I came across this text for the first time in 1997, when I went to my first overseas experience in London. Back then, I was sixteen and went to England to do my A-Levels (the British equivalent to America's high school). OMG!!!! It was yesterday lol

"The years, after all, have a kind of emptiness, when we spend too many of them on
a foreign shore. We defer the reality of life, in such cases, until a
future moment, when we shall again breathe our native air; but, by and
by, there are no future moments; or, if we do return, we find that the
native air has lost its invigorating quality, and that life has
shifted its reality to the spot where we have deemed ourselves only
temporary residents. Thus, between two countries, we have none at all,
or only that little space of either in which we finally lay down our
discontented bones. It is wise, therefore, to come back betimes, or
never."

Bear in mind this text was written in 1860....One wonders nowadays how some expats feel with families becoming more and more international and the world becoming smaller and smaller? :) It is indeed a roller coaster journey, full of different feelings. It makes me feel so alive though!!!!

I like thinking that home is where your heart is as well. And I try to keep mine in the present. And the present for me at the moment is in New York. It is very hard being away from family. But sometimes I feel closer to my family being far away. Does it make any sense? 

I know things can change tomorrow. But tomorrow is another day, isn't it? 

By the way, I am so happy to be part of the Expat Women community. The stories are so beautiful and inspiring!!! I will have to dedicate a post to talk about this amazing community I have become part of. Thank you lovely ladies for sharing such amazing stories with us :) Definitely worth a visit if you have not been there yet.

 Have a lovely Saturday!!! xxxxxx

 

An expat's life...Chapter 1

The only thing I have always known about my life is that I would like to be part of the world and not stuck in the same place all my life. Same places, same people, same chats, no!!! Thank you very much...During the long chats I have with my sister, who lives in London, and with some of my expat friends, we wonder, why we feel so attracted to this life outside our country of birth.

Do not get me wrong. I love being Brazilian - I do not wish I had been born anywhere else in the world. But I also love having my heart set in the world - and my heart is part Londoner. Probably in the future will be a bit American and maybe who knows later on Asian, African!!! lol In the end, I believe we become a product of many places.

Maybe it is a reflection of our upbringing as we never really had strong roots. My dad was born in one state in Brazil (Sao Paulo), my mother was born completely on the other side of the country (Rondonia). Somehow, in this crazy life, they met, got married and moved on to another life in Recife where I spent late childhood, most of my teen years and early 20s.

In a way, my parents have always encouraged us to travel from a very early age. They could have gone by themselves, but holidays for them were never the same without us :) I am very thankful for that and will always be. Thank you mum and dad for the amazing opportunities. Maybe, that is why I have turned up to be like that. Curious about life outside my comfort zone, curious about different people, cultures, curious about the world we live in. Nothing excites me more than hopping on a plane and arriving in a destination I have never been before.

I do admire though and respect those people who are very happy spending their whole lives in the same place, going on holidays to the same place, meeting the same people all the time, talking about the same things. It is so much easier!!!! lol

But for sure, I know that is not an option for me at all. Mainly now, married to an English man and living in New York. From here, just God knows....Maybe Asia, maybe Mars, maybe England again...
the world is so big!!!!!And thankfully I have found a partner who would like to see it all as much as I do :)

I know I am very lucky to have this amazing opportunities. It was my choice,  no one's else and I could not imagine my life any different. On this road, I have made very special friends  that I could not have met otherwise. Also, living far away from Recife, I still have kept very dear people close to my heart, no matter where I am. I believe in that saying "you do not make friends, you recognize them". Very happy to recognize mine - they know who they are :) Thank you amazing people for being part of my life.

It is not easy getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks, but most of the time they are worth it. If I had not risked moving to London in 2005 for the second time I would not have met my better other half and be here now. Dreams, that is what life is about, following your dreams...When you go after them, they find you. Even if it takes a while :):):)

NYC, here I am living my dream :) What a beautiful night!!!!!!Never seen a sky like that!!! With all these shades of blue :)

Hope you enjoy!

Loads of love xxxxx
 

4 months living in NYC :)

Yesterday we celebrated 4 months living in this amazing city :) I have come to the conclusion the more I walk on these streets, the more I fall in love with New York. It is so exciting to know there is still so much to explore and that we haven't even started...
The celebration was even more special because we had dear friends visiting from the UK. It was one cupcake after the other!!!! Have to write a post about them very soon :)
Very happy to see the blog growing everyday too!!!! It has been read in nearly 40 countries around the world!!!! Thank you very much :) Very happy to share with you all this new period of my life!
Have a great week everyone. Job hunting is my name this week!!!!!

Photo: Sugar Daze cupcakes

Diane Von Furstenberg on NYC :)

I love this video and I love Diane :-) She talks about New York in such an inspiring way.

I walked by the DVF's headquarters at Meatpacking District today and it reminded me about this video my beloved sister sent to me as soon as I knew I was moving to New York.

Hope you enjoy!!!!

Love xxx

Phrase of the day :)

When I was browsing at Strand Bookshop, I have found this quote and felt like sharing it with you :) My apologies for the quality of the photo...;-)

Phrase of the day 2 :):)

It is such a beautiful day here in New York today :):) Feeling very inspired and like sharing positive vibes!!!!! Something I have read @ MoMA yesterday:

Have a lovely day and weekend everyone!

Love xxx

Things to do in New York when you are very bored and tired of waiting for your EAD....

I am so bored!!!!!! And waiting...Waiting for my bloody EAD in order to start job hunting :( It has been exactly 75 days I have applied for it and still waiting...I was thinking about going for a wander today, but felt so lazy to go on my own. To feel better I have started researching things to do with my hubby during the weekend. The first thing I read when I opened the book was:

"If you're bored in New York, it's your own fault." - Myrna Loy

Yes, maybe it is!!!! lol Anyways, to make me feel better, I have decided to sketch a plan of places to go following some guide books advice (not the wisest as I am one for avoiding the very touristic places...). My parents-in-law are visiting us next week from England, maybe I can use some of these tips myself. Not sure as it isn't their first time in New York and and I am sure they have done most of it as well lol Anyways, here we go:

1. Empire State Building - Have been there a long time ago and look at it the whole day from my window!!!! Why I would I want to go there??? lol I love looking at it every day to find out which colour it will be in the evening. It is amazing to think it was the tallest building in the world until 1970 and 1072, when the Twin Towers were built. I love the movie Affair to Remember as well. It was on TV last week :)
2. Central Park: Have been there so many times recently!!!!! What else can I do in the park during the winter??? Maybe I should go for a run there?? Possibly...
3. Ice skating at Rockefeller Centre: Not sure if my parents-in-law would be keen on that. Maybe I can take them for a stroll around the rink :)
4. American Museum of Natural History: I think it is a pretty museum from outside and certainly has great stuff inside. But paying $19 admission fee ?? :(:( The Hayden Planetarium is supposed to be amazing though. Maybe...Again, you would have to pay $19 ...Or you could buy the ticket package to the Museum and Rose Center for Earth and Space plus all special exhibitions, IMAX films, and the Hayden Planetarium Space Show for $33. Sounds so expensive!!!!! Sometime I have to forget about how things work in London, where most museums are free ;-)
5.  Frick Museum: This Museum is definitely on my list!!!!! Have heard lovely things about it. The collection is made mostly of European art. Again $18 dollars to get in...
6. Lincoln Center: I love this complex of beautiful buildings and would love to go to opera or to the ballet there one day. It is New York's centrepiece for performing arts, having as residents 12 companies such as the New York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. Can't wait to go there in the summer when dance bands perform in the central Josie Robertson Plaza as part of the center's Midsummer Night Swing series. It is worthy going there as well to see Marc Chagall murals Source of Music and Triumph of Music hanging behind the Opera's facade. The library in the complex is great as well :) I will definitely take them there and will try to learn more about it. 
7. Metropolitan Museum of Art: It is a beautiful place to visit and there is always so much going on. Another good choice! :)
8. Museum of Modern Art: I have been there a long time ago. Actually, it was before the refurbishment. It is on my list as well. Apparently it is free admission on Fridays between 4pm and 8pm. There is a very interesting exhibition with Diego Rivera's murals. 
9. Time Square/42nd Street: I can see it from my window and walk around the area at least 2 times per week lol I will give it a miss for the moment!!! 
10. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: The access to the pedestal and crown of the Statue of Liberty is currently unavailable due to renovations. Might have to stick to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum :)

Yes, If I am bored it is my fault!!!!!!!! I will make these lists just to make me feel guilty and stop saying I am bored!!!! :):):) 

Things I miss about London living in New York :(

As I have said, I have been very lucky to have the experience to live in the two capitals of the world. Thank God, I am loving this new challenge and life in New York. Nevertheless, after 8 years in London, there are things I do miss about this amazing city. And I am sure, when we eventually leave New York, I will have a list with things I will miss here :). The thing I definitely do not miss is the English weather lol

• Family and friends are on top of my list :):) Mainly my beloved sister who lives in London.
• The markets such as Brick Lane, Portobello, Covent Garden, Borough, Spitafields and Camden Town.
• The high street shops, the British quirkiness, sense of humour and low key behaviour! 
• The fact most museums are free. Here in NYC you have to pay a fortune to get in :( Apparently you can go to MoMa on Fridays for free between 4pm and 8pm though.
• It is so easy and cheap to travel everywhere from London. in 2 hours you are in the centre of Paris or Spain. In 4 hours in Turkey or Greece :)
• Sunday Roasts
• The amount of different parks and palaces around London
• I miss Wimbledon!!! When I met my husband he already lived there and we lived there together for the last 4 years :)
• The prices for everything. I am finding NYC quite expensive apart from transport comparing to London
• The architecture - London is just so beautiful!!!! The architecture matches if it makes any sense lol
• I still think London has a more international feeling than NYC. It seems more cosmopolitan than New York to me.
• Mind the Gap! The tube is so clean and luxurious comparing to the one here lol On the other hand, just works till 12/1am whereas the one in New York is 24 hours.
• The Stylist Magazine (given away for free every Tuesday! lol       
• Chocolate weetabix - can I find it in New York??? Help please!!!!
• M&S goodies
• The banking system 
• The Boris bikes :)   
• The red double decker buses
• The pubs!!!!! 
• How cheaper it is to go to the theater in London. Broadway shows are so expensive!!!!

Things I love about living in New York :)

It has been nearly 3 months since we settled in Manhattan and I already have started my list of things I love about this amazing city. I know this list will change many times with time and each new discovery. It is always good to start at some point though. Here we go:

• Amount and diversity of restaurants/cuisine/street food/diners, etc. Even If I lived here all my life, I am sure I would not experience a fair amount of what New York has to offer in terms of food. Also, I love the fact there are still so many independent and tiny places to eat comparing to London where most places belong to chains.
• The Brunch experience. One of my favourites!!!!! If I could I would go out for brunch everyday :):) So far, I have been to incredible places and can't wait to explore even more. I have a crush on French Toasts lol 
• Cheap transport (subway and taxis)
• The city's energy 
• The amazing skyline - can't get enough of looking out of my window and facing the Empire State, The Chrysler Building, The New York Times building (the new one), etc. Have to find out more about other buildings too.
• The weather. I know I have been very lucky as this winter so far has been quite mild. However, I love the constant sunshine and blue sky. It is nearly 5pm now and the sun is still shining outside :):) It still feels weird wearing sunglasses during winter. In London, I hardly wore them during summer lol
• People have been so fantastic and friendly! On the other hand, they get annoyed easier here lol Coming from London where people say sorry all the time when they stumble on you even if it wasn't their fault is a big change. Have seen quite a few heated arguments because of that lol
• It is easier to live. Everything is 24 hours and all is possible. In the shops you find things you would never thought would exist!!! New Yorkers seem to be very spoiled by services available.  I think I will get spoiled too!!!
• Diversity of shops in areas such as Lower East Side, East Village, West Village, Nolita, Bowery, Noho, Soho and the list goes on. I do miss the British high streets and flea markets though. People are much more stylish and eccentric on the other side of the pond. I have the impression, fashion here is much more commercial. 
• Trader Joe's
• Eataly - I take everyone there :):) Love it!!!!
• Meatpacking District - I like the vibe of the place
• Chelsea Market - have to go to all those food stalls!!!!
• Nolita, Lower East Side, Gramercy, Bowery and Soho somehow remind me of London. 
• The boat trip to Ikea lol 
• Central Park
• Oh, the burgers and cupcakes :):) Hummmmmmmm - very worried with my waistline at the moment! lol
• The High Line (what a wicked idea!!!!). Love the fact it is 5 minutes away from my flat.
• The roof decks - so looking forward to summer to enjoy them properly. 

Can't wait to start making friends as well :):)  I am sure this list will have part 2, 3, 4,5, 6,7,8, 9, etc as time goes on ;-) We have to start exploringon other areas as well such as Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and State Island. Can't wait!!!!

London & New York City - cities made of big dreams

No doubt New York has a very different energy. All the lights, the skyscrapers, the restlessness, but above all, what makes big cities such as London and New York so special are the people. One of the best descriptions I have found whilst researching about the city was written by the American writer E.B White on his book Here is New York:

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter--the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these trembling cities the greatest is the last--the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion. And whether it is a farmer arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbours, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference: each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh yes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company..."

I love this excerpt and identify myself with the third group :) Still not sure what I am after, but I am sure I will find out at some point. Moving to London was a sort of quest as well. There I found out about myself, my other better half and the sort of person I would like to become.  As I said before, feeling part of the world was always my goal. Here I am in another completely different situation, following my husband's steps. In London I found love and about myself, here in NY I do not have a clue. Honestly, if someone had said 1 year and half ago that I would be moving to America, I would have laughed. Life is absolutely crazy!!! That is why it is so fascinating at the same time :)

In the meantime, while I try to work out what to do here I day dream, write and feel blessed for the opportunity to be living in this amazing city.  

Must confess sometimes I walk around with my ipod very lound listening to Empire State of Mind lol It does feel good and I sing along!!!! #crazyandhappymoments :)