Coming back to Vassar after spring break was a bit of a trip. Even though it was only two weeks, it easily felt like an eternity. Was that because I spent the week before in the COVID hotel which made those three solid weeks away from this wonderful beautiful campus feel a tad long? Maybe.
I won’t lie, the break was pretty nice. Taking a solid week and a half to act like school does not exist, only to freak out and panic-write all of your assignments that are weeks late, really has a certain effect on you. I spent most of my time chilling in my home and native land—the one, the only, New York City.
Most native New Yorkers at this school are not hard to miss. Let’s be honest, there are a ton of us. When I first got to college, I was not too hellbent on telling people where I was from just ’cause I didn’t think it was that interesting. I mean…I literally live an hour and a half away from this school. But I slowly found out that was not the case.
What I am about to tell you now is NOT true about most New Yorkers. But there are a select few that tell you within the first 30 seconds of meeting them that they are from the Big Apple. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. I have just never had the energy. I guess my biggest obstacle is that I just don’t think I like New York as much as the average Vassar student.
Do I think that it is a very influential epicenter of art across all disciplines? Yes. Do I think that the population and size of New York are remarkable and you can meet many people from different walks of life within the span of five minutes? Also yes. Is it also filled with a bunch of annoying yuppie influencers who are now flooding the streets that drive me insane and make me never want to go to New York again? Once again, also yes.
Maybe I’m just being a little bit too cynical. Being from the city, it seems that nothing about it excites me and, if anything, I find all of it to be exhausting. However, if I overhear another conversation about how people are just planning on moving to Brooklyn after graduation, my eyes might get stuck from rolling them too much. Can you blame me? After almost 21 years, the “oooo”s and the “ahhh”s have kinda worn off.
Ok, maybe I am being a bit too cynical. Trust me, I wish I could have the experience of going to the big city for the first time and being amazed at all the tall buildings and grungy city streets. I wish I could experience the shock and aww when I walk through time square for the first time and get harassed by a random person dressed up as elmo. But alas, I am a measly little city kid who has stepped foot in real nature no more than 5 times in my life. That is all to say that I am an Urban Studies major and love learning about all urban areas in America… Except for New York. I’m kinda bored with that one.