Before I moved to New York, I dreamed about it endlessly. I’d watch movies, scroll through photos, and imagine the life I’d build here. Now that I’m living it — balancing school, photography, and chasing opportunities — I’ve learned things no guidebook ever tells you 💌This city won’t hold your hand. No one’s waiting to welcome you, and the sidewalks move too fast for hesitation. You either step in or step aside.You’ll have days when you wonder why you ever wanted this. When rent drains your account, when the subway delays test your patience, when the weight of the city feels too heavy. And yet—there will be a moment, maybe at sunrise on the bridge or in a quiet café where no one knows you, when it all clicks. And you’ll remember exactly why you came.New York doesn’t change you—it introduces you to yourself. The version of you that finds a way, even when everything says you shouldn’t.You don’t “make it” here in one big moment. It happens in the little things: knowing which train car to stand in, catching a stranger’s glance that says “we’re in this together,” realizing the city has somehow softened you and toughened you at the same time.Some days, you’ll swear you’re leaving. But the second you do, you’ll feel it calling you back.Because once you let New York shape you, no other place will ever feel quite the same.Save this. One day, you’ll feel it. ❤️