本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛I would not say the living condition was horrible. But it definitely can’t compare to what I had in Toronto. It was an old building. I lived in the so-called den area in a small apartment. Four adjacent buildings formed a 天井. I could see through the windows into other people’s bedrooms and kitchens as everything was so close by. Two three times a week I was awakened in the middle of the night to a loud noise from the other side of the天井. All married couple knew what it was. Life sucks.
At the corner of my street there was a small restaurant. If you ever saw the TV show Seinfeld, you knew it was it. On the other side of my street, it was a huge church. It was being renovated – that renovation has been going on for decades.
Every morning, I woke up early. I had no kid to feed, no lunch to prepare. I was so not used to this freedom. I was alone at NYC. I would walk through the central park, from the top to the bottom – my office was not very far from the south border of Central Park. The walk was an enjoyable experience, an escape from the tiny apartment. Every time when I passed the Museum of Natural History, I told to myself I was at the heart of the busiest city on earth.
My daily routine was not so exciting. My family was still in Toronto. Before I came down to NYC, I was not so sure of the job, not so sure of the housing, not so sure of the schools. As a preparation, however, I sold or gave away most of my furniture. I was lucky that I did not sell the house. Every other weekend, I would get on a Grey Hound bus and came back home. I could never forget how exciting I was waiting in the terminal for the bus to take me home; and how sad the Sunday night when I was waiting on the other side the route. My realization of my true desire was around that time. Money was no longer what I wanted. Family is.
In the mean time, my wife got an interview from my company. The process looked promising. To make things work, I started planning to bring them over. I looked around and wanted to find a long term place to live. My high school friend rented a small mid town condo for more than $2200 a month. My friend at work rented a town house at Brooklyn for a relatively reasonable price. I took a few weekends going to White Plains. I liked that area – closer than New Jersey and it had a quiet neighborhood. But the affordability was still a problem.
Moreover, I could not fall in love with the city. It has all the funs; it is huge; it has many large scale enterprise networks that I can’t find to design or manage in Canada. But it is not my home. I was never able to connect with the pulse of the city. Like many New Yorkers, my friends were happily single. But I badly needed a home.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
At the corner of my street there was a small restaurant. If you ever saw the TV show Seinfeld, you knew it was it. On the other side of my street, it was a huge church. It was being renovated – that renovation has been going on for decades.
Every morning, I woke up early. I had no kid to feed, no lunch to prepare. I was so not used to this freedom. I was alone at NYC. I would walk through the central park, from the top to the bottom – my office was not very far from the south border of Central Park. The walk was an enjoyable experience, an escape from the tiny apartment. Every time when I passed the Museum of Natural History, I told to myself I was at the heart of the busiest city on earth.
My daily routine was not so exciting. My family was still in Toronto. Before I came down to NYC, I was not so sure of the job, not so sure of the housing, not so sure of the schools. As a preparation, however, I sold or gave away most of my furniture. I was lucky that I did not sell the house. Every other weekend, I would get on a Grey Hound bus and came back home. I could never forget how exciting I was waiting in the terminal for the bus to take me home; and how sad the Sunday night when I was waiting on the other side the route. My realization of my true desire was around that time. Money was no longer what I wanted. Family is.
In the mean time, my wife got an interview from my company. The process looked promising. To make things work, I started planning to bring them over. I looked around and wanted to find a long term place to live. My high school friend rented a small mid town condo for more than $2200 a month. My friend at work rented a town house at Brooklyn for a relatively reasonable price. I took a few weekends going to White Plains. I liked that area – closer than New Jersey and it had a quiet neighborhood. But the affordability was still a problem.
Moreover, I could not fall in love with the city. It has all the funs; it is huge; it has many large scale enterprise networks that I can’t find to design or manage in Canada. But it is not my home. I was never able to connect with the pulse of the city. Like many New Yorkers, my friends were happily single. But I badly needed a home.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net