Live from New York, it’s another installment of Travel Diaries!

Hey y’all, (I know, living in New York hasn’t stopped me from saying y’all) it’s been about seven weeks of me living here in the city, and I just wanted to update you guys on my journey. Also, in case you couldn’t tell, I updated my website and changed a few things. I would really like your thoughts and opinions on the new look, so please leave a comment down below letting me know the things that you like or don’t like. Thank you!

Now I know that the title of this post may scare you, it may make you think that this post is going to be sad or depressing or negative, but I can guarantee you that this will not be the case. This post is meant to be realistic, candid, and honest, because that’s what I feel like you guys deserve.

This truth is that living in New York is not a constant sitcom episode, and I am not Carrie Bradshaw or Rachel Greene (although truth be told, I sometimes feel like I am 😉 ).
Top: Forever 21  Jeans: Old Navy  Shoes: Forever 21  Purse: TJ Maxx

So as someone who is interning in New York, I don’t get to do a whole lot of adventuring, or as my friend’s call it “prancing.” But when I do have free time, I feel like I am almost expected to do Instagram worthy things, or else what am I even doing here?

This brings me to my first struggle: You feel like you constantly have to be doing something cool or touristy in the city. This really sucks when it comes to wanting to relax and recuperate after a long week of working. But at the same time, if you sit in your apartment and watch Netflix all day, then what are you doing with your life? So here I am trying to find the balance between living my best life in NYC and exploring, while also taking time to myself to relax both mentally and physically. I’ll let you guys know when I’ve achieved that balance.

Another struggle is worrying too much about the perfect social media post. I feel like every time I go out I am constantly worrying about adding things to my Instastories, or my Snapchat Stories, or getting the best “candid” Instagram pic. And I know that posting on social media or sharing your experiences is not necessarily a bad thing, but there seems to be this idea that we attach to things like social media (especially for bloggers) that we have to show the perfect version of ourselves. I am guilty of this as well, but we also tend to put way too much value in things like views and likes. I’m trying this new thing where I just post things that make me happy and not worry about how many likes I am getting or if the picture I post is absolutely perfect. I’m just so sick of thinking a day is ruined because I didn’t get the perfect Instagram picture. I want to do things for the experience first, and the social media posts later.

Now it’s time to get serious. If I’m being honest, New York has been a really lonely experience for me. I know that may shock some of you, and some days are more lonely than others, but when you have several people that all have different schedules, different “cliques,” and want to do different things, you’re bound to feel left out every once in awhile. And for me, it’s a little more than every once in awhile. But never fear, I have found some true friends that have kept me company and help ward off the loneliness. Heck, I’ve even made some new friends. And here’s the best news yet, my mom comes to visit this week! I can not wait to have my best friend with me again. Just think about all the shenanigans we’ll get into up here!

Long story short, I did not write this post so I could throw myself a pity party, or to say that New York is terrible. In fact, I love living here, and I hope I come back for good after graduation. I just felt like you guys deserved to unadulterated truth; my life in New York is far from perfect. But I am making it my home. And those moments when everything just seems to fall into place, and I just know in my soul that this is where I am meant to be, those moments make all of the struggles worth it.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Travel Diaries. Until next time, don’t forget to take some time to relax.

Love, Kendall