A little about me…

I hail from the cold north but carry my heritage from the temperate eastern coast of Africa. Many people ask what my parents were thinking when they made their big move. Well, I’ll tell you. As a second-generation American, I have gratefully had so many enriching opportunities to learn and grow beyond their wildest dreams, albeit having to withstand below-zero temperatures (not so grateful for that). I was a precocious child with a love for music, fairytales and language learning, four of them currently in my toolbox. I started studying classical voice at the age of 10 and am still an avid singer.

My favorite movie growing up was 13 Going on 30, starring Jennifer Gardner. Thinking back now, the plot was nearly a prescription for the rest of my adolescence; I was always yearning to experience life and explore the world, beyond the barriers of my suburban upbringing. Some may say that I’d tried to grow up too fast, but I think I did it just right. I knew I had plenty of time to stop and smell the roses, I just wanted to smell them all, and no one could stop me. A prisoner to curiosity, I did exactly that. My adventurous spirit couldn’t be contained in a medium-sized town that I already knew inside-out. So I made other plans. Upon graduating with honors from my alma mater, I prepared to pack up my life and to say goodbye. The adventure continued from there…

I knew very little about living in the nation’s most populous and prized city beyond what I’d seen in movies. My first few trips to the Big Apple were just like that—a movie. I fell in love immediately and every trip always felt too short. Hopping off the plane at LaGuardia Airport, hastily dropping off my bags at my budget hotel in the Lower East Side, I headed straight out to see it. And it. was. unbelievable. Beautiful barrooms with dance floors open all night long, hoards of businesspeople rushing down Fifth Avenue paying little or no mind to all the glamorous window displays of luxury boutiques. Decadent restaurants and unique cuisines you couldn’t find anywhere else. Museums with some of the most renowned works of art in the world hanging on walls that have seen history whilst showcasing it. My first day in the city, I walked the entire High Line. Then spontaneously, I booked a seat at my first ever Broadway show that night—An American in Paris. It was the perfect day. Eliciting a kind of euphoria I never imagined could exist. One that I try to recreate every day that I am blessed to live in the best city on earth.

You see, I believe that there is a little bit of New York in each of us. Cultural richness and diversity, spontaneity and adventure, the magical feeling of not knowing what is going to happen but knowing it’s going to be more than just okay. My intrinsic sense of optimism begets my need for exploration. It’s my most redeemable quality and the more you get to know me, the more you will understand and admire it. When it rains, some say that it pours. I just call it wet sunshine and dance in it anyway, uninhibited. For there is always a reason to smile during the thunder, to laugh through the tears, and to kiss deeply, with no regard to tomorrow’s weather. Come out from under your umbrella and dance with me…if you think you can keep up. ;)

bisoux,

Esmée