Many questioned my move to NYC during the period of a global pandemic but to me it was something that I felt I had to do. Gratefully, things worked out in my favor and I secured a work visa after an arduous application process.
I moved to New York wanting to explore and further my passion for creative direction and brand consulting. Having visited NYC many times prior to deciding to move there, it’s always been my dream to live in this city.
Some nice surprises happened along the way, for example when my dream restaurant reached out to me for a collaboration.
Of course, I faced my share of rejections too, and I had moments when I felt like it was hard for me to fit in as an immigrant and person of color.
I turned 30 this year and celebrated my first pandemic birthday in NYC. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy an excellent dinner at Jungsik, organize a small gathering and video call my closest friends in Singapore.
Anti-Asian hate crime was on the rise in the US at the start of 2021. I collaborated with Native Noodles, a Singaporean owned restaurant in Washington Heights. Together, we created Pochi (pandan mochi) Waffles to raise awareness for the violence that was happening, and 50% of the sale proceeds were donated to the Asian American Federation.
ELLE magazine interviewed me about my experience living here during such a time, and I shared my thoughts over this piece here.
What lessons did New York teach me?
We all know that NYC is one of the hardest cities to live in. In summary, these are a few of my takeaways from living there.
- Resilience.
- Never settle.
- New York will break you but you’ll be better for it.
- Grow, and then leave.
- New York or nowhere
There’s truly no place like New York.
