Hi guys,
It was not always my plan to come to New York after graduating from high school. Actually, I did not even know until the end of April this year and I only started making plans at the beginning of May. Now about three months later I am living in New York City. Figuring out what I was going to do after high school was not easy and today I am going to tell you about it.
In November 2015 I had finally decided where I wanted to go to university after finishing high school. I knew I wanted to study at Amsterdam University College, but my chances of getting were only 20 to 25 percent. In the same week I decided to go to another school to make sure I would graduate. I knew I was not going to be able to submit my application early, but when the regular deadline came closer I started freaking out. In January I decided I was going to take a gap year to focus on myself and apply to AUC next year.
I have always wanted to travel the world, so a gap year would be the perfect opportunity. I was thinking about going to going to all these amazing places in Africa or Asia and maybe do some voluntary work there. But I was so scared that I kind of froze and did not start making any plans. Now I know I was not ready to take on such an adventure. In April I started talking about the United Stated with a classmate of mine. That was when I knew that I was going to do everything to find a way to live in America for a few months.
A few years ago I went to the States with my family and loved it. Talking to my classmate reminded me of that. Now I only had to figure out what I was going to do and in which city I was going to stay. I knew pretty quickly I wanted to live in New York City. That had been my dream for a few years. A YouTuber I admire, Ingrid Nilsen, moved from Los Angeles to New York about two years ago and I knew I could do that too.
Now I only had to find something to do in the Big Apple. I am not exactly sure how I found out about New York Language Center, but when I found it I knew I had found what I was looking for. The requirements for English to get into AUC are very high and I knew that my grades were not going to meet them, so studying English at NYLC would increase my chances of getting into the university I really wanted to go to. That is when I started making plans. I contacted NYLC and everything was set in motion.
Another time I will talk about how that application and visa process went and how I found a place to live. I am excited for all the obstacles I am going to come across when living on my own for the first time and being an ocean away from my friends and family. It might sound weird, but I really want to take this time to find out who I am. Because the only sure thing you have in life is yourself.
Love!
Merel
My Blue Striped Life 