Moving from Memphis

Jessica, from Memphis, Tennessee, was recently elected to be the president of her house at The King’s College. We sat down to chat earlier this week about her life as a Southerner of New York! Check out my interview with Jess below!!

What is your favorite part of being southern?

"The weather, it’s so warm. But at the same time it’s super humid so it has its ups and downs. I love the good ol’ southern cooking… all of the butter.”

When did you move to New York and why did you decide to leave the south?

“Almost 2 years ago. I knew that I wanted to leave the south, and I knew I wanted to go to a big city. I really wanted to go to a place where I felt like I could start over. Where no one knew my whole family history, nothing about me. Memphis isn’t small, but it’s very much a small town vibe.”

Is there anything that you do in the city or places you go that remind you of the south?

"When Chickfila opened and everyone was like “my pleasure” it reminded me of the south. The cool thing about the south is how you address people, like Mr. or Mrs. Going to diners reminds me of home because of the food. I went to a BBQ festival this past summer and there was a Memphis stand. I went and ate a bunch of it, and I felt like I was at home.”

What does New York have that the south doesn’t?

“It’s so much more open minded. There’s more curiosity here. When you learn someone else thinks differently here you want to learn more. The big thing for me is concerts. Here I can go to a concert for like 7 bucks or 12 bucks. I love being able to see the bands I listen to in a small space and meet them after the show. New York has so many kinds of food. I had never had Korean food before I moved here but now it’s one of my favorites.”

What do you miss most about the south?

“I’m a big nature person. I love doing outdoorsy things. I love canoeing, hiking, going outdoors with friends. I’m also a very extraverted person, but I need alone time. It’s very hard to come by here. You can find it if you look for it, but trying to find that time is something you have to schedule into your life. I miss the ease of having a car… I miss driving. Driving was my alone time. I would turn up my music and just drive. I mean here I can put in headphones but I would feel weird just screaming the lyrics on the street.”

Do you think that you will ever move back to the south?

"I think it was a really good place to grow up. I never thought the same way as people from home. I was a lot more curious about other cultures. When I came here, within the first semester, it was the first place I felt like I belonged. I don’t think I will stay in the city forever, but I really love the culture here.”

Southern Living v. NYC Living

As you can imagine, living in the city is very different than living in the south. New York apartments are a big adjustment after living in a house my whole life. Below are my thoughts on this struggle and a few others!

The Moving Process

After making the exciting decision to move to NYC almost 3 years ago I quickly realized that I had more to plan for than I ever imagined. Moving to the city was honestly really difficult/expensive. I packed up my suitcases to take on the plane and had to ship everything else to my new apartment. That was one of those times where I didn’t ask for the total and just swiped my card, knowing that I would deal with reality of the price later down the road.

My Little Home

One of my favorite parts of the south are the wide open spaces. After living in a house for my entire life, moving into a 600 sq ft apartment with 3 other people was a VERY big adjustment. I wasn’t used to having to share a closet or a bedroom or my personal breathing space, but that all had to change real quick. Over the last couple years I’ve surprisingly grown to love my little home, but that’s probably because I moved into an apartment almost double the size and only have 1 roommate now. But that’s just a guess.

Also, tiny apartments are not the place for dogs. So, one time I bought a fish. It wasn't the same.

Paying for My Little Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grocery Shopping

One of the great things about NYC is the abundance of Trader Joes. I love them. What I don’t love is having to stand in line outside of the store just so I can wait to get in. And then once I’m in having to stand in another line that snakes around the store leading to the register. Often grocery shopping ends up being me standing in this line asking my boyfriend to go grab things and bring them back to the cart. Obviously, this little system works out really well for me... until it’s snowing outside and I have to carry my groceries home without slipping on the ice and praying the handles on the bags don’t break. But they do. Every time.

The Subway *screams*

When I first moved here I was very nervous about the subway system. I was terrified that I would get on the wrong train and end up in the Bronx alone and not know how to make it home, or that I would get mugged. And while I have had some crazy experiences on the subway, neither of those fears have come true.

Southern Steph

Stephanie Conway, from Winston Salem, North Carolina, moved to New York almost 3 years ago. Since then she has become one of my favorite Southerners of New York.

What is your favorite part about being southern?
My favorite parts about being southern are the nice people and life's simple pace. Honestly, I could go on and on about why I love the south. It's a land filled with barbecue, lakes, mountains, beautiful beaches, Spanish moss, t-shirts, Chacos, Cookout milkshakes and some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Why did you move to New York?
I moved to New York in 2013 to begin school at King's. I left southern comfort and came to the city to experience something exciting and new. New York City was a place filled with endless possibilities. It held unknown friends, jobs, classes, concerts, internships, mission work and cool experiences. There was no telling where I would end up if I chose to attend King's. If I had chosen other state schools (N.C. State, UNC Chapel Hill or Appalachian State), I would have always wondered what those possibilities were. It has been a difficult adjustment but I definitely don't regret my decision.

Are there places you go or things you do in New York that remind you of home?

When I was in North Carolina, I spent all my days at coffee shops or exploring downtown. Now that I'm in New York, I do the same but on a much larger scale. You could explore here for a century and never see it all. The streets keep changing, stores keep moving, and building keep appearing. Some of my favorite coffee shops are Brooklyn Roasting Company, Toby's, Kinfolk and Devoción. It's also a good time to eno in Central Park or go climbing at Brooklyn Boulders. Contrary to popular belief, we don't have chicken & waffles in the south. But we do have fried chicken, so really it's close enough. Go to Sweet Chick.

What does New York have that the south doesn't?

New York has Juice Generation! I'm also extremely impressed by the churches here. The sermons are intellectually engaging and relatable. Churchgoers here are less common than in southern states, which makes the community look and feel a little different. New York also has a ton of cool historical sites and some of the best people watching you'll EVER find!

What do you miss the most about the south?

I miss the great outdoors the most. The hardest part of living in New York City is the fact that people are around you all the time. Climbing rocks and paved pathways in Central Park doesn't quite satisfy me and taking the train outside of the city costs money and takes too long. I really miss hiking, driving my car and screaming on mountain tops where no one can hear. But, sometimes wearing Chacos and carrying a backpack can be cathartic.

Do you think that you will ever move back to the south?

I definitely hope to move back to the south one day. I'm not sure when that will be, but Lord, haste the day.

Welcome to New York

Since moving to New York something that I have missed, even more than wide open spaces and Mexican food, is my mom, Teri. Teri’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever met. She’s my best friend, my biggest supporter, and very funny.

This week she came to visit me!!

Of course we did the typical sightseeing things. We ventured up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and pretty much only looked at Washington Crossing the Delaware. We ate lunch at Serendipity and drank frozen hot chocolate. We battled the sea of people that is Times Square to go see Les Mis. We even went to Shake Shack and talked about how they would never be as good as Whataburger.

The adventures we went on were so fun simply because she was there, even if we had to walk 6 blocks and 2 avenues in the pouring rain to get to our destination. But honestly, my favorite part of the trip was just her being here.

My mom is everything that I love about the south. She’s warm and inviting, sweet as can be, and she can make a DANG good peach cobbler.

Saying goodbye was hard, of course. It always is. But it was so, so sweet while it lasted.

But not quite as sweet as the peach cobbler she made for me right before she left.