As you may have guessed, I live in North Jersey. And not just anywhere in North Jersey, but right smack dab in the middle of Italian town a.k.a Nutley.
That's me right there, where the star is. Fifteen minutes from New York City but far enough away to feel like I'm in a whole other dimension. It's really not that bad...it's just a different culture. Every sub-group has their quirks but I never knew what I was getting into when I moved here.
He grew up in Nutley and we came back here to be close to the city. But since we can't afford to live on our own yet we are living in his parents basement. Not exactly the dream life you think about after college is over.
Don't get the impression that I'm not happy with where I am in life, because I am. This is just an in between period. One great thing that you notice when you move so far away from everything you know is that you realize it wasn't that bad and the people that visit where your from probably think your crazy to.
By the way, I'm from Colorado Springs.
It's about an hour and a half south of Denver. You know when your back home and it's not cool to say your from there? Well here people think it's amazing that I came from Colorado. I secrectly think it's because they wonder how anyone can survive West of the Mississippi River.
So here we are, both freshly graduated from college and looking for jobs in one of the most populus metropolises in the world. So far Mike has found a good job with great benefits working with a medical insurance company...and I have found internships.
I'm currently doing an internship on Long Island, which is an hour and a half commute from Nutley accross the George Washington Bridge, through the Brox, and accross the Throgs Neck Bridge. I work with a small PR firm who does work for Canon. I think that they didn't really need an intern because the owner is a little eccentric and I think he just comes up with college-type projects to keep me busy, and maybe because he took pity on my poor inexperianced soul. He pays me minimum wage ($7.15 in NY) and it costs me $20 to commute back and forth everyday. You do the math.
The other internship I've actually yet to start. It's in Manhattan and I only get $25 a day to cover commuting and lunch. This one is with an event planning company, so I guess we'll see how it turns out.
What I've learned since I've been here is that New Jersey is a whole different animal from any other state I've been to. Mostly people live here because they are...
- To poor to live in NYC
- To rich to live in NYC
- Don't want to raise kids in NYC
- Can't find an apartment in NYC
- Can't find a job in NYC
- Don't like the people in NYC
- Don't like the crowds in NYC
- Have lived jersey all their lives
- Have close family in Jersey
- Are afraid to leave Jersey
- Don't like the tourists in NYC
- Think they are to good for the city
- Think they aren't good enough
- Can't afford to live in NYC
- Don't want to pay the city taxes
- Are a big fish in a little pond
These are most of the reasons that I've observed since I've been here. I'll add and subtract more as I come accross them.
In closing I'll leave you with the story of the first person I met when I got to Nutley. That should make for a nice starting point.
Mike too me out to the Franklin Steakhouse the first night after we drove up from Florida to hang out with some of his friends. As we are walking down the street to the Steakhouse we run into a guy sptly named Vito. This is how the conversation went after Vito walked up to us:
"Hey, I heard two pieces of good news today. One, your engaged. And two, Belle Piase is open. Hey alright, I gotta go. I'll see you late, maybe not."
For all those out there who don't live in Nutley, Belle Piase is a pizzaria on "The Ave" a.k.a. Franklin Avenue a.k.a. the place to be on Friday and Saturday night.
I've never laughed so hard in my life!
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