OUR GIRL IN NEW YORK

In the east, I see the sun rising in Brooklyn. For two weeks and a few days, it has been shining directly into our bedroom. The first week, I didn't like it at all. The sun was nice, seeing the blue sky afterwards was fine, and all those windows were okay too. But I missed the chaos. The noise. The sirens. The wandering crowd in front of my door. The coffee shop where I could sneak in with Blue. The mini fig pastries around the corner. The juice bar. The Italian supermarket. The subway at my doorstep. Sixth Avenue. Flatiron Building. Madison Park. That is my home, not Williamsburg. The subway is too far. The coffee shop too. The quiet is almost eerie. And the supermarket has no lines. In the distance, I see the towers. When we stand by the water, the wind blows the chaos our way. I hear the sirens. The honking cars. I miss New York. The island. Nervously, I ask myself if I belong here, if I can ever get used to this, if this will ever be my home. A dramatic tear rolls down my cheek, completely in line with the drama.

Then came 2017. The party at House of Yes. Together with friends, we welcomed the new year there. There was confetti and hundreds of balloons fell from the sky. Everywhere people were dressed up, but all the outfits were equipped with a good load of glitter. Everyone was happy. Everyone was joyful. And with the stroke of midnight, it was over. Like a leaf turning on a tree, my depressing Brooklyn attitude flipped. On January 1, we ate Israeli at 12 Chairs. The restaurant that is now ‘our’ place. On January 2, I discovered Gotan. On January 3, I drank juices with my friend B. And by now, I am at home here. At the discovered delicatessen around the corner, we get snacks. We also go to the cheese shop on Bedford. Friends come over to drink wine in our big kitchen. Blue runs around the house. And all that light is truly a dream. It took a while, but Brooklyn is home.

On the weekend, the curtain opens. With one eye half-closed, I find myself still in a deep sleep. But I have to wake up because I like this. Rubbing my half-asleep eye, I see that my fiancé is right. Because if there’s one thing I like, it’s snow. Fresh white snow. And that is, as I see, falling from the sky. Hard, and it only stopped a day after this morning. Blue shares my love for snow. He is unstoppable. Nibbling, running, and slipping, he blasts through it, resulting in a frozen snow bunny at home. He needs a bath, but I don’t think he minds too much. It was all worth it...

After a pancake with strawberries and berries (by the way, there goes my I-must-be-fit-in-that-dress), I can pick up Blue at the new groomer in Brooklyn. Prince Poof is ecstatic to be picked up again. With a bandana and a new ‘Poof’ haircut, we hop into the taxi back home. I always find him cutest with curls, but a fluffy look every few months is also very sweet, don’t you think?

The Impossible I-1 is in. And this polaroid camera, ladies and gentlemen, is fantastic. I still have to figure everything out because it’s not the simplest, but just look at how cool the little device looks! Next week, an overview of my work for a new project. To be continued.

At Witlof on Bedford , we order Flemish fries and a burger. It’s a super nice restaurant and the burger is delicious. But around mid-January, this will be the last for now. In four months, I’ll be making my way to the altar and I need to run down ‘the aisle’ as fit as I did back in Puerto Rico towards the sea. That’s the goal, and it started today at Amazon.

Tomorrow, the weights are coming in. A new yoga mat. A jump rope. And shoes. It’s really starting to come together, that path to the altar... Jesus, how exciting.