In December 2019, I graduated from California State University, Long Beach. I learned many things in California. I loved living near the Pacific Ocean, where I felt the connection with my hometown, Yokohama (Read an article about my experience published by Dig Mag).
As an international student, I was allowed to stay in the United States for a year after my graduation. Called OPT (Optional Practical Training), the year would be to gain experiences that directly relate to one's major or the field of study in any state.
I was looking at internship/job postings relating to dance and public relations. I saw many opportunities in Southern California. I had no complaint about my life in Long Beach. I could easily go to Los Angels, Anaheim or San Diego, where lots of performing arts are happening. Long Beach itself was such an artsy city as well. There are amazing dancers/ artists who create beautiful arts in Long Beach. However, I knew I needed to move to New York.
I am a super simple person. Since I was a teenager, I have read many fictional/ non-fictional books and have watched movies that take place in the City. They might have been dramatized, but NY seemed like such an attractive city to me. I needed to visit and see it with my own eyes.
I had never been to the City before. I think it is common for someone to have a dream city they want to visit once in their life. It depends on them if their dream comes true. I wanted to stop dreaming and make mine a reality.
So, I moved to New York with nothing but two suit cases in January 2020. I did not have a job or even a place to stay. One fortunate thing was that my mom has an old friend who has been living in New Jersey for a while. Being the incredibly sweet person she is, she offered me her guest room until I could find my own place.
One of my greatest concerns was my English communication. Who would want to hire someone whose English was not good enough? I survived my college life with my English, but work would be different from college.
What I did was to believe and to have confidence in myself. It was not easy, but I had to just do it.
At the end of the day, everything turned out pretty well. I now have what I wanted to have. I assist dancers in fitting pointe shoes, teach young dancers ballet and practice PR at a dance company. This is not a miracle but the result of everything I have been doing.
This is just a beginning to achieve my goal, to connect the world with dance. I hope my passion for dance and PR will have even a small impact in the dance industry.
I would love to end this post with a quote by someone I really admire and trust:
Positivity is the only state of mind that makes sense, anytime.
Let me know what you think & tell me your story!