Making the Big Jump From the Caribbean to Central New York

A week was the most I had ever spent away from my family. Now I was going to embark on a journey that would require me having to leave everything and everyone behind and basically start from scratch. To say that I was terrified is a major understatement. At times I thought about not doing it and just playing it safe, but I knew that if I wanted to fulfill my dream of becoming a television reporter I needed to make sacrifices. In my heart I knew that going to one of the best communications schools in the nation was well worth the risk.

Moving from Puerto Rico, a small island in the Caribbean, to Syracuse–known as the snowiest city in the USA was a little bit overwhelming. I did not know what to expect. I was worried that I would not like the city, the people or the weather (still kind of struggling with this, lol). However, I was pleasantly surprised. Syracuse is not a small city and it is not a huge one either, so I felt very familiar with it right away since that is have I had been used to. The people were so friendly from the get go and made me feel like I was home and boy was that a great feeling to have knowing that I will spend the next year of my life here. The weather was also working in my favor though–I will say that I am not a huge fan of heat waves even though I come from a very hot place.

I was very lucky that my mom flew with me, that way the transition was not so abrupt. As soon as we checked in to our hotel we passed out and slept for hours (those flights were no joke). Later, we decided that we wanted to go eat and asked for some recommendations. There was a clear winner: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Guys, when you get here, make sure this is one of your first stops. I guarantee you will not regret it AT ALL. I could go on for a couple more paragraphs on how great it was, but I will leave it that. You guys try it out for yourselves. After that amazing dinner we enjoyed a jazz concert in the downtown area. I will recommend to you that when you move here, to take advantage of all the neat concerts during the summer.

The following day was extremely special–I was moving into my new apartment at Campus West and was going to visit the Newhouse School for the very first time. It was long, long, long day and it was also kind of overwhelming. However, walking up to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for the first time is something that I will never forget. You can see a thousand pictures and videos but being there in person is a completely different experience. I knew that I had made the right decision and was ready to begin what would for sure be one, if not the most amazing year of my life.