NYC- A Love Affair

Me feeling at home in my NYC bedroom

Hi everyone!

I acknowledge that I have been rather quiet on the blog posting since arriving here in NYC a few weeks ago. Reason being that the longer I left it, the less I could bring myself to do it (sounds like something a client might say when asking them why they didn’t stop eating the junk food that was making them gain weight, or start the exercise regime they needed to get onto to kick start their weight loss efforts!).

I’ve found that the more days that have passed, the more exciting things have taken place, and now its built up to the point that I actually don’t know where to start!

I will attempt to highlight the key events that are sticking in my mind after a few weeks in NYC:

The old Kara who just says “what do I have to lose” is back up and running. Sourcing the top people from my profession here in the States and simply contacting them with no connections to introduce myself and learn off their experiences has been so fulfilling and beyond enlightening.

The home that I have been living at is the same one that was in my first blog posts when I previously had been couch surfing here in NYC. To my amazement, when I arrived, the boys had cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, and my bed was prepared with sheets and a shower towel…who said men don’t change? (and this without even asking…simply through them acknowledging what I posted in my first blog was not cool by anyones standards!)

My sunny room in the house with my two awesome flat mates

NYC in humid..wow. Australia has an amazing dry heat compared to here. I keep being told that it only gets worse come August, but for someone who has been attempting to sleep in a room with no air-conditioning, when the humidity is up at 80% at 4am and its still 26 degrees outside, you can only imagine..the sleeping patterns have been totally flipped on their heads.

The health food stores are amazing. I have sourced some amazing products, and now its time to refine the list and decide which ones are worth bringing back to Australia. My aim, bring back the best natural and really healthy products, not simply mimics that claim to be healthy. I have my nutritional detective cap on and will continue to investigate.

Incase there wasn’t enough protein supplements or peanut butter around..the health food stores stock extremely high protein peanut butter. Im guessing this is a hit here!

People are nice! Yes, you read that correctly. A lot of people say New Yorkers are rude or cold, but I have found that as soon as you stop someone and ask a question or a favour, they are always willing to help! Not once have I felt on my own in such a huge city.

Independent Kara is back. After years of having so much support from partners, family and friends, I love that I am standing on my own two feet, am comfortable spending time on my own, and am able to focus on growing within myself. I always knew I had it in me, and its refreshing to see it come to life being here on my own.

Happy

The unique and trendy bars, restaurants and cafes are never ending..and the most ridiculous thing is that I have actually gone back to the same places more than once?! Why…I can’t even answer that.

When you haven’t had Thai food for months, you go back for seconds (on a different day of course!)

I may be turning slightly American..yes, you heard that right. I am drinking the horrible Starbucks filter coffee with out disgust, putting peanut butter in my sandwiches (I haven’t gone as far as to add jam (or as they would call it, jelly), sourcing frozen yoghurt (no added sugar varieties of course) daily, pacing down the streets with my earphones in my ears so as not to let the traffic stop me, filling my days with so many meetings and work obligations that there isn’t a second to stop..and who would believe it, I’m happy with things this way…I acknowledge that this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, however I was told you either love or hate NYC..I think we know where I stand on that scale!

The completely underrated version of tasti-dlite, the marketing team probably should have thought a bit harder about the brand name, but the product is delicious! -Being a bit silly and being turned into a mascot for the company here as you can see!

On a professional note, I have met with many wonderful dietitians and nutritionists who have been warm and welcoming. I am forever grateful to those that have taken the time to speak in person or on the phone from interstate, and have helped me see the direction I want to grow professionally in.

I have taken on a voluntary job at a hospital (yes, again for those that know me, I sound like a changed woman), reinventing the wheel for their staffs wellbeing program and creating a whole lot of new initiatives to create healthy environments that support nutritious eating and a healthy lifestyle.

I have also been lucky enough to be offered a job as the Manhattan nutrition expert for this month on a great website called Examiner.

Corporate Nutrition Melbourne back home is doing great, and I am so happy that my clients, consultants and family have been able to work with me on ensuring that everything runs smoothly, even with my absence.

And finally, I have been undertaking a number of online courses to help extend my knowledge in niche areas and move forward with my career aspirations.

As you can see, not quite the NYC trip some would have expected for me, thinking I wanted to leave Australia to let loose and run a muck on the town..that obviously couldn’t be further from the reality.

NYC- The food is endless!

All in all, I feel at home here, happy with my decision to make the move, and I know in my heart I have made 2012 exactly the year it was meant to be for me. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I could see myself living here on a more permanent basis.

I hope everyone else, wherever you are reading this from around  the world, lives by those words, and makes the most of every day, and feels fulfilled within themselves.

As of Friday I am off on my Europe trip for 6 weeks. Starting with 24 hours in Iceland and then a few days in England, I will then make my way to France, Spain, Italy (excited to see my immediate family- yey! (although minus my beloved puppy sadly) and then a final stop in Finland..before returning back to NYC to my new home in the East Village!

As I said on my Facebook page..sorry Melbourne, I will return eventually, but not quite yet!

Looking forward to what this next chapter has in store. I have no idea what it will be, but something tells me, if you go in with a good attitude, only good things will come your way.

I will be sure to post my nutritional finds and views on the cultural differences as I make my way across Europe. Both the Twitter and Facebook accounts are up and running in full fledge now, so be sure to join in the conversations there too!

For now,

The Travelling Dietitian xo