Settling In

Sometime last week, New York City took my voice. I haven't been able to speak above a whisper until a few days ago, but you can still hear the residual roughness behind my spoken words. I felt physically fine, no sore throat or cough.

I spent the last few days recuperating in my little apartment. Now it's time to get down to the every-day chores that are relatively new to my time here. The chores are mundane, like bank withdrawals, sweeping and laundry, but I'm still figuring out the pace and flow of the city.

Walking into the bank, I pulled to the side so I could figure out the layout and direction of traffic. Upon entering, the cashier's stand is not immediately available. I pulled into a small space to the left with a window that faced the busy street outside. I watched others walk in and to the right to fill out their withdrawal/deposit slips and walk to the left of the store behind a wall. The path was laid out with worn, blue rugs. I fell into line and went to stand in line for a teller.

This small accomplishment of learning the lay of the neighborhood bank is a big step to me becoming more comfortable in this unknown city. I am headed to do laundry alone for the first time here, but I assume laundry is laundry.