Perspective of a “Half” New Yorker
Hello world! Say hello to this kid who thinks he’s a real New Yorker but is not really from New York.
Uh? Yes! A half New Yorker? Or semi-New Yorker?
Here’s the story of how a Taiwanese kid ends up in the Big Apple, pursuing marketing as his career.
Nihao! Hello! My name is Tim, and I come from Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan.
Growing up in Taiwan, with Chinese being my native tongue, learning English was never an easy task. Looking back at my elementary school, doing math and science in both Chinese and English was just a nightmare for an 8-year-old kid.
My parents knew that language was crucial for my future; therefore, starting to speak English at a young age was a must in my family, without question. Again, growing up in Asia was no fun; with a heavy workload, tremendous pressure, and peer competition, classes from 8 am to 6 pm were the norm.
I guess going to a bilingual school in Asia was a double-edged sword.
Because now, I speak both Chinese and English with confidence, and it definitely helped me in multiple ways, such as traveling.
I travel a lot! I enjoy seeing the world from my different perspectives!
Ha! Such a cliché thing to say! Travel!
Yea! No! I believe that when traveling, you see the world that foreigners live in through the lenses of your background and knowledge. For a person who has lived in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is quite interesting to discover all the little details of the different places I visit. For me, that’s the purest enjoyment of traveling.
Now, why New York?
After all the places that I visited, New York felt like home to me.
After all the travels, I settled in Harlem to start my New Yorker experience. I went to City College of New York, pursuing architecture for a year and a half. Then to Baruch College to finish off with business administration. It was a rough start, but nothing was more soothing than falling asleep with the sounds of sirens and the cars revving around the block from the bodega.
The city that never sleeps.
Right from the moment I stepped into this city, my restless travel spirit was determined! I wanted to see everything. This place is a melting pot of heritage that’s jam-packed into an island that is connected through 21 bridges and 15 tunnels. The first two years of my life in New York were spent exploring all the places that it has to offer. I would not sleep unless I finished what I had planned for the day. I think I walked more than I have ever walked in Taiwan for those two years.
That’s also when I started my personal travel blogging account on Instagram. I jot down memories of the beautiful places and moments I see on my journey.
The adventures did not just stop there, they are still happening to this very day. There’s always something I can see and explore in this city; I can find new inspirations and new ideas. Just like in Marketing, you have to be on your feet like a New Yorker, walk, and explore every crevice of this city to enrich yourself with new thinking and fresh perspectives. This is my ninth year here in New York, and I still find the city full of excitement.
Walking, discovering, and exploring new cultures, that’s New York.
Why are we here today?
I’m starting this blog to put down and keep track of my ideas. Things that interest me, things that I can offer my perspective and things that I enjoy sharing. Just like my traveling. It will be marketing-related, and hopefully, it could provide some insights or a different view for some of us!
Although this course and the prompt are guided by NYU, I don’t think that will stop us from having fun and exploring some of these topics through my own humble view.
To be honest, although I have decent English-speaking skills, but my grammar and punctuation are all over the place. I am a little anxious about how this whole marketing blog will turn out, but hey! Here goes nothing!
You won’t make it unless you give it a try!
Somehow, I am not afraid to put out what I have on my mind at the moment! I just hope people could relate to my perspective in their own unique way.
Whether it is the Bostoner way, Beverly Hiller way, or the Half-New Yorker way.
Let our journey begin!
