From Venezuela to NYC: This Couple’s Move of a Lifetime

Hey party people!! We have a very special guest post today to kick off the first country of Eat Around the World in NYC [#EATWNYC]. It was written by a kick-butt couple and writers of The World We Travel. These guys packed up their life on a whim, and followed their dream to…

The Big Apple!

In the past, when I have told people I’m from NYC, they usually give me a big, fat, WHATTT. “You mean like NYC NYC? The big one? With the Empire State building?”

Yep! That’s the one. They proceed to tell me that it’s been their dream to visit, and maybe even move to NYC one day. And then I say, “Well, pack up your bags and do it!!” And in return, I get a big, hearty laugh…

Well, this couple did. Just six months ago, Mariana and Victor moved from Venezuela to NYC. Here’s their story.

“So Mariana and Victor. Tell me. WHY NYC?”

We have always felt captivated by New York, the diversity of the people and cultures, the music in every corner, the history and the challenge. They say it’s the capital of the world, and it is hard not to feel curious and drawn to New York when you look at this city from a distance. So, once we decided we wanted to experience life outside our country, one of the main options was NYC. I have been a photographer for many years, and wanted to start a new challenge studying filmmaking. Mariana wanted to start a new professional path pursuing a writing career- We both love to travel and wanted to start a travel blog. NY just so happens to be a very centric place to get everywhere in the world. So, the answer seemed evident. We picked up our stuff, and moved to New York City!

It has been six months since we arrived to this city filled with dreams and expectations, and New York has not let us down. It is a tough city, the pace of life here is insane! The weather is extreme, but even so, it is an amazing place to be and an amazing city to experience. Everything happens here. If you stay one day at home, you feel like you are missing thousands of things that are happening in the world outside. Every day is a new adventure, filled with new places and new people. It is basically like traveling to a new, foreign, far-away place every day. But the catch? It’s all right in our neighborhood.

“What do you guys think was hardest thing for you to adapt to when you first arrived?

THE COLD.

We landed from our warm Caribbean to cold New York in January. It was the middle of winter, just one week before the “blizzard of the century.” We had just found a place to rent, when we turn on the news and learn”the worst snow storm in the history of New York” was coming, and we panic! We went to the supermarket and bought all this food (which we still have) and were horrified for the arrival of the snow storm (the first in our lives). When it finally came, we watched the snow falling with a mix of fascination and fear of the unknown.

Days later, we waited for more snow to come. But nothing happened- it turned out the whole thing was a false alarm!!! So, we left our houses and enjoyed our first snow like a bunch of kids— with a bunch of kids! We met some of the neighborhood kids sliding down a hill with their snow sleds. It made the pain of the storm worth it all.

But it didn´t take long before we learned to hate snow and winter. In Venezuela, we never had to wear more than one layer of clothes in our life, and suddenly we were putting three layers on everyday just so we didn’t freeze. Everyone continued to tell us that the first winter is the worst, and not to worry because we’ll get used to it- but I don’t think we ever will.

Six months after the move, what are your thoughts on staying in NY?

It has been six months of learning and adapting to this new, foreign culture so different from our own. One thing that we miss most is the food. In Venezuela, we eat a lot of rice, beans, breads and potatoes. Here in NYC, the base of every food is BREAD- Sandwiches, pizza, pasta, hamburgers, hotdogs… bread is everywhere! But we soon found out that there is also a huge diversity of food- You could eat an ethnic food from almost every country in the world without leaving New York. Including Venezuelan!

There is still a lot to learn about this concrete jungle, this amazing melting pot of cultures and stories. We can´t wait to continue our new life in New York City and unfold it all.

Wanna learn more about Mariana and Victor? Check out their travel blog!

And hang tight in your seats, kids, ’cause things are about about to get tasty. Mariana and Victor are taking me to their fave Venezuelan restaurant TONIGHT! And I can’t freakin’ wait…

Stay tuned for the post! Until then, I gotta ask…who out there is itching to get to NYC? What fascinates you most about the Big Apple? Any thoughts for our friends Mariana and Victor? The three of us wanna talk about 😉