Hey everyone, I have safely moved to NYC from Minnesota. However, it took a long for me to settle down due to health and family circumstances. The good news is that my health and living situation has improved. I’m currently under a lot of pressure to find fruitful employment. I’ll be continuing to engage the local community in Jamaica, Queens. For this first post, I’ll share some experiences, and insights of moving back with family and New York City government.
Settling In
I currently live in Jamaica, Queens in my parents’ apartment building (triplex). My parents and my sister live on the first floor, while my younger brother lives in the basement. Prior to moving back home, the basement was supposed to be refurbished and I would share it with my brother. In actuality, the basement was not fully complete yet and it was in complete dis-array. Fortunately, the third floor tenants moved out shortly, so I will be able to settle on the third floor. I’m also glad that my family is in good health.
It was an extremely stressful transition living at home early on. I went from having complete independence to sharing a bedroom with my father, no desk, and no privacy. I reflected on living in poverty, in particular, the lack of privilege of having your own room or safe space. In my entire youth, I never had my own room or privacy [won’t expand on this trauma]. It’s hard not to feel embittered toward my family. and what grounds me is knowing that every other family member is also stressed out (i.e. it’s not all about me!) and things will get better soon…
Immediately after (early May), I experienced some temporary health issues which left me incapacitated and feeling strong bouts of pain. During this time, I lacked health insurance, and some dark thoughts were running in my head that my condition will continue to get dire. I was isolating myself from my friends because I was too ashamed and did not want to be worried and concerned. I was experiencing a strong depression, and had to take the first step and overcome the “paralysis of shame” [I wrote a draft poem soon to be published].
Currently, I have settled on the third floor, and absolutely love it! I’ve added personal decor all over the apartment fueling me emotional energy. I also have access to the third floor balcony with view [see picture] an active apartment plaza, an ideal working/ living environment for me. I’m confident that I will make it here in NYC. However, the benefits of living with family comes at a cost. In my case, the unending pressure (and shame) to get employment, get married, kids, and etc.
The good news (for my parents) is that my top priority is finding paid employment. I would like to continue community advocacy work, but I’m starting from scratch and people’s first impression is based on your profession i.e. “What do you do for work?”. I don’t have the luxury of time, and to create community impact, I need to engage directly. For this week, I have applied to 30 jobs for the New York City administration covering three buckets: data analysis, housing, and outreach. There are three to four jobs that are golden apples* [Sidenote: NYC is nicknamed the ‘Big Apple’. Golden apples will be a poem].
As always (for now), HR controls my destiny
NYC Government Overview
NYC is the largest city of the United States with a population of 8.8 million people. It has five boroughs with each borough being its own county and three different library systems! For governance, NYC is similar to Twin Cities, a strong mayor system where the mayor proposes the budget and the city council can approve it (and works as a legislative body). There are 51 city council members, and the council-members are partisan with a make-up of 6 Republicans and 45 Democrats. Most council elections are decided at the respective primary. Council member is a full-time position, and are restricted to two consecutive 4 year terms, which allows opportunity for new leaders.
I’ve met my council member, Natasha Williams, at a community board meeting and the constituents are bold, brash, and speak their mind. Councilmember Williams displayed great awareness of the district, and expertise on city operations. The community board meeting (at least the one I attended) offers a regular monthly public forum for residents to receive updates and engage with their council member. The amount of pressure and personal accountability placed on council members are much greater than in the Twin Cities.
NYC is known to be a Democratic city. Though they have elected Republican mayors in the past including Rudy Giuliani (the 9/11 and Trump affiliate) and Michael Bloomberg. The city is sensitive to an influx of crime, and that drives election results. For example, current Democratic Mayor Eric Adams successfully campaigned in the 2021 Democratic primary on a “tough-on-crime” and pro-Police stance.
It is an universal law that New Yorkers disapprove of their mayor
The NYC mayor has so much power and influence that it’s easily corruptible (Ever wonder why NY mayors never be presidents?). It’s similar to Chicago, where there is strict hierarchy, and returning of favors that is publicly known. To get a more in-depth understanding on how to “influence” your local readers, read this article, How a Hotel Developer Bought Her Way Into Eric Adams’ World.
Final Note
P.S. Sorry for the abrupt end, but I found out too late that the post-editor did not save two hours of work where I was going to explain the local community. I do not have any written drafts. The summary version is the following bullet points
- I live in a Bangladeshi community, which has been gerrymandered to get no “ethic representation
- My neighborhood is a classic example of the “other side of tracks” trope where north side of tracks is middle class and wealthy people, and south side is industrial and poor working class
- Even though slightly north of tracks, my district council is 90% south side of tracks, which I have no prior affinity toward
My next post will likely about my community campaign to improve bicycle infrastructure in Queens. Stay tune my friends.
Sustain-Abu 