NY is who I am / LA is who I've become

I've been wanting to write this for a long time, but it's hard for me to articulate my feelings towards NY / LA, but I think this trip back home to NY has helped me shape some of these thoughts about these cities and my identity.

I grew up in Queens, New York. I went to public school all my life. My elementary school had students represented from 30+ countries. My class picture reflected the nationalities of the United Nations. As a high school student, I commuted 3 hours a day to and from school daily. I got up at 5:55AM to be able to make 8:00AM classes in downtown Manhattan. I was almost never late. In the winter, the temperature would mostly likely be below freezing. Sometimes it would snow--I wore boots; other times, it would rain--I carried an umbrella which may or may not flip over on my commute into school. I took the bus, to get on the train, to transfer to another train, to walk a few blocks to the bridge that connected to building next to the Hudson River. I went to NYU and worked 30 hours a week, which was typical of almost all students at NYU. I ate my lunch while rushing from class to my internship. I perfected the art of eating my lunch while walking to the Subway. Sandwiches were simple to master, but salads were a bit more tricky. I usually had to sacrifice the dressing on my salad. I paid for my own NYC pre-war apartment in the west village, which was in total 400 sq ft where I lived in the living room, the shower was in the kitchen, and the toilet was in my roommate's room. These experiences made me who I am.

Everything in LA I have built myself. Not to downplay my experiences in NY, but everything I did was still in the backdrop of my familiarity with NY, support of my friends and family, and circumstances I was familiar with. The stressful (if you will, at least by California standards) conditions in NY was what I thrived in and it was still my comfort zone. I moved to LA not knowing a single person. I met my roommate on craigslist, got an apartment in Westwood, and made a life out of LA. I've made friendships that will probably last a lifetime. I've experienced things that I probably would have never felt in NY. Everything I've done in LA I feel like it's something I have created. The life I have created is still based on who I am shaped by my experiences in NY.

Not sure if this is at all coherent; I'll probably edit it later on.