I moved to New York City and worried I'd be homesick. Then, my sister and best friend became my neighbors.

I was raised in a close and connected family that always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. When I first moved to New York City, I worried I'd feel lonely and disconnected from my family. Now my sister and best friends are my neighbors, and we've created our own sense of family. Every house has a unique smell that is said to be unrecognizable until you're away for a period of time. Despite the constant comments from friends and visitors about the smell of my childhood home , I couldn't have described it to you until I moved away from home. As the oldest of three sisters who grew up with two nurturing parents and involved grandparents nearby, my home and family mean everything to me. My family has always been my rock: from attending my first Pride parade with me when I came out as queer in high school to having my entire family drive six hours each way to move me in when I went to college. So, when it came time for me to pursue my long-sought-after goal of moving to New York City , I knew I would have my family's support, but it wouldn't make leaving any easier. When I moved out, I started a new chapter of my life I come from a long line of ambitious and driven people, so even as a kid, there was never any doubt in my mind that I would move to New York at the first chance I could. Following in my parents' footsteps, who also met and started their life together in the city, all of my childhood birthday trips and summers in college spent working in Brooklyn led up to the moment I finally got offered my dream job as a sex educator in New York. I knew nothing was going to get in between me and my dream, and yet the reality sank in that moving would change what my immediate sense of family would look like. Although visiting my family was only a short drive away, I didn't know what it would feel like to miss out on family walks with my dog, the never-ending late-night talks with my sisters, or the now identifiable oaky cinnamon smell of my house every day. While I wasn't sure what lay in store for this new period of my life, when my best friends from college , Elliot and Ike, found an apartment just a walk from my own, I started to see the pieces come together. My house became a home In the early months of my relocation to New York , I was finding my footing within the community and among friends. Despite Elliot and me living objectively close by, it was different from our shared walls in college. Nonetheless, we quickly ritualized our ocean documentary watch parties and park picnics, but this time in a new setting. Everything changed again when I met my now girlfriend. We moved in together, still close to...

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