10 months ago I had a huge decision to make and I’ve had the privilege of having you beside me along the journey. Here we are 10 months later and everything has drastically changed. I didn’t know it then, but I know now it was for the better.
As life has continued to stir amongst COVID-19, I’ve gotten the question over and over again, are you in New York? People have even messaged my mom to check on me! If you had talked to me 10 months ago, and my coworkers at the time can attest to this, I was heartbroken. I wasn’t going to my “dream” school, I wasn’t going to live in the big city, and my hopes had been shattered. I recently decided I would start pursuing an internship in the city for the summer as I was desperately longing for a second chance at life in NYC. I was supposed to fly up on March 12th… yes… the same week COVID-19 made its grand entrance into the USA. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to go. Heartbroken, yet again.
Both times of heartbreak were all for my protection even though I had no idea at the time. If I had attended ICC, I would’ve just finished my program and hopefully landed a job in the city right before a pandemic struck that would devastate my industry. This would most likely have rendered me unemployed and financially incapacitated. If I had flown to NYC in March, my chances of getting COVID-19 and bringing it back to Reidsville would have been extremely high. Thankfully, yet again, it didn’t work out. While I was struggling to accept the fact that I would not be able to study at ICC, I would catch myself thinking, I just don’t understand, why isn’t this working out? Little did I know everything was falling into place.
My situation right now isn’t ideal, but man oh man is it better than where I would have been had my plan A worked. Transitioning to online classes has been difficult, but I can’t help but be grateful for where I am in this journey. I may not have the in class experience I was hoping for this semester, but I am able to learn and form relationships with my peers and chef as we all tread these “new” waters together.
Though every aspect of life has changed, you’re not alone. I hope we can all take a few moments and reflect not on the circumstances but rather on what positives the circumstances are yielding. We don’t understand now, but soon we will. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the kitchen, of course!