Happy my 10 year NYC anniversary to you!

It’s a big day at swissmiss studio: Ten years ago today, I moved to NYC.

After a 10minute Interview with Matthew Waldman, at the time running New York Zoom Inc in downtown Manhattan, I was hired for a 3 month internship. A few weeks later, he offered me a fulltime job and a H1B Visa. I have since worked at many prominent studios and made the jump into starting my own. I was one of the people walking home all covered in white dust on 9/11. And even though all signs pointed to leaving NYC after 9/11, I was stubborn enough not to. Thank god, because I met my fantastic husband G in an elevator 5 years ago, and had little Ella Joy 3.5 years ago. And today, I am starting a part-time teaching position at Parsons, the New School.

Every year I have fallen a little bit more in love with NYC. I have in the meantime become a true Brooklynite and could not imagine living anywhere else. I agree with John Updike: “The true new yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.”

NYC, thank you for being so good to me.

26 Comments leave a comment below

  1. What a great story!… *Happy Anniversary!*

  2. That is a very happy-making post to read, so thank you for that.

    And félicitations on your decade of New Yorking.

  3. Congrats and I hope you have at least ten more!

  4. Happy Anniversary and happy that you stayed in New York. I like the New Yorker in you, lol.

  5. happy 10 years! My story is very similar, but on the west coast, in San Francisco.

  6. That’s a great story. Happy Anniversary.

  7. Congrats!! What a little inspiring story!

  8. I’m glad you seem to have found your place in the world. I like the quote from Updike, even if I am in Indiana. :-)

  9. happy anniversary. NY is a wonderful place. grew up and lived there until I was an adult. now in Boston (please dont throw rocks) but hope 2 return to live in NY again in the near future =)

  10. Happy Anniversary….I’m celebrating my first 6 months in NYC

  11. New York’s all that much better with you in the midst.

  12. Yay Tina! Congrats!

  13. Happy Anniversary. You inspire me a lot!

  14. Congrats and a happy anniversary!

  15. Happy Anniversary!
    That´s lovely and great story!
    for other ten!
    cheers!

  16. I can’t imagine how different – and poorer! – my life would be without my long-distance roommate. I’d have no NY posse! I’d probably have been to NY two or three times in my life. I might never have learned the joy of “less is more” and having complete confidence in my own taste and aesthetics. Happy anniversary, girl. x!

  17. Ah congratulations! I have realized how New Yorkers, more than the denizens of any other city, celebrate their anniversaries; I love the pride everyone takes in the city itself. I am coming up on my own 1 year mark at the end of October and I’ve already fallen in love with just about every aspect of my new home. Congrats on a full decade!

  18. Congratulations! Hope your first day at Parsons went wonderfully!

  19. yay! when are we celebrating?

  20. Congratulations – NY is wonderful! I hope you had a good start in teaching.

  21. I wondered how you came to work in NYC, Tina. Perhaps one day I’ll get a chance at it too.

    Happy anniversary!

  22. you inspire me and so does NYC. i hope one day i will make it there too and when i do, i will come and meet you in person :)

  23. I want to move to NYC one day. I keep thinking about it a lot recently, but I know I’m not quite ready. Maybe a year or so. It’s quite a big thing. But I’ve been so many times and every time it feels like home.

    One day.

  24. If you haven’t had the first class yet I wanted to say you should always try to be on time and greet every student as they walk in from the hallway. My best teacher ever was my 10th grade German teacher and I think he setup an air of personal respect for all, but greeting everyone, every day of the semester as they walked in. It could be weird, but it sets a tone.

    Good luck again.

  25. i’ve just spent about 7 months here, hard ones, but i would never want to leave again, at least not soon..

    thanks for you blog, i’ve read it back in Zürich for about a year and continue to do so for how long it’s going to last.
    thanks, Tina

  26. Yay! Congrats on the 10 year anniversary!
    Loved your story.
    We are going to NY on Wednesday from the UK for the third time in 2 years, we are totally smitten.
    New York….I love you!