Life After College: I’m Lost (Literally)

June 30, 2009 2:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Jenni - Syracuse g+ page

map-navigation-girlI had a friend visiting me this weekend and even though my life is in shambles, I was determined to impress her with my knowledge of New York and my ability to stand on the subways without falling at every stop (an extraordinary feat due to my complete lack of coordination). If she happened to have a good time, that would just be a bonus; the main focus was on her being impressed with my new life.


By Jenni

So my other tri-state area friend (she’s from NJ despite what she may tell you) and I found what looked like a cheap Mexican restaurant known for great food and greater margaritas. Unfortunately, as I’m discovering more and more, online reviewers cannot always be trusted. We arrived at the restaurant and it resembled a cross between an abandoned truck stop and a dive bar in Rochester. So obviously I was way excited to eat there – there’s nothing less harmful than bad Mexican food.

Sadly, my friends weren’t as willing to risk a few shooting stomach pains so we ended up looking for a new restaurant. However being as this was my first time on the Lower East Side, (excluding my visit to the tenement museum) and the streets aren’t numbered, I had no idea where to go and or even how to get back to a main street. But I had to keep up my appearances of knowing what I was doing so I marched along pretending like I knew where we could find dinner. And after making a few circles (purposefully, I told my friend) around the area, we found a place for dinner – only an hour after we planned to eat.

The experience made me realize that not only am I hungrier than a wolf by 8 pm, but also that I don’t really know the city as well as I thought I did. If it hadn’t been for mobile Google Maps, I would have walked my friends over the Brooklyn Bridge and claimed it was the lesser known part of 5th avenue.

Maybe I should stop spending so much time worrying about finding a real job and instead spend more time exploring the city. After all, I am still young and able-bodied. And now that monsoon season is over (cross your fingers) there’s no reason for me to spend all my free time sending out resumes and hanging out with the g-parents.

Lesson learned.

6 Comments on "Life After College: I’m Lost (Literally)"

  1. Ana says:
    Tue, 30th Jun 20092:04 pm 

    What a great story! i always feel pressured by friends to exercise my knowledge of the city when I really have no clue about most of it!

  2. Shar says:
    Thu, 2nd Jul 20095:34 pm 

    Obviously your friends need to visit more often so you have more opportunity to hone your skills!

  3. Noel says:
    Sun, 27th Dec 20094:14 am 

    Life after college is like a racing seat looking for jobs.

  4. Lance W says:
    Fri, 21st Oct 20112:12 am 

    I'm the only person out of all my long-time friends to graduate college, let-a-lone progress to graduate school. I just finished my BS 4-months ago, I guess I thought things would be the same but with more time to spend, wrong. Between work and school I rarely had free to hangout, so when we did hangout we had a good time, usually too good. I was a part-time friend I guess. Now that I'm not so busy I can't seem to get anyone but my cat to hangout with me. I talk about things like finding a new career, buying property, getting out of debt, and starting a family, but the people who I though were my friends haven't done a thing but make babies since high school, or just remained content with their OK paying job and an one bedroom apartment . I sense that none of the people I knew were true friends, they just thought I was going to fail and that made them feel better about their lack of being proactive with their future. Now I have no one to talk too. I'm either too educated and accomplished for most of the people I knew, or I'm too risky and undisciplined for the educated and successful folks. There doesn't seem to be a social group for the educated workaholic pothead. It almost seems as if I'm resented for being self-sufficient. Almost like my friends feel bad and blame me for them not being given the same opportunities that education has provided. I'm aware of these insecurities and try to filter out things they don't like, but work and school are such a large part of my life now, I don't have much else to talk about, and all they seem to talk about is whatever drama situation they got going on with whoever, and how nothing in their life that's wrong seems to be their fault. I can't seem to make new friends that are equals as far as education and income is concerned, and I'm discovering that unless those things are equal between possible friends, either an insecurity or superiority complex will develop. This bothers me so bad, and to any of the people that may know me, I'm sorry for being big headed at times and I miss you, but I gotta live my life to the fullest, I just wish you would join me.

  5. Anonymous says:
    Sat, 17th Mar 201211:44 am 

    @lance w Thank u so much for writing that comment .I can relate to your situation and until
    Now thought that i was alone.I have recently decided to cut off all of my previous friends because i cant br myself around them all they do is smoke and talk about drama. I am going to focus in going back to graduate school to further my education and hopefully make friends that are educated & at
    the sand point in life as i am. I suggest that u do the same because honestly that is the only way that u will find another circle of friends .After college its been difficult to really meet new people.Do not feel guilty for the fact that u have positive things gioing on in your life ,your true friend would be supportive of that. They made theur choices not to go to college thats theur fault and not yours. Best of luck.

Tell us what you're thinking...