Five months may sound like a significant period of time, but trust me, it flies by. Life has so much to offer.

My time in New York has come to an end as my co-op is wrapping up. Leaving a place that you have grown attached to is always hard, but my heart is filled with more gratitude than melancholy when I look back.

I’m grateful for a lot of things: The city, people I’ve gotten to know worked with or even just had brief encounters with. One of the most fascinating things about New York is the diversity of its people and how they collectively make up the fabric of this city. Below are a few of my experiences that embody different characters of New York.

“Drop the Ball” author Tiffany Dufu

I met Dufu at the launch event for her book “Drop the Ball”—an incredible read on how women should be able to say no to “doing it all.” She said she knew at the very beginning of her career what she would like to put down on her tombstone: “A life dedicated to empowering women and girls.” It was extremely liberating for a type-A person like me to hear that it’s simply okay to drop the ball in life. I can still recall the adrenaline rush when I asked the first question in the audience.

So there I was, in the picture, fortunate enough to have had 30 minutes of her time to have a one-on-one conversation about life goals, relationship-building and dealing with expectations. Dufu embodies the generosity of this city as someone who is willing to squeeze half an hour to offer advice to a stranger in the audience.

Anonymous receptionist at Carnegie Hall

It was a cold and rainy night when I walked into the education wing of Carnegie Hall by mistake while looking for the box office. Carnegie Hall is one of the city’s cultural landmarks and a world-class concert hall. Stunned by the grand practice rooms with new and shiny Steinway pianos, I asked the person at the front desk if the public had access to them. After learning that I had just moved to New York and was looking for a place to practice violin, the receptionist offered me the main room completely out of the kindness of his heart.

I had one of the most magical practicing experiences that night—not just because of the acoustics and top calibre of the piano, but also being in a space where many famous musicians have practiced and rehearsed in. I imagined giving a solo performance under the spotlight in that very room.

The walk back was no longer cold and windy, because my heart was filled with gratitude for a stranger who was probably in my shoes when he was a student. This is New York, a city where people are known to be cold and impolite, but I happened to find the kindness and warmth in them.

“Letters to a Young Writer” author Colum McCann

I’ve known the book “Letters to a Young Poet” for a while, so when “Letters to a Young Writer” came out, I was intrigued by what McCann had to say to aspiring young writers. Growing up in Ireland, McCann thought he was going to continue his father’s profession as a journalist. He never thought that he was going to become a creative writer one day. After graduating from college, he went on a bike trip across the U.S., meeting people from all backgrounds and livelihoods. The “aha” moment occurred to him during the trip. He then wrote three bestselling novels based on that once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

People say New York is a writer’s heaven because of the vibrant community, which must have been fostered by something. McCann’s story exhibits the city’s inclusivity and endless possibility that breeds ideas and poetry. Everyone living in the city can be called a New Yorker, and everyone has a story to tell.

Neither Tiffany Dufu, Colum McCann nor the receptionist at Carnegie Hall is originally from the city. Nonetheless, they embody New York. It’s hard to rationalize how this city grew to become a place I call home over the course of five months. A house has a physical definition; a home has a spiritual one. I’m constantly in the journey of “homemaking”—aren’t we all?