long commute

I had my first job interview since moving to New York this afternoon. The position was for an entry level floral designer at a small, recently opened florist in Huntington, Long Island. I took the L to 8 ave, transferred to the A, C, E to Penn Station. There, I bought a ticket on the Long Island Railway and got a ticket to Huntington. From the train station it was a good 30 minute walk to the florist. Altogether, the commute was almost 2 hours.

Interestingly, the owner is a scientist by training and had previously held an academic job then later and an industry job. It was more like a conversation than an interview. We talked about my reasons for entering and leaving graduate school, my career plans, and what I hoped to get out of the job. Recently, the owner decided to open up a floral shop that was like none other. That is one that encourages its florists to create non-traditional, unique floral arrangements. The company is really laid back and after giving workers basic training, florists are given free reign with their creativity. It would be a great opportunity to learn about the floral industry and get hands on experience and training in floral design. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

On the return train from Jamaica to Penn Station, I ended up making conversation with an older gentleman. I was looking at my subway map- trying to decide whether I should take the subway or the train back to Williamsburg- he thought I was lost and asked if I needed help. Turns out he’s a French native and a physics professor at Columbia. We talked about places we’ve traveled and would like to go in the future, compared lifestyles in the US vs. France, how we both ended up in New York, etc. . . it was a really nice discussion and made me think about how nice it is to randomly connect with a total stranger.