https://anchor.fm/niamey-thomas/episodes/Summer-Reflection-e1lcpca

Niamey: What's up, everybody? It's your girl Niamey and Kim with Diggin in with Niamey,If it's your first time on the pod, welcome. If you've been here before, welcome back, family. Kim, how are you?

Kim: I'm doing great. It amazes me that you still yet tried to steamroll me, but hey, everybody, it's been a while. We are back.

Niamey: So today's episode, we're going to talk about being back. I really just want to talk about what we've been doing, a little reflection on this summer, what we've been doing this past summer, the past few months. It's been a month and like two weeks since we've been here.

Kim: It was a much needed vacation and rest and yeah, I would have to agree. I would say summer is out and what's the phrase? Well, that doesn't make sense for me now, but school is out for summer, but now it's summertime. It's great. It's extremely hot no matter where you go. I went to New York for a few hours, I like to say, and it was extremely hot there, and I figured it would be a little bit better because it's not supposed to be like the desert, but no it's hot, and I have been spending a lot of time near water, whether that be pools. I've actually gone swimming a few times this summer, which normally I try and avoid that because, you know, the hair, but I've been embracing it. I decided I'ma have braids all summer and just do my thing.

Niamey: And I was in New York. So the majority of the break I was in New York. I left on June 21, and I got there June 21. That was the first day of summer. And if you know me, you know, seasons are really important to me and they're just important, spiritually speaking. And just in general, seasons are really a cool thing. And so I go off of seasons within my life. And so it's very symbolic for me to be going to New York at the beginning of summer on June 21. And then I got back a few days ago, and that was a lot of fun. As Kim said, it is hot in general, and I think a lot of that has to do with the world warming up, global warming. But I also think it has a lot to do with just so much cement. Cement makes it hot.

Kim: You cook that long pause. I thought you were about to say some super extra curricular, hard word. She said cement.

Niamey: I couldn't think of the word. The word I wanted to say was carpet, but I knew that wasn't the right word, so I couldn't think. But with all the cement, all the cars, you can feel a difference. And I say that because when I came back to Buckeye, I live in Buckeye. I live in the middle of nowhere. It's literally there's, my street. There's no lights out here. It's totally out, excluded from everything by itself. And you could feel the difference. It's cooler out here than when I go into the city. And I would say it was the same in New York, right? Like in the city I was in, it was hot. And then you go to the park and it's still really warm because there's still a lot of cement, but there's more trees and grass and so it's less hot. In Arizona our trees are just different here anyways. It's just hot. As hot as heck. So. I agree with Kim's statement. But anyways, I want to talk about a little bit about what we have been experiencing a little bit over the summer break. What are we looking forward to for the rest of summer? Because we do still have a whole rest of the month of July and the whole month of August and then a little bit of September before summer ends. So what are you looking forward to? And then yeah, cool. Sounds good to me. Okay, so what's been going on? I decided in January, I made a decision in January that I was going to go spend the summer in New York City. And unfortunately, because of a surgery I was supposed to get, I could not stay the whole summer. My plan was to come back, get the surgery and then go. But then some other stuff happened and I ended up having to work earlier and it was a little bit other stuff with dance. So I ended up just coming back early and not going back. But it was still a really good experience for me being in New York. I lived out there by myself. I sub leased a place because I realized I never actually shared everything with you guys. But yeah, I sub leased my friend's place and I lived there by myself. Kim came out and visit, what, three days?

Kim: No, under 72 hours.

Niamey: And it was a good time. This was my first time traveling alone, which was really cool. I think the biggest thing I wanted was it's my last year in my twentys. And so I knew I wanted to spend some time in New York. And then I also knew I want to spend time by myself because I've never traveled alone and I am not married yet and I don't even have no man. I am a single woman. And I was just like I didn't want my life to stop because of me being by myself. Not all my friends can always do everything with me and so I didn't want to not do something out of fear. So I was terrified. And so because I was so scared, I said I needed to go. And God was able to provide a way for me to go. Three weeks. Yeah, that's kind of how that happened for me.

Kim: How would you rate your experience? Because when I ask you stuff like this, usually say zero stars or give like a five.

Niamey: I think there were moments I really enjoyed myself. New York isn't as scary as I think, right? I think when I think of New York, I still think of very much so. 80s?

Kim: You weren't even born in the 80s.

Niamey: No, but in the movies, that's what they talk about, right? They talk about tough on crime. We think about the movies that takes place in New York, and everyone is like they talk about people being raped and all this stuff. It seems super harsh, but that wasn't my reality, which I'm really grateful for. New York was nice. There was someone always out, so I felt safe getting on the train at night. I felt safe in the apartment I was in. Even though there may have been gunshots, most certainly there were fireworks because I was there during 4 July. And if you know New York in general, in any borough, they're going to be blast of fireworks all late at night. I got home around eleven on 4 July, and they were doing fireworks when I got there at eleven until four in the morning. And so I'm assuming the sun sets at 830, but the sun isn't down until nine, which is crazy, because like here in Arizona, by 830, it's already a little dark during the summer, but the sun is still out, so I'm assuming around 9:00 That's when they started the fireworks. But I don't know, I felt good. I think my favorite part was just like there was just a lot of peace and ease and rest, I felt. Which is so funny, because I don't know, I think there's something there I need to kind of figure out, because when I came back here, there was this stress and anxiety. I felt a little bit about being back, and even when I saw you and interacted with you, there was some like, stress and anxiety. And so I think that there's some triggers that I may have with this life that I live, you know what I mean? Like my normal life. I think that there are some things I need to kind of learn and figure out what's going on with, because there was just this peace I felt the moment I got there, this ease. I went to the park and just sat around and I mean, I do that stuff here, but it just feels different here. I walked everywhere there. I visited a few different boroughs, I went to a few different little towns and stuff, like Chinatown and I don't know, it was a good time. I rode bikes, I went on a little cruise thingy for a day, a little tour, and I took trains everywhere, took the bus. And I just trusted my instincts. If I felt like something was off, I took the precautions I needed to, but it was just a good experience of me by myself. I also realized, though, that I was over it. After a certain amount of time, I was ready to come to my bed. Like, I missed my bed, I missed my shower. I just missed being in the home that I live in, like, after two weeks.

Kim: Yeah you FaceTime me and said, and I'm ready to come home.

Niamey: I was there for three weeks. I was there 20 days. That's a long trip. Kim pointed out something that I tend to travel for a long time, and I don't think I ever noticed that I do. When I travel, I really try I don't mind doing touristy things to an extent, but for the most part, I want to meet the people. You all know that I love connection, so I'm all about meeting the people, talking to people. I want to sit at someone's feet and hear their stories.

Kim: When was you sitting at somebody's feet?

Kim: I know what you mean,

Niamey: I used that as like, how they used to do with storytelling. But I'm all for that. I'm all for that, the storytelling process, hearing about people and things like that. And I was able to experience that a little bit in New York. Not as much as I wanted to, but I'm all for that. And so the way I travel, which I didn't even realize was a thing that I had a way. But Kim pointed out that about to me, which I thought was cool, what was also really funny. Have you talked to Mariah yet about the trip?

Kim: No.