I’ve experienced many notable life changes, but none more frightening than moving from Fort Worth, TX to Manhattan when I was 19. Except for a very brief trip to Queens, NY to visit an uncle and aunt when I was 10 or 11, I don’t recall ever having been out of my home state until that move. Everything was wildly new. New fast-paced environment, new kinds of people, new job, new college, new way of transportation (subway), and a new room-mate when the friend who had invited me to make the move in the first place deserted me after three months to move back with his parents.
But what a key move it turned out to be for me! I lived in NY for almost 10 years, started my career, completed my education, and got married before moving back to Texas.